Ecosphere Technologies has created what it calls a "portable, self-contained micro-utility" that can clean water and provide electricity and Internet access in remote locations or for disaster relief. The Ecos LifeLink is a building shaped like a roadside gift shop (or a very small drive-through restaurant) whose roof is covered with retractable solar panels, a wind turbine, and a satellite dish. The sun and wind energy provide electricity for the building and power a water-filtration system that can clean 30 gallons of water per minute.

I'm sure these prefab, portable buildings are quite expensive to build now, but eventually the developers would like to see them powering small villages in Africa or used as temporary utility-company replacements in case of natural disaster here at home. With solar panels getting thinner and lighter all the time, we're hoping that Ecosphere will think even bigger, so that buildings like these can replace utility companies for good. — S.E. Kramer

EcoSphere, via treehugger