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High Voltage Skyscraper Produces Hydrogen from Lightning

Whoa, this spire is almost too sick for words. With a futuristic Lord of the Rings look, the Hydra Skyscraper just took an honorable mention award in the 2011 Evolo Skyscraper Competition. The spire has an exoskeleton made from graphene, which Inhabitat calls a “carbon super-material that is 200 times stronger than steel and highly conductive to heat and electricity.”

The concept super-tower has been designed for a location somewhere in the tropics, where 70% of all lightning occurs. The tower’s graphene skin channels electricity from lightning bolts into batteries at the base that fuel electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen gas creates usable hydrogen fuel for the building. The spire has plans for a research facility, housing, and recreational areas for scientists and others too. Awesome.

(via Inhabitat)

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