Containerized Infrastructure ~ Urgent Solutions...

Writing about Mercy Ships got me thinking again about floating power plants and that in turn got me thinking about other urgent solutions which can be deployed relatively rapidly -- and moved easily. Last summer at MIT's IDDS, Jock Brandis proposed a containerized Jatropha-to-biodiesel plantoleum processing facility. It turns out a quickie search shows several players making such turnkey systems. But the idea of containerized infrastructure extends to many things:

• Power Plants -- such as the Wartsila system pictured above;
  
• Desalination Units -- e.g. this APT unit;
• Bottling Plants
• Food Processors
  
• Pico Breweries
• Coffee Shops -- e.g. like this Illy outpost;
  
• Fab Labs -- e.g. this MIT Mobile prototype;

And more. This is a theme I'm paying close attention to and will revisit here time to time. Please drop a line if you find examples of interest or have something compelling to add.