Archive for: solar power
What the hell is that? At first, visions of some new age weapon come to mind. But in reality it’s something much more and much more useful — a mobile solar power generator.
Being green and living clean is getting easier with each passing day. Regardless if the current world we live in is warming or cooling, giving mother nature a helping hand certainly can’t hurt. In the solar power arena, harnessing such power for larger scale applications (read: large tools/small housing) require some pretty hefty solar cells and hardware. Hardware that is anything but mobile. A new design by Marcos Madia, Sergio Ohashi and Juan Manuel Pantano however aims to make the trek into the wilderness, or at the very least, power away from outlets more mobile and easier to use.
The design is simple — attach some solar panels to a foldable contraption and make it lightweight and compact when folded. That’s where this little beaut excels, providing mobile power in a light and small package that can be folded up when the job or need moves. Pretty cool huh?
Anyone have any great ideas of what you could use this for?
LikeCOOL
- November 30, 2009 2:41 pm
What would you say if I said your roof could be so much better? Why am i asking you about your roof on a tech blog? If you thought there was nothing cool about such things, think again. The roof above our head is a grossly outdated piece of human existence that has remained unchanged for decades. That’s all about to change with the Thermeleon roofing tiles. What’s so special? These futuristic phase-change polymer gel-filled tiles developed by MIT students for the MIT MADMEC (Making and Designing Materials Engineering Contest) actually change color according to the temperature during the day — white during the summer days to reflect heat and black during this bitter winter days to absorb heat. Novel idea. Simple in theory. Brilliantly executed. Now don’t get all excited that you’re heating/cooling bill is going to be slashed by 99%. Instead, take comfort in knowing that you’re saving energy. Even though it’s a relatively small portion in the grander scheme of things, every little bit helps right?
While I’m not discounting the teams’ efforts or results in any way, a user comment on Gizmag highlights one way the MIT team could take the whole “green roof” one step further — add some sort of solar energy converter/storage system. Not only could you power the house with the solar energy, but a system of houses connected to the grid could, if the system required, push stored energy back into the grid. Getting somewhere…?
Ubergizmo > Gizmag > MIT News
- November 23, 2009 5:41 am
Even with online radio, streaming services, and mp3 players, some people still love good ‘ol fashioned radio. Who says FM is dead? While I personally don’t listen to terrestrial radio any more simply because they never play anything outside of the top 50 popular songs, repeating each one until it’s imprinted in every nook and cranny of my brain. Personal gripes aside, sporting your FM radio on the go can be done in so many ways as FM radios have taken an almost infinite array of shapes and sizes. One style in particular, the headband radio is to me, the most iconic image of 80′s technology and the personal radio. If you’re going to be a complete nerd walking around in your MC Hammer pants, cut off t, and walking along noddin’ your head, you might as well at least use the latest and greatest in technology. Throw out those sweat stained, older than dirt headband radios you’ve been using and replace them with the Solar Headphone Radio. It’s no secret what the highlight is here — solar power in a headband radio. It makes sense doesn’t it? Unless you walk on your head, it’s usually pointing in a northernly direction meaning it should grasp at least a few waves of sweet mother sun’s gleaming light. How well does it work?
One hour of sunlight is enough to keep you bangin’ to the beats for 1-3 hours of uninterrupted music. When fully charged, the AAA NiMH battery will allow you to strut your 80′s stuff for a good 20 hours before the good times (and memories) get replaced by cold silence and the sound of your foot steps reverberating through your headphones. Super. As much as I joke, it isn’t a bad design or idea at all. Is £24.95 (~ $41.42 USD) too much to relive those glory days?
- September 8, 2009 5:42 am
Imagine driving down the road and looking out in front of your car and seeing the roadway light up with markings or directions. Such a sight might make you think of some science fiction movie or some futuristic technology that is still decades from becoming reality. However, the technology and deployment may not be that far off. Instead of the typical asphalt based roadway that does nothing but cause us to use more petroleum based products, the solar roadway could actually make us more independent. The company with the technology, Solar Roadways, has been given a $100,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation to further develop a prototype of the solar roadway mentioned above. The power harnessed by even a smaller 12′ x 12′ section could top 7.6 kilowatt hours. Moving on to bigger sections such as a mile long section of highway could provide enough energy to power 500 homes! As mentioned previously, adding LED lights to the roadway could also provide drivers with short bits of information as well as provide the lane markings reducing the need for road paint.
Naturally, the thought of driving on LED’s and glass can make some uneasy. Though, with as many incredible feats I’ve seen attained with glass, a roadway is but another notch in the belt of science.
Source: Dvice, Dvorak, Physorg
The human body is a walking scientific spectacle. Even though the DNA between you and me is virtually 99% the same, it’s that 1% sliver that differentiates all of us. Some like it hot. Some like it cold. Some can take the heat. Others simply drop like flies. For the ground thumpers out there, carrying a mini fan with you everywhere you go can be a nuisance and at times embarrassing. Thankfully there is the solar powered hat fan. Featuring two small solar panels and an actual miniaturized fan, this hat will keep your noggin nice and cool even when mother nature and Mr. Sun try their hardest to bring you down. The best part? It’s only $16 to be able to call this little wonder yours. Now will it actually work as advertised? At least you’ll pull of the geeky look. But such things are trivial when life, comfort, and just plain livability are concerned. Let us know how it goes!
[Product Page]
CrunchGear
The whole idea of going camping (usually) is to get away from it all. The city life, a fast paced world, electronic distractions, and other gadgetry are abandoned as campers aim to reconnect with nature and enjoy being self sufficient. However, one of the slightly problems with living in mother natures grassy fields is that light…after dark….is rather scarce. Instead of fumbling with a flashlight or some other lantern, why not capture the light from the sun and reuse it later? That is what the Solar Cap aims to do. Featuring a brim with embedded solar cells as well as LED lights built into the underside of the bill of the cap, night reading and other night related activities can now be carried on with a more friendly and efficient hands free approach. While an initial 3 day charge is needed to get the solar cells up and running, fret not as after the initial charge, a mere 8-hour jaunt is all that is needed to top off your Solar Cap. After juicing the hat to the max, users of said hat can expect roughly 5 hours of run time. Enough to get you through many chapters of your favorite book, or enjoy a nice, long night walk with up to a 30 foot reach. Finally, the Solar Cap is a fully weather proof hat meaning no matter the elements, you can enjoy clean, renewable light at any time of day.
Hey, being green is finally getting more affordable. At $50, the Solar Cap isn’t a bad investment at all. Go Green!
[Product Page]
Source: Dvice, 7Gadgets,
The least favorite time for any gadget aficianado, particularly the mobile gadget aficianado is that of recharge time. Not only are we at times without gadgets (the ones that aren’t operable while charging), we are also stuck, chained to a wall limiting our movement and mobile freedom. Extra batteries can help extend those wall free moments in life and for many are a good solution. But what if you’re going to be away from walls and outlets for an extended period of time? Mobile chargers that use solar, hand crank power, or even disposable batteries are all available in vairous shapes and sizes. So much so that it may even be hard to find the right mobile charger for you. Thankfully I can tell you to ignore the rest and try out the Kinesis K3.
Now before you get all excited and assume that Samsung has come out with some earth shattering, mountain moving solar powered solar powered smartphone, I need to burst your digital bubble and come clean about the fact it isn’t very “smart”. But, what it lacks in higher end features it makes up for in it’s ability to trot around the globe uninhibited by such ancient nuisances like power outlets and cords. Samsung claims that for every hour of solar juice you borrow, you can expect 5-10 minutes of talk time. Nothing substantial mind you. But enough to get small points across. Besides the big honkin’ solar panel on the back of the device, hardware features are pretty scarce. However, Samsung is taking a different approach with the E1107 in the form of more not-so-average features. Just what kind of features are not so normal? For starters, this first few added features are actually pretty useful. The E1107 will alert you whenever the SIM is switched, sends out an SOS whenever you’re in distress, and will even get you out of those awkward social situations with “Fake Call” that will do exactly as the name sounds. Other notable features worth mentioning are location based call blocking (prevents all but the most important calls from going through when driving, biking, etc.) as well as a prayer reminder. Odd hodge podge of features isn’t it? Oh well. Civilians of India, Europe, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and Latin America will soon be able to talk up a storm on this solar powered beast. Pricing still MIA.
Source: Mobile Crunch
Sitting at lunch and eating a cold meal that was destined to be warm/hot is something that isn’t exactly highlighted by words such as “super”, “tasty”, and “yummy”. Keep yourself or little Johnny’s tummies happy and content with the solar powered lunch box. Why eat cold food or even have to hunt for a microwave when you can actively keep your own food warm. As the name implies, the solar powered lunch box uses solar energy to keep the contents inside said box warm and toasty for the hungry user. Obviously, little Johnny would be the #1 gadget nerd of his 4th grade class when he struts in to school with the only solar powered lunch box and warm lunch. Sadly, dear little Johnny will have to wait a little longer to wow his classmates and keep his tummy full and warm as the solar powered lunchbox is but mere concept for now. Hopefully something as cool and unique as this will make its way into production in the near future.
Source: Coated, Envirogadget
