Gizmodo: energy efficient

Greencore Semi-Solar-Powered Units Use Both the Sun and the Grid

Elaine Chow — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

AC manufacturer Greencore has come up with a long-awaited solution to the inherent problem in solar-powered air conditioning units—solar panels are still not efficient enough to power the energy-gobbling machines on their own. The company's 10200 model uses a single 170-watt solar panel during the day and electricity from the power grid during the night to charge its batteries, leading to massive energy savings even if the solution isn't 100% solar.

Greencore has three versions of its AC system, a fixed one, a portable one with two batteries and another portable with four batteries. All three run on 24 volts DC and have a cooling capacity of 10,200 BTUs and a heating capacity of 13,400 BTUs. According to the company, McDonalds and the US Navy are already on board with testing the units. [Treehugger]

ESL Bulbs Are Better Than CFLs and LEDs, Says Company

Elaine Chow — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Another contender has stepped into the ring of energy efficient lighting: called ESL (electron-stimulated luminescence), this new type of bulb works by using accelerated electrons to light up a phosphor coating on the inside of a glass bulb. ESLs can turn on instantly, can work with dimmers, and creates a light quality that's similar to incandescents and halogens.

Vu1, the company behind the technology, says ESL bulbs don't contain the trace amounts of mercury in CFLs and don't require the manufacturing energy behind LEDs, making it better than both. The first screw in models, which produce 40 lumens per watt with a 6,000 hour lifetime, are expected to be available by September 2008. At $12 a bulb, they cost about the same as dimmable CFLs already on the market. [Vu1 via Cleantechnica]

Sony Brings Out Energy-Efficient 32-Inch LCD in Japan

AddyDugdale — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Bravia KDL-32JE1 is an energy-efficient TV from Bravia which consumes just 89W of power, compared to 160W on an equivalent Bravia. It also uses plastic parts recycled from other Sony departments, such as the plastic waste from collected TVs, polystyrene packaging and the waste from the optical film from LCD TVs. Available on July 25 in Japan, the KDL-32JE1 has 1366x768 resolution, HDMI interface, 2500:1 contrast ratio and 178-degree view angle, and comes in two colors, Champagne Gold and Silver. It will cost the equivalent of $1,390 in Yen. [Impress]

Fujitsu's "Zero-Watt" Monitor Uses Zero Power in Standby Mode

Sean Fallon — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Fujitsu Siemens has developed a new monitor that claims to use zero power in standby mode. This money-saving monitor miracle is made possible thanks to a built-in switch that shuts down the monitor completely when a signal from the computer is absent—and then abruptly brings it back to life when the signal reappears. This sort of technology will prove especially useful for businesses, which is why Fujitsu is aiming squarely at this market when the monitor is released this summer. Fortunately for the rest of us, this new model will sell for the same price as conventional monitors. [Physorg via Treehugger]