Park seems to think this is only a temporary solution, saying:

Of course once the bins are full, we’re left with the same original problem. Somebody has to collect all those spent batteries and recycle them.

But I say, that's just pessimism, Sungwoo—if you get some hippy cities like SF and Seattle to install these as points of collection, people would participate and the recycling would get done. Seriously, in this world of half-baked ideas, this one makes a lot of sense to me. Now, to go dig those dead D-cells out of my trash. [Yanko Design]

The shape also offers less wind resistance than conventional flat panels, making them cheaper and easier to mount on roofs. These advantages ultimately reduce the cost of generating power from the sun, though Solyndra couldn't give a direct answer on how much.

Considering that everyone, from Google to the Vatican, is installing a solar roof these days, Solyndra's innovations could mean a serious boost for the industry. But what's with not actually giving figures? That seems a little... shady. [Technology Review via Dvice]

The move is important since data centers are becoming an ever-increasing drain on the energy grid, accounting for about 1.5 percent of all electricity consumed in the U.S. in 2006 (expected to rise to 2.5 percent in three years). While the efficiency levels Google touted are admirable, data center trackers cautioned that the test results hadn't been verified by a third party. [NYTimes]

He also revealed a few interesting tidbits about their system including the following quote about the possibility of turning their fuel into a bomb:

Our fuel is very unique. It's uranium hydride. UH3 is the chemical formula. Low-enriched, about 10 percent [uranium isotope]-235, the rest is U-238. By comparison, bomb-grade fuel is about 98 percent enriched.

On the problem of nuclear waste:

The waste that comes out of our reactor after powering 20,000 homes for 8-10 years is about the size of a football. Using coal and gas over the same time frame, the waste stream for just you, after factoring in CO2 emissions, would overflow Mile High Stadium in Denver. So our waste stream is very concentrated, and yes, we have to do something with it, but there are known ways of dealing with it. For security reasons, we're not disclosing what will happen to it, but it's not going to just sit in some bucket somewhere. Recycling was "baked in" to our reactor design from the beginning.

I can't say that any of this chatter has done much to overcome my skepticism, but word is that he actually found a buyer for that first backyard system scheduled for 2013. So we will have to wait and see if this will be the next big thing in power production. [Hyperion Power and Techrockies via Treehugger]

A new smart grid will be able to handle plug-in hybrids in large numbers, increase efficiency, and not be easily toppled by small problems that then cascade into mini-disasters, as was the case in the Northeast blackout in 2003. It will also ensure that power from alternative sources (solar, wind) will be able to be transmitted to where it's needed most, around the country. For more on smart grids, this lengthy SciAm article is a good read. [NYTimes]

There are two ways to store electrical energy today—through traditional rechargeable batteries or in ultracapacitors, a newer tech that runs safer, cooler, and longer. The UofT researchers think their breakthough could end up doubling the capacity of current ultracapacitors, which are made with a different, less awesome form of carbon.

If everything works out, it could give a much needed boost to solar and wind energy industries, whose main challenge right now is energy storage for when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. Beyond that, graphene ultracapacitors could end up improving the efficiency of all electrical appliances—cars, buses, trains, you name it. [Science Daily via Slashdot]

If this method of powdering methane gets commercialized, other gases may also get similar treatment. For instance, storing CO2 as a powder could finally make carbon sequestration viable and hydrogen as a powder would do wonders for fuel cell technology. [Discovery]

The maps are especially important as floating wind farms become more technologically possible. Ocean wind farms have less environmental impact than onshore wind farms and also tend to be more efficient, since winds are stronger over the water and there are no hills or mountains to block a heavy gust's path. Placed in the correct areas, the farms could harvest up to 500 to 800 watts of wind power per square meter.

One area with extremely high winds is located off the coast of Northern California near Cape Mendocino, where northernly zephyrs are deflected to create a local wind jet that blows year-round. Similarly, Tasmania in New Zealand and Tierra del Fuego in South America have the potential to utilize similar jets. [NASA via Treehugger]

The set has a contrast ratio of 10000:1 and a 20mm thick display panel. It requires about 30% less power than regular LCD TVs and gets its juice from one of Sharp's triple-junction thin-film solar cell modules. The modules are about the same size as the television's screen.

Sharp plans to market the LCD and the energy system as a pair and says that its product could be a hit with both people living off the grid and environmentally-conscious consumers. The company will be exhibiting this, and other energy-saving technologies, at the G8 summit on Monday. [Physorg]

The new pod, an evolution from the Orange portable wind charger that debuted at Glastonbury 2007, will act as a trial in using renewable energy sources on a larger scale. If everything goes well, the technology will become a staple at “Chill n' Charge tents” in future festivals. The pod can be found within the Pennard Hill camping grounds at Worthy Farm in Somerset. [Slashphone]

The device still requires about 5% of the diesel fuel needed to power traditional generators, but that means that fewer fuel runs are necessary. And, as as Army biotech scientist Dr. James Valdes pointed out , "Those convoys that carry fuel are also known as targets." It also means that fewer garbage trucks and their drivers are put in harm's way. Not quite Bact to the Future style garbage-fueled fusion power, but it is a step in the right direction.[CNET via Danger Room]

Reported to be the "most official solar collector in existence" by those behind the project. But how does this light-focusing panel actually create electricity?

The plan is to hold a water-filled 12-foot black coil right in front of the dish. The heat from the focused sunlight is enough to quickly vaporize the water into steam, which could be harnessed in a variety of ways (including a steam-powered turbine to create electricity).

While you can't buy the dish yet, the students have formed a company named RawSolar. Hopefully they'll be mass producing their designs soon. [RawSolar and MIT] Thanks Eric!

It sounds all well and good, except how often does anyone keep their phone out in the open gathering sunlight? Usually if I'm out and about, my cell stays firmly in the depths of my handbag or in my back pocket and, last time I checked, sunlight doesn't reach there. I guess this phone is going to stay a concept. [Yanko Design]

Yoshiaki Arata, a highly respected physicist in Japan, demonstrated a low-energy nuclear reaction at Osaka University on Thursday. In front of a live audience, including reporters from six major newspapers and two TV studios, Arata and a co-professor Yue-Chang Zhang, produced excess heat and helium atoms from deuterium gas.

Arata used pressure to force deuterium gas into an evacuated cell that contained a palladium and zirconium oxide mix (ZrO2-Pd). Arata said that the mix caused the deuterium's nuclei to fuse, raising the temperature in the cell and keeping the center of the cell warm for 50 hours.

Arata's experiment would mark the first time anyone has witnessed cold fusion since 1989, when Martin Fleishmann and Stanely Pons supposedly observed excess heat during electrolysis of heavy water with palladium electrodes. When they and other researchers were unable to make it work again, cold fusion became synonymous with bad science.

But the method Arata showed was "highly reproducible," according to eye witnesses of the event. If nobody calls this demonstration out as a sham, Arata might have finally found the holy grail of cheap and abundant energy—nuclear power, without its destructive heat. [Physicsworld via Slashdot]

FULLY CHARGE YOUR WII WORKOUT WITH NYKO'S ENERGY PAK - COMING SOON

Rechargeable Battery Solution for Wii Balance Board Eliminates the Need for Wasteful Batteries

LOS ANGELES, California - May 8, 2008 - Nyko Technologies®, the premier game console peripherals manufacturer, today announced that it will soon release the Energy Pak for the Wii Balance Board™, a peripheral packaged with the forthcoming title Wii Fit™. The rechargeable battery solution is expected to hit stores on May 19th.

The Energy Pak installs conveniently on the underside of the Balance Board and features a unique AC Port Relocator that allows users to easily play with the board and charge the battery simultaneously, without ever having to remove the Pak or turn the Balance Board over. An easy-to-read LED charge light indicates the charge status of the battery, letting the user know when it is time to recharge, and when the charging cycle is complete. The Energy Pak can be quickly charged with the included, detachable AC adaptor, and provides up to 20 hours of playtime per charge.

"It is difficult enough trying to keep up with a regular fitness program without the hassle of swapping out alkaline or other rechargeable batteries," said Chris Arbogast, Director of Marketing at Nyko Technologies. "Like all of our charging solutions, the Energy Pak is as easy to use as it is functional. Users will be able to recharge the Wii Balance Board while in use or in between gaming sessions, all without ever needing to flip the board over to switch out battery packs."

Nyko's Energy Pak for the Wii Balance Board is expected in stores on May 19th for the suggested retail price of $19.99. Please visit www.nyko.com for more information.

The GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall, designed by Simon Giostra & Partners and Arup, uses thousands of solar capture cells attached to each of its glass panels to charge up during the day and then release dazzling light shows at night. It's the first time perforated photovoltaics laminated in glass have ever been used in a building in China, but if all goes off without a hitch, it most certainly won't be the last.

The wall is a combination of three textured panels in low-, medium-, and high-transparency glass, employed together to create a "continuous carpet" of flowing design that's actually roughly 7 feet deep. The wall will showcase low-resolution LED imagery, to help conserve energy and paint an artsy gauze on whatever does get shown.

The project will be completed in June and will feature performance works by artists from all over the world. [Technabob]

It's not all free energy, however, as these trucks slow down ever-so-slightly as they depress the plates in the road. TreeHugger supposes that this would be even better for the times when you actually do want to slow down, like going down a hill, where they could load up on these plates and slow down cars enough to not have to ride the brakes the whole way. Sounds good to us. [Treehugger]

The project is in its pilot stage now in a smattering of Swedish cities. If power consumption reaches eco-friendly levels, a little green smiley face will pop up to congratulate you for doing a good job. It's kind of like a game—with the future of the Earth at stake!

In addition to utility usage, the device also gives you information ranging from when the next tram will pass by your stop to weather forecasts into the week to who's milling outside your door. [Treehugger via Slippery Brick]

Once you place an order, the site will ship one of five off-the-shelf prepackaged solar arrays and dispatch an installation crew to your door. An on-line database tracks local building and permit requirements and sends the necessary forms to you for you to fill out.

This is great news for everyone who has ever wanted to jump on the solar bandwagon, but was afraid to because of the headaches that come from any large home project. The system will also help make everything cheaper, since half of a solar system's costs are from installation hassles.

Unfortunately, the service is limited to California addresses right now, but if business is good, we could probably count on a nationwide roll-out in the near future. [Green Wombat via Wired]

It all starts with a single laser, which is split into 48 separate beams. The beams are then redirected using mirrors into amplifiers—previously pumped by a total of 7,680 Xenon flash lamps— and, after four bounces, they are further split into 192 rays through all the facility—which is the size of three football fields. As they travel through those endless tubes they will be amplified again at an exponential rate.

The result: from a tiny 1/billionth of a joule laser, the scientists at the National Ignition Facility will end up with rays "a foot on the their side" with a combined "1.8 million joules of ultraviolet energy", 1,000 times the energy of all the power plants in the United States combined. That's five trillion watts (and as any numbnuts know, a trillion is more than a million.)

The lasers will then compress the frozen hydrogen fuel cell pictured here, which will be enclosed in a gold-plated cylinder called the hohlraum. The hohlraum—which was probably brought through a Stargate— is located inside the 32.8-foot-diameter ignition chamber, and it will transforms the lasers into extremely intense X-rays, compressing the hydrogen at one hundred billion atmospheres in just 1/1,000,000 of a second.

This will trigger a controlled nuclear fusion reaction that will create a small star, hopefully generating more power than the energy used to fire the laser and contain the intense heat inside the chamber.

All this in theory. The questions is:

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

I'm leaning to the third option. Good bye, California. It was good while it lasted. Your only hope: that Europe vaporizes the solar system first with their Large Hadron Collider. [National Ignition Facility, NIF at Wikipedia, FusEdWeb, and Lasers at Wikipedia via Quest]

Because while $10,000 of traditional solar panels will produce a a kilowatt of energy over 25 square meters, the solar balloon power equivalent costs just $4,000. The engineers' biggest concerns seem to be wind resistance, as they're still finalizing the optimal design.

On the downside, the balloons will require moderate yearly maintenance (we're not sure what that entails). But simultaneously shutting up your child and producing clean energy has to involve a catch somewhere. [inhabitat via dvice]

Alright, we're actually not sure that you feel a shock at all since the word "spark" may have been the choice of a liberal Google translation denoting "small glow." But we'd recommend keeping wasteful electrical usage down just in case. [product via dvice]

The Mobile Light says you are sophisticated, environmentally conscious, as well as being hot on interior design. The only reason you would want to portray these qualities is because your over-styled bachelor pad has seen more lonely nights than you care to remember, and you're hoping a hottie will say, "Gosh, you're stylish, want to have sex?" It's not gonna happen. [Kyouei Design]

The great state of Indiana (biggup Hoosiers woohoo!) only started observing DST in the past few years, and not everyone in the state observes it yet. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara saw this as a unique opportunity to study electricity consumption, comparing usage before and after the transition, and even usage between those observing DST and those not.

The results of the study say that while lightbulbs are used less because of the added daylight, air-conditioning in the summer and heating in the fall are used more than they would with an hour less daylight. Overall, the cost to Indiana residents was around $8.6 million a year in higher energy bills, plus up to $5.3 million per year in "increased pollution costs."

According to the Census Bureau, the population of Indiana is 6 million while the overall US population is 300 million. Even though energy demands certainly change from state to state, you can easily see that even if this trend extends across just the north half of the country, it could be plenty expensive.

The funny thing is, although the Energy Policy Act of 2005 added an extra month of DST to the calendar, nobody had actually studied whether or not DST saves energy. Feel free to introduce your own tragicomic energy-loving, science-hating, competency-shunning Texas Republican joke below—I'm just too weary of this crap to think of one. [USA Today]

The project is expected to cost $300 million, and it will form an impressive center piece to Masdar City, which will be a $22 billion development stretching out beyond Abu Dhabi. The Masdar HQ is the very vision of a greener future. In fact, a roof pier will be the first part of the building to be hoisted into place, which will be covered in solar panels that will generate energy for its own construction. The complete structure will encompass some 1.3 million square feet, and we think the term "intelligent design" should now be redefined to accommodate the Masdar HQ's structural plans. [Product Page via Dvice]

The appeal of the system is its low cost and high scalability. MIT's Technology Review says that, according to one expert, "solar thermal power will become cost competitive with other forms of power generation decades before photovoltaics will." And even though solar thermal costs more than wind power (around 15 cents per kilowatt versus wind's 8 cents per kilowatt), solar thermal energy, trapped in the form of heat, is much more easy to save up. Energy can be generated even when the sun isn't shining—in the case of Abengoa's Arizona plant, part of the heat doesn't directly boil water but is transferred to molten salt tanks, where it can be stored to power the turbine for up to six sunless hours.

The plant goes operational in 2011, and will generate 280 megawatts, enough to provide energy for 70,000 homes, customers of the Arizona Public Service in Phoenix. [Technology Review; Abengoa]

Wind machines were used way back in 200 B.C. by the Persians, who managed to put the wind crunchers to use for grain grinding purposes. Skip a few years ahead, and you have the first Megawatt wind turbine (pictured), which was set up on a hilltop in Rutland, Vermont, and provided power to the local grid during WWII. The turbine was affectionately known as "Grandpa's Knob." Charming. Thanks for attending Wind Turbine Retromodo 101; there'll be a test next week, so get revising. [Live Leak; Wiki]

Scientists suggest that the brace could be used by campers and soldiers to power GPS locators and satellite phones in areas with limited access to electricity. It could also charge prosthetic knees, eliminating the need for periodic surgery to replace the batteries in the joint.

The current version of the knee brace is just a proof-of-concept; the team plans to make the device less bulky while still retaining its energy harvesting capabilities. We think this is a great idea with lots of potential (even if it was created in part by a University of Michigan professor). Hopefully we can get a working model before CES next year so we'll never need to worry about our laptop running out of juice. [Science via Science Daily, Reuters, BBC]

The sheet of solar panels is similar in size and weight to a sheet of plastic wrap But like any breakthrough, this is still in the theoretical stage, as researchers have only simulated the function of the solar cells and design tweaks still need to be made. [Idaho National Laboratory via Eco Geek via Oh Gizmo via New Launches]