Dubai's Vertical Village Might Suck Up All Of the Sun's Rays

Despite grumbling about economic woes taking a toll on Dubai construction projects, it seems that their Vertical Village is going full steam ahead. The question is, after it's built, will there be any sun for the rest of us? More »

GreenSun Solar Panels Come in Crayola-like Array

GreenSun's jewel-toned solar panels do more than make your yard look pink from the kitchen. They're highly efficient at absorbing certain parts of sunlight's spectrum. More »

SunCat Solar Batteries: Well That Was Obvious

Rechargeable batteries can be a bit of a pain—you have to carry around an adapter, find an outlet, and even bend over to plug in the adapter. It's hell, really. More »

Solar Panel Sunglasses: Because We Haven't Stuck Solar Panels Into Glasses Yet

In the future, sunglasses will need to do more than just make you look cool or prevent costly eye conditions. They'll need to power your gadgets, according to at least one pair of designers.

Smart Coasters Differentiate Iced Tea from Hot

We know that you probably don't need help figuring out if what you're drinking is hot or cold, but that only makes these Smart Coasters all the more endearing. Essentially a solar cell trapped in waterproof resin, cold drinks light up blue and hot drinks light up red. Full instructions to build your own can be found in The Hungry Scientist Handbook (which runs about $12 at Amazon). But for the less labor-inclined, sticking your finger into visitors' drinks has always been considered a fine gesture of hospitality. [Evil Mad Scientist Lab via boingboing]

Glasgow Considering Installing Giant 'Solar Lily Pads' in the River Clyde

Scottish architecture firm ZM Architecture has come up with a way to deliver more renewable energy to Glasgow: solar panel lily pads. Yep, they want to populate the River Clyde with a series of gigantic solar islands that'll soak up the rays all day long, sending electricity to the grid while also acting as an aesthetically-pleasing attraction. Initially an entry in the International Design Awards "Land and Sea" competition where it took first prize, the Glasgow city council is now considering testing out a small run of the solar lily pads in the river. [BBC via Inhabitat]