Gizmodo
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image cache
Oversized Solar-Powered LED Flowers Make For an Ostentatious Lawn
Converting things that are out in the sun to run off solar power makes a lot of sense, like lawn ornaments, these flowers or air conditioning units. Zambonis? Less so. [OGE Gallery via Mocoloco via BBG]
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By Jason ChenComment by DPeezy: What a fantastic idea. We need to do this to public areas such as parks, parking lots, etc. which... 4 Responses | Other threads
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airplanes
100% Solar-Powered Airplane Ready To Go Around the World
Solar Impulse—the 100% solar-powered airplane that will go around the world—is complete and ready to circumnavigate the globe. And for the first time ever, its pilot—actually, the real Piccard—will use a symbiotic suit. More » -
weather
Oregon Scientific's Solar Weather Station Is The Second Greenest Way To Check The Forecast
As far as weather stations go, the +ECO Clima Control weather station is pretty enough to put out in the open—and its wealth of features are completely powered by the sun. More » -
camping
Tent Leeches Solar Power While Campers Leech Your Wi-Fi
Even if this tent were just a tent, it's fashionable enough to seriously covet. But because it's a concept with ubertech, the tent produces enough electricity to power a small town and connects to the internet wirelessly. More » -
robots
Solar Powered Spider Will Populate My Nightmares for Months
Every time I've seen these Jansen walkers—usually driven by the wind, sometimes on electricity—they have crept the hell out of me. This one is solar powered, and it creeps me just the same. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by Lite: is on a boat.: I'm sorry, they've already added the razor blades and AI... 2 Responses | Other threads
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yachts
Code-X Yacht Will Have Two Kinds of Power: Super Clean and Oh So Dirty
There's a real company promoting a not-so-real poweryacht called the Code-X. The differentiator—or "thing that's supposed to land a billionaire customer"—is that the boat will have two Formula 1 engines and two solar-powered electric ones. More »
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Comment by NUstar: Does it come with the nautical themed pashmina afghan? 4 Responses | Other threads
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cellphones
Samsung Crest E1107 Solar Cellphone: Sun-Powered, Dirt Cheap At $59
Samsung has announced it's first solar powered GSM cellphone, the Crest E1107, for eco-friendly, budget conscious types that don't seem to be concerned with practicality. More » -
power
K3 Harnesses the Power of the Sun, the Wind, and the Electric Grid
The Kinesis K3 power generator updates their previous K2 unit with a new power source: In addition to its windmill and solar cells, it can now charge its internal battery with external electricity sources. More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by Lupison: The electricity your car produces would have been wasted if you didn't have something hooked into the lighter. The... 7 Responses | Other threads
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solar power
Vatican Building Europe's Largest Solar Plant, Start Worshipping Sun God
What? The Earth revolves around the sun? Preposterous. By the way, I want you to give up all technology for Lent. Oh, and pay no attention to the workers installing our $660 million solar plant. More » -
solar
KDDI (au) Targets Accident-Prone Sunbathers With Water-Resistant, Solar-Powered Handset
Manufactured for KDDI (au) by Sharp, this outdoorsy phone should show up in Japan by June. Unlike the unrealistic claims made by other solar phone dabblers like Samsung, KDDI's ambitions here are modest, but practical. More » -
solar power
California May Get Some Power From Solar Space Cells By 2016
The idea of harnessing solar power from space has been around for a while; Asimov included it in at least two of his stories that I remember—but may finally be a reality come 2016. More »
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By Jason ChenComment by SSgtTEX: I would like to know what their projections of power loss will be as it is transmitted down to the... 16 Responses | Other threads
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solar power
Speedy MIT Solar Race Car Is One Part Cylon Raider, One Part Flight of the Navigator
MIT's latest creation, a speedy solar car cheekily named Eleanor, can reach 90 mph (good for enticing lead-footed Americans) and is packed with tech that could outfit mainstream hybrids soon (good for everyone else). More »
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By Jack LoftusComment by Logan5: I drove by it on the way home from work on Friday night. It was parked on Albany St.... 5 Responses | Other threads
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Solar Watches
Freestyle Solar-Powered Watch Draws 12 Months of Energy From One Sunny Charge
Most of us now check the time using cellphones, but there's still a stalwart few that insist on wearing watches. With the Freestyle solar watch, they can cling to old technology while being eco-friendly. More »
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By Elaine ChowComment by Weihovah: my citizen eco drive is making me feel old 4 Responses | Other threads
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solar power
Solar ChumAlong: The Ultimate Solar Gadget Charger
Solar gadget chargers are not uncommon, but the ChumAlong is serious business. It's for people that like to get back to nature—without having to sacrifice modern conveniences. More » -
solar power
Solar Tree Allows You to Power Your House
Here's a great idea: A solar panel that you can take anywhere to be easily placed on a backyard with no installation. Too bad it makes your house look like a gas station when opened: More » -
design
Taiyou Ropeway Provides Open, Solar-Powered Views of Very High Places
This design concept from Fredrik Hylten would replace the trusty mountain gondola with an open-faced, sun-powered pod that, thankfully, has some beefy-looking safety harnesses. More »
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By Jack LoftusComment by switchblade saints: awesome. Except for the ground crews that have to pick up all the litter and lost sandals/sunglasses etc. out of... 4 Responses | Other threads
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solar power
Mutant Solar Powered Doohickey Monster Brings a Touch of Ugly to Any Room
I think the term "handmade" just about covers this, this...whatever it is. For about $80 you to can own this freaky electronic Frankenstein that does nothing but consume sunlight and writhe around in agony. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by Shamoononon, Vampire Grater - Now SWF: I can give you a mutant dooky that would bring a touch of ugly to your room for free. 5 Responses | Other threads
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ces 2009
GotWind CES Tent Uses Solar and Wind Power to Recharge Gadgets, Not Tired Bloggers
GotWind is no stranger to charging gadgets using wind and solar power, and at CES this year there were on hand to recharge people's mobiles with a handy locker/charging station for geeky journalists. More »
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By Jack LoftusComment by R.O.A.C.H. needs to blow up the Moon! (w/ lazers!): Neat, but not so easy on the eyes, what with that panel arrangement. Wouldn't they have gotten more surface area... 2 Responses | Other threads
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sony
Sony Hana Akari Lamps Are Actually Un-Ugly Solar Chargers
Sony's Hana-Akari lamp prototype uses dye-sensitized solar cells to turn light into energy. Not only does it cost less than traditional cells, it can also be made pretty—great for those against solar because they're ugly. More »
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By Elaine ChowComment by medopal: that looks really nice, but from Sony? I think it will cost u (when buying) more than what u will... 2 Responses | Other threads
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solar taxi
17-Month Trip In Solar Taxi Ends At UN Climate Change Talks in Poland
After 17 grueling months, Swiss adventurer Louis Palmer's around-the-world trip in a solar-powered car is finally over. Altogether, he traveled 32,000 miles and across 40 countries. More »
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By Elaine ChowComment by jkr's bold comment: Well this convinced me not to go green, thanks for enlightening me green driving dude. 2 Responses | Other threads
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submarines
Swiss Making First Solar Submarine, Defeating the Purpose of an Underwater Vessel
A Swiss company called BKW has launched 'Project Goldfish', with the goal of developing a solar-powered submarine for civilian use by 2012. The vessel would generate continuous power via the monstrous floating island / solar array pictured above. The sub itself would be tethered to the array, allowing it to stay underwater indefinitely. Sound pointless? Well, it certainly would be if your are trying to travel undetected. I suppose it could have applications on sightseeing or exploratory missions, but the whole idea of traveling in a tiny underwater tomb is daunting enough without knowing that the only thing separating you from a gruesome death at the hands of Davy Jones are solar panels and some flimsy cables. More » -
lighting
Solar Vertical Lamp Blind Charges-Up in Daylight, Lights Rooms At Night
Sometimes a simple idea will make you react with ambivalence, but designers Yoon-Hui Kim and Eun-Kyung Kim's Solar Vertical Lamp probably isn't one of those. At its core it's a solar-powered lighting system, but unusually it's embedded in standard window blinds. During the day tiny solar panels charge up the individual lighting elements (LEDs?), and at night they light up. These guys have conceptualized the eco-friendly solution being an elegant lamp shape, but basically you could arrange the pixels however you liked. We wouldn't recommend the legend "love palace" and a great big arrow pointing at your bed. [Yanko Design]
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By Kit EatonComment by strider_mt2k: Ghost chick not included. (Let's hope her interest doesn't fade throughout the night.) 1 Responses | Other threads
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design
Electronic Wristlet Helps You Nag Your Children From Afar
With all of the dangers lurking out there these days, you probably shouldn't let your toddler out of your sight for any length of time. However, should they escape your clutches this electronic wristlet concept could deliver text and graphic symbol messages to the child via a solar-powered display. My thought on this is that if your child is old enough to read the display then he is probably old enough for one of the many kid-oriented cellphones on the market. Perhaps it would be better utilized as a friendship bracelet for the 21st century—something that combines the benefits of text messaging with the benefits of wearing tacky accessories. [Yanko Design]
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By Sean FallonComment by Rabid Penguin: Son, you know not to get into a stranger's van without your slap bracelet... something could have happened. No... the best... 10 Responses | Other threads
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solar power
Solar Panel Quantum Leap: Near-Perfect Light Absorption Possible
Today's silicon solar panels absorb about two-thirds of the light that reaches them, but a new nanocoating developed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute gives most run-of-the-mill solar panels the ability to capture almost every drop of sunlight. Not only does it grab 96.2% of the sun's rays, but it can do it from any angle, so there's no need for panels to waste energy by mechanically tracking the sun in the sky. This is happy leap forward for solar technology, whose quest for cheapness has been long and hard. More » -
solar power
Solar Powered "Sticker Lamps" Offer Paper-Thin Illumination
A 26 year old designer by the name of Keikko Lee has won South Korea's first ever international design competition thanks to his new take on interior lighting. Her concept involves a paper-thin "lamp" with electroluminescent material on one side and solar panels and sensors on the other. The material would be able to stick anywhere—from a window where it can gather light to a wall where it can illuminate a hallway. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by onewiththewurlitzer: dude looks like a lady 4 Responses | Other threads
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solar power
Latest Super-Efficient Solar Technology Captures Every Color of the Rainbow
Not surprisingly, there are several ongoing attempts to increase the efficiency of solar cells: IBMs use of concentrator photovoltaics or the University of Delaware's technology that splits light into high energy, low energy, and medium energy chunks are a couple of examples. The latest breakthrough comes from Ohio State University where a new hybrid material consisting of electrically conductive plastic with metals including molybdenum and titanium has been developed that can absorb energy from all spectrums of visible light at once. Since traditional photovoltaic materials are only capable of capturing a fraction of light frequencies, it is easy to see how this new technology could lead to more efficient solar panels. More » -
Black Silicon
Black Silicon Discovery Could Change Digital Photography, Night Vision Forever
With the accidental discovery of "black silicon," Harvard physicists may have very well changed the digital photography, solar power and night vision industries forever. What is black silicon, you say? Well, it's just as it sounds. Black silicon. It's what this revolutionary new material does that's important, starting with light sensitivity. Early indications show black silicon is 100 to 500 times more sensitive to light than a traditional silicon wafer. More »
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By Jack LoftusComment by LittleJon: "100 to 500 times more sensitive to light than a traditional silicon wafer" Bullshit! Silicon solar panels already convert 20% of... 8 Responses | Other threads
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Greenliness is Godliness
Vatican Fights the 'Sin' of Pollution with $1.5 Million Solar Panel Roof
As part of its continuing effort to fight the "sin" of pollution, the Vatican has revealed that the first few panels of its 2,400-strong solar panel roof project were installed this week. The $1.5 million project will require minimal maintenance over the next 25 years, and is part of an ambitious environmental project that could see the tiny European state become the first carbon-neutral body in the world. "Those who destroy the environment are also big sinners", said Italian Cardinal Deacon Renato Raffaele Martino earlier this year. "It's a big insult to God." I see it as more of an insult to my lungs, Martino, but I hear you barking on that one anyway. Good form. [Treehugger]
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By Jack LoftusComment by SampadaEquestridomus: A trilions of dollars (exaggeration???) worth of art and relics??? These have been gifts to the Church over 2000 years.... 21 Responses | Other threads
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solar power
Flippable Solar-Powered Lamp Keeps Track of Energy Consumption via Wi-Fi
This unique "Spark" lamp concept comes from the far away land of Sweden where the government is planning to install smart energy meters on new homes. The meters are designed to keep track of energy consumption and relay that data over the internet for customers. The lamp uses Wi-Fi to tap into that data and changes colors for a 3-second interval to indicate how current levels of consumption match up to the monthly goal. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by SemiAnarchist: If and when this concept comes out, I will happily purchase it. Just because you ignore energy consumption doesn't... more » | Other threads
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solar power
Solar Car Mistaken for UFO, Gets Pulled over by Alaskan Police
Marcelo da Luz was driving his solar-powered Xof1 car when he was pulled over by Alaskan police. They chased him for a while, trying to figure what the heck his vehicle was, then decided to stop him. The reason: 911 received an UFO sighting alert. And no, there's no Sarah Palin connection here, because this wasn't the first time it happened to him. More » -
solar taxi
Solar Powered Car Attempts to Circle Globe as Slowly as Possible
Another day, another golf cart size, three-wheeled solar-powered car with style ripped from the 1980's. At least with this one, the Solar Taxi, there's a record at stake, as Swiss "adventurer" Louis Palmer is taking the car on a trip across the planet without using a drop of gasoline. He'll be the first to do it, and we're hoping his example will inspire more alternative energy cars (hopefully a few have that elusive fourth wheel). The 35 MPH top speed is going to be a tough sell with us Yanks. Palmer, my man, haven't you heard? Women and men alike get hot and bothered by power and speed. More »
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By Jack LoftusComment by hagrun: How's the car going to handle the oceans in the middle of the trip? 1 Responses | Other threads
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solar chargers
Photosynthesis Solar Tree Concept Is the World's Best Looking Solar Gadget Charger
Great concept from designer Vivien Muller for a modular, Lego-like little bonsai tree with 54 mini photovoltaic panels as leaves to soak up juice from the sun and charge your gadgets. Adapters get tucked away beneath a nice little tray, and your gadgets lay on top, basking in the shade. Vivien can you make this, please? I can't keep a real plant alive worth a damn, but this I think could place in the windowsill and be just fine with. More shots of the detachable pieces follow. More »
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By John MahoneyComment by Kaiser-Machead: I wouldn't even care if it worked, I still want one, cuz it looks like a small and horrifying reminder... 6 Responses | Other threads
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gliders
High-Flying Solar Power Zephyr Glider Breaks Own World Record With 3.5 Day Flight
Last we heard from the U.K.'s high altitude Zephyr glider, it was unofficially breaking the record for longest unmanned flight. That was back in 2007, when the record was a paltry 30 hours, and the Zephyr was able to manage a 54 hour flight, thanks to its solar powered batteries. On Friday, the Zephyr flew that and them some when it completed an 84-hour flight without issue. Military types are no doubt licking their lips at the news, as the plane was designed to support troops in the field with continuous surveillance and communication support from its perch on high at 60,000 ft. [Telegraph]
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By Jack LoftusComment by superbryant: @Griffehpoo: yeah I know what you mean dude. Like Ambulances, and radar...... more » | Other threads
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Solar tie
Solar Powered Neck Tie Holds, Powers Your Gadgets
A team of researchers at North Carolina State University have devised an ingenious way to charge your gadgets on the move: With solar powered clothing. The designs use a process called digital textile printing to leverage the blocky solar panels into neck ties and jackets. In the case of the tie there's even a hidden pocket to hold your device as it charges. Convenient. A five-day test found the clothing posed no significant health risk, including electric shock, although the neck tie design did have one major flaw. See if you can guess what it was. More » -
solar power
SunTable Solar-Powered Gadget Charger Goes on Sale
Back in December we introduced you to SunTable: a photovoltaic solar-power generating table designed to juice up your gadgets in an eco-friendly style. And now the table's available for purchase. The stainless steel and teak production version charges up in about four hours of bright sun exposure (there's a hinge so you can angle it properly if you need to) and delivers about four hours of 12V after that. It comes with a built-in inverter, so it has regular power sockets that you can plug your gadgets into, and is designed to be weatherproof, easy to disassemble and even recycle. That's about it: it's a table with a solar generator built in... doesn't get much simpler than that! Oh—it does cost $2,200, so it's most likely to appeal to really rich eco-warriors. [SunTable] -
engines
Plastic Motor Powered Directly By Light, No Solar Middleman Necessary
Professor Tomiki Ikeda, along with his research team at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a plastic motor that runs on direct light. Unlike solar power, there is no need for storing energy before conversion. The motor can achieve this feat thanks to a plastic compound containing azobenzene which contracts when exposed to ultraviolet light and returns to its original shape when exposed to visible light. By making this material into a belt and wrapping it around two wheels of different sizes, movement can be generated when the larger wheel is exposed to ultraviolet light and the smaller one to visible light. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by Hello_Newman: This might be best used in space since there's so much energy and less threat from the sounds of what... more » | Other threads
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solar power
Solar Windows Generate Up To 70 Watts, Serious Debt
Solar windows have finally made their way to the consumer market, and these new panes from Nihon Telecommunications Systems in Japan aren't a bad start. The inconspicuously equipped windows, at peak, generate a claimed 70 watts per square meter, which can be accessed through a few USB ports. In other words, the only way to offset the $1,900 per square meter cost of these windows is charging your iPods and running necktie air conditioners nonstop for the rest of your life. Also advertised is the fact that the windows filter about 90% of sunlight to help reduce cooling costs, which should be a given considering that these panes are using it to generate power. Nihon expects to move 10,000 panes annually, so hopefully we'll see a price drop before too long. [Crunchgear]
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By John HerrmanComment by hammertime1994: @raleel: Umm... I don't know about you, but most of the world doesn't have an A/C bill... more » | Other threads
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solar power
Scientists Invent Tech for Cost-Effective Solar Power from Windows
Solar power is everywhere at the mo, maybe because it sounds more sci-fi than wind: which is the case with this new technology that turns windows into power sources. Clever bods at MIT have worked out how to use organic dye solar-concentrator coatings to collect light over a whole sheet of glass and "concentrate" it at the edges. This lets you have a much smaller (and hence cheaper) solar-electric cell mounted in the side of a window, more easily achieved than typical mirror-based concentrators. And by tuning the dyes (originally designed for lasers and OLEDs) to different wavelengths, and stacking them up, you get an even bigger power output. Clever stuff. [Physorg] -
prius
Solar Panel-Powered Prius in 2009 Confirmed
In a Nikkei article set to publish Monday, it was revealed that Toyota has green lit plans to offer solar panels on its popular Prius hybrid vehicle. The solar panel option will be available on the high-end Prius model when it receives a redesign in 2009. Strangely, the Japanese business newspaper also reports that the power generated by the solar panels will be used for the air conditioning system. The solar panels are being manufactured by Kyocera Corp. Previously, Gizmodo has covered some DIY solar panel options for the Prius, but the news today confirms that an official offering is now forthcoming from Toyota. It's a start, right? [Reuters] -
super green
Federal Government Halts Solar Power Projects for Two Years
In order to survey the impact of massive solar power plants on the environment and wildlife, the federal government is freezing new solar projects on public land for about two years. The alternative energy industry is reacting as if the world's tofu supply has been exhausted, since this effectively nukes new solar power development for the time being (because buying private land is way more expensive for startups than leasing public land). More »
solar power
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