According to Ikeda, the material is not very efficient at converting light into energy, but he is confident that it will improve in time. He also noted that the material is about 4 times more elastic than human muscle, and it maintained its strength during a test despite contracting and expanding every 7 seconds for 30 hours. He hopes that one day the technology will come of age to the point that we will all be driving around in light-powered plastic automobiles. Maybe—if by "we" he means our grandchildren and great grandchildren. [Pink Tentacle via DVICE]

The only real problem with today's portable electronics is battery life. The gear gets more powerful but sadly battery technology really hasn't kept up, that's why we write about things like solar power. But there are also nifty things called dynamos, devices you pump or crank to juice up your batteries. O2, a large mobile carrier in the UK, will be installing bicycle-powered dynamos around a festival it's sponsoring this coming weekend to charge up music fans' mobiles. Sure, they could have run power cables and created power stations, but where's the fun in that? And as anyone who's been to a large outdoor festival in the last few years knows, you're going to want to power up at least once a day or else you're cut off. And if you've got our luck, it'd be right before Winehouse takes the stage, so you'd have no bawdy SMS session to distract you. [Pocket Picks]

Caught in the crossroads are environmentalists who both love the desert tortoise and solar power. The industry says that the government could do impact studies without halting new proposals for solar projects—we think they're telling the truth, since they're probably less evil than oil companies and actually do want the Mojave ground squirrel to thrive and live happy furry lives. And I mean, two years, really? [NYT via Fark]

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]

Motorola has already toyed with an idea involving infusing their LCDs with solar panels, and to be honest, most if not all of the major companies out there have at least investigated the possibilities. However, given the limitations of solar power, it seems unlikely that a major manufacturer would go this route in the near future. [Patent Filing Forbes and MacRumors via Inhabitat]

The biggest trick was in working out how to cool the chips from all the extra thermal input created by the focused sunlight. To do this, IBM borrowed ideas from its own research into a liquid metal cooling system developed for semiconductors and used a thin liquid metal gallium-indium compound to bind the chip to a cooling block.

This new high power technique could of course result in smaller solar farms, or higher energy output from existing systems. Best of all, it's potentially a fairly low cost solution, which can only be a good thing for the environment. [Physorg]

Plus, the solar charging properties of the compounds means that there would be no need for a traditional power source. When applied to a surface, the OLED screen could run under the power that it generates for an indefinite amount of time. It could even be applied to the back of cellphones to provide a constant charge. Again, this sort of technology seems seriously out there, but the researchers believe that they can have a working prototype up and running within two years. I'll believe it when I see it. [Tech Radar via OLED-info]

Properly angled and lined up to reflect light from the sun, the mirrors could be used to increase the amount of light reflected by the Earth-Moon system by up to 20%. Any alien eye scanning the heavens—or, more likely, an automated system like SETI set up by aliens—should be able to easily spot the modulations. A set of prime numbers in flashes would be a good choice, since these are easily distinguishable from natural variations. Furthermore, pop photovoltaic cells on the other side of the mirrors, beam the energy to Earth by microwaves and you'd have enough power to seriously impact the climate crisis. Not a bad idea, eh? [New Scientist via KurzweilAI]

The Mercury News says:

In a typical scenario for a 2.8-kilowatt system, Rive said, a customer with a $150-a-month electric bill before installing solar would end up with a $60-a-month electric bill, an $80 or $90 monthly lease payment to Solar City, and thus "positive cash flow" of as much as $10.

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]

It seems like a great eco-friendly idea, especially when you consider project leader Dave Worsley's figures: if just one manufacturer made all their steel cladding energy-producing, it would have the same generator capacity as 50 wind farms.

Admittedly it's more "paint your warehouse" than "paint your home", since few of us have steel walls or roofs on our abode, but it's still pretty nifty. The technology in the Swansea Solar Paint project is apparently easily scalable, so it may only be a matter of time until it's being cranked out by the square yard, saving the environment and generating the 1.21 gigawatts of power needed to send you Back to the Fut— ... well, you get the point. [Inhabitat]

[Tuvie via DVICE]

You can attach them in the usual way with a nail gun, and then feel all eco-goody-goody about yourself as they generate power for you. Sometimes the pace of technology is amazing, and often that's bad for the environment: not in this case. Hopefully available soon, at an estimated price of around $17,500 for a 3kW system. [SRSEnergy via Treehugger]

If that wasn't enough, the mower will also trim your grass short enough that you don't have to bother with bagging. And when the job is done, it will return to its charging base for around 40 minutes—which is about the same amount of time you will get out of a single charge. It is also capable of mowing around 7,500 square feet of grass and it can be programmed to work at certain times or days of the week. Sure, it costs £2,000 ($4,000), but in the battle for suburban dominance, there is no room for second place. Hit the link to check out the mower in action. [Megawat and Pocket-Lint]

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]

Ironically, a huge amount of trees were probably mowed down to get this thing up and running, but local agencies insist that "high environmental criteria" were maintained in the construction of the plant. Plus, they built it in Jumilla, a wine-producing region. That land could have been used to get me drunk. Damn you, solar power! [Technology For Life via Treehugger]

That's just what the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has begun working on, actually. They are currently working on the hardware, and plan to have a Space Solar Power System (SSPS) up and running by 2030.

The setup would consist of a satellite-type object in orbit about 22,400 miles above the surface of the Earth. Terrifyingly, the satellite would convert the sun's rays into laser beams and shoot them down to base stations on Earth. Yes, lasers would fire down from space. But friendly lasers, so, you know, it's cool.

On February 20th, JAXA is going to begin testing these crazy laser beam transmitters designed to send the precious energy down from orbit. It's a long ways away from this actually being put into use, but researchers claim that when all is said and done, one of these things in orbit can provide basically free power to a whopping 500,000 homes, so we say take all the time you need. Sounds great to us. [Hokkaido Shimbun via Pink Tentacle]

MediaStreet Debuts World's First Solar-Powered Portable Media Player Paired With Charger That Powers Other Mobile Devices

CES, Las Vegas, NV, January7, 2008 - MediaStreet, Inc., an award-winning manufacturer of innovative consumer electronics and services for the digital music and photography markets, announces the world's first solar-powered portable media player, the 1GB eMotion® Solar Portable Media Player. This PMP comes with AC adapter and USB connector (6 varieties) that can recharge most mobile phones, MP3/MP4 players, laptop computers, digital cameras and other portable Lithium battery operated products. All players available immediately.

"We started off developing a product that would allow our customers to charge their portable devices on-the-go using solar energy," says Norm Levy, president of Media Street. "We ended up with a most spectacular device that not only charges your cell phone, laptop and PDA, but it is a robust and power-packed portable media player that you will not want to take your hands off."

eMotion 1GB Solar Portable Media Player

• Transfer music, photos, videos, games on and off player
• 5.5" x 3" x 1"
• SD card slot expansion (2GB SD card maximum capacity)
• Included charger powers most portable devices such as mobile phones, MP3/MP4 players, laptops, digital cameras and other portable Lithium battery devices
• Supports music formats: MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, WAV, ADPCM, AMR
• Play video: support AVI format film play achieves QVGA@25f/s fluent MPEG4 video (320 x 240) and provides video bookmark function
• View photos: JPEG, BMP, GIF
• Game simulator: supports FC/GB/GBC/MD 8/16 bit simulator expansion developed by third parties; compatible with NES/GB/GBC/SEGA game ROM
• Read books: supports TXT format
• User-friendly menu with relevant animated instructions
• USB 2.0 port
• OS: Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Linux 2.4+/Mac OS 9+

M.S.R.P. $169.00, EM-SOL1GIG

Customers who purchase an eMotion portable media player have immediate access to download free professional photographs and stunning digital art images from http://MyDigitalContent.com for play on any eMotion product. All eMotion consumer electronics offer a limited 90-day warranty.

About Media Street, Inc.
MediaStreet, Inc. is an award-winning manufacturer and developer of innovative consumer electronics and services for the digital music and photography markets. Among the company's unique advances is the marriage of digital content to its digital convergence electronics with the formation of two power web portals; one for professional photography to be enjoyed on eMotion frames, www. http://MyDigitalContent.com, and the other, http://Beyond.fm, to find intriguing music, videos and radio casts which can be played on the growing line of eMotion electronics including (musician) branded eMotion MP3 MP4 PMP DVD and Digital Picture Frame products. MediaStreet is headquartered in Deer Park, New York at 44 W. Jefryn Blvd, Unit Y, 11729. For more information about MediaStreet and their extensive line of products and services, please visit www.mediastreet.com.

It depends on the type of device you use (laptops get 3 hours, TV gets "a couple"), and you can check on how much juice is left with the LED display on the side. Unfortunately, it's $3600, but if you love working outside on your deck in the summer, this does seem pretty awesome. One warning though: don't sprawl your papers and crap all over the table when you're working. [Treehugger]

The way Solar City figures it, if you have a daily commute of 40 miles, you'll require 500 square feet of solar panels on your house's roof to power the Tesla Roadster for a 40-mile commute each day. Install a 20x25-foot array of solar panels, and then you're on your way to carbon-neutral driving.

But cost is another matter. The Tesla roadster will be $100K, and though Solar City's not talking price just yet, add another, say, $10K for these panels, and energy will be about the only thing you're saving. But if you can get rebates for such things where you live, and it's always sunny there, this just might be worth it to you. [Autoblog Green, via Ecotality Life]

The outrigger attachment, including the frame, motor, waterproofed battery in the flotation pod compartment, and solar cells with a 120-volt charger retails for $1100. Or, you could just get a real kayaker to shoot some video of a kayak trip, and then just watch it in the comfort of your own home. Sheesh. [Solar Powered Kayak]

In its current form, solar sails are an ideal solution for boats designed for short trips. Tests in Sidney have illustrated that ships equipped with the sail can go around 6 knots on wind power alone or 6 knots on solar power. When combined, speeds of 10 knots are achievable. [Crave]

Unfortunately, the design does have its drawbacks. For one, the inflatable mirrors would be fragile and less efficient than traditional methods due to the unique shape and the effects of wind on the non-rigid frame. So, in reality, the true cost effectiveness of such a set up is still unknown. Still, Cool Earth hopes to make solar power as cheap as non-renewable power within the next three years. [Cool Earth via Eco-Geek]

The premise for this palm-sized device has you holding it in your hand, mounting it to a car window or attaching it to your bike's handlebars, and then it generates power from the sun and wind, storing that energy in its on-board batteries. Then you can use it to charge up your cellphone or portable media player. It also charges up by plugging it into an AC outlet. No pricing was announced yet, but it'll be available later this month. [HY Mini, via Keetsa]

This scheme hopes to go live by 2030, and will be able to use solar power 24 hours a day, instead of the slightly less efficient output solar has on the ground. By improving the solar-to-laser efficiency and having solar collectors from 100 to 200 meters long, they'll be able to match a 1-gigawatt nuclear power plant. [Asahi via Pink Tentacle]

They vow to "do significantly better than 6.5% in the near future." Other scientists agree, saying that 10% efficiency is likely very soon. Others say phooey. University of Denver scientist Sean Shaheen calls efficiency estimates "notoriously unreliable," accusing scientists of tweaking the solar spectrum to make their results look good. Others say that these dual-layer plastic solar cells will be trickier to manufacture than the single-layer plastic cells that are being prototyped today.

These guys have big plans for the technology, but before they bring this tandem cell to market, they'll first use those single-layer plastic solar cells in portable battery chargers that they hope to put on the market next year. But those will have only 5% efficiency. The holy grail is to place plastic solar cells on roofs, which they say will require at least 7% efficiency to be cost effective. That's where these tandem layer solar cells with upwards of 10% efficiency could prove to be a breakthrough.

[Technology Review]

The entire solar kit carries a hefty $478.95 pricetag. If that's too much for you, it's worth noting that the XPower Powerpack 300 Plus and Sunlinq Portable Solar Panel are available separately, for $119.95 and $359.99, respectively. The XPower Powerpack 300 Plus alone is handy enough, as it doesn't need the panels to charge and can even jump-start cars and fill a tire up with air. [Earthtech]

Product Page [Brando]