Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve seen data centers use excess heat for greener purposes, but how’s about injecting a little green into the other side of that equation? HP Labs is on that very wavelength, going so far as to publish details on how these centers could be partially powered by none other than cow manure. Yeah, cowpies. The essential thought process went a little something like this: “Data centers need a lot of energy. Dairy farms create a lot of methane. Let’s make it happen.” Purportedly, 10,000 dairy cows could “fulfill the power requirements of a 1-megawatt data center — the equivalent of a medium-sized data center — with power left over to support other needs on the farm,” and heat generated by the data center could “be used to increase the efficiency of the anaerobic digestion of animal waste.” The stomach-twisting details can be found beyond the break, but we can’t be held responsible for any images you conjure up. Remember — once your third eye sees it, you can’t un-see it.

[Thanks, Bob]

Continue reading HP data center fueled by hopes, dreams and… cow dung

HP data center fueled by hopes, dreams and… cow dung originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 May 2010 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s pretty much set in silicon — in the future, you will monitor your home power consumption, and perhaps even enjoy doing so. Futuristic touchscreen panels and free monitoring software abound, each designed to reward you with a warm, fuzzy Captain Planet feeling and a reduced energy bill when you finally turn off that blasted light. Thing is, unless you’ve got a home automation system, you won’t know which switch to flip. Intel wants to change that with a new wireless sensor that can identify each individual appliance in your house by their unique electrical signal, just by plugging into a single outlet in your house. The reportedly low-cost sensor works by simply recognizing voltage drop patterns when devices are turned on and off, and doesn’t require special appliances to function; Intel demonstrated it on a standard toaster, microwave and fridge in Beijing this week. Demonstrate your supreme demand for this “why didn’t I think of that” idea by directing traffic to our source link — you can jump to 20:10 to see the sensor in action.

Intel’s experimental sensor analyzes appliance power consumption from single outlet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plug your cell phone charger into the wall. Feel it. Is it warm? Then like it or not, you’re wasting electricity. AT&T would like to change all that with this new Zero charger, a tiny black brick which automatically cuts power to itself whenever your cell phone is disconnected. While it’s not quite as amusing as an ejector seat, it’s certainly more practical, and the wall wart’s modular USB design means you can charge almost any mobile with interchangeable cables (sold separately, of course) while you wait oh-so-patiently for the cellphone industry to finally stop using proprietary ports. If you’ve got a vampire draw problem, let AT&T be your garlic this May.

AT&T zeroes in on energy waste with Zero cellphone charger originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chicago utility company ComEd announced earlier this week it will launch a pilot program for 100 of its customers to test out the power of the sun. The program will include the installation of solar panels into 100 homes, and further devices — such as smarter thermostats which do things like lower during the day when no one’s at home, and give out hourly pricing information — in fifty of those homes. The meters will also have the ability to reward customers who generate excess solar power that can be pumped back into the grid — because everybody loves being rewarded, right? ComEd will choose the pilot families by mail-in survey, and by factors such as their roofs, and the amount of shading trees there are in their yards.

ComEd launches pilot solar energy program for 100 customers in Chicago originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s 2010, which means there’s a significant chance that your cubicle work could be done from absolutely anywhere. For those still stuck under the burden of old-school management, here’s an idea that might just nab you that raise you’ve been longing for: the CubeTube. Engineered by Solaroad Technologies, this indoor photovoltaic electrical generator straps onto the edges and tops of conventional cubicles and collects light from every angle. Internal batteries are charged up, and power is instantly available for the decade-old Latitude and CRT monitor that’s still residing on your desk. It sounds like you’ll need to ping the company directly for pricing quotes and the like, but if you managers are seriously considering this for your office, maybe they should first calculate the cost and carbon savings from letting their subordinates telecommute. Just sayin’.

Solaroad’s CubeTube adds solar panels to your cube, lowers the cost of you working there originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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