Apr 22
Since the spring of 2010, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has been has been shooting continuous photos of the sun, once every 12 seconds in 10 different wavelengths. The results are gorgeous. More »
Apr 21
Solar power is definitely the way to go where mankind is concerned, as “green energy” could very well be the thing that keeps the earth around for the next generation. Well, modern day solar collectors are able to concentrate a certain degree of energy due to safety reasons, as if you were to amass more solar energy than you are able to remain cool, you would end up frying yourself – which is not a good thing. At all. An IBM-led group might have broken new ground where solar collection is concerned with a new collector dish that is said to be able to avoid such overheating damage without compromising on performance. Instead, it would even take a step forward, where the hundreds of photovoltaic chips which see action in gathering energy at the center will remain cooled by a similar microchannel water cooling that prevented Aquasar from frying, allowing each chip to concentrate 2,000 times the solar energy it would normally face.
We are talking about an affordable photovoltaic system which is capable of concentrating the power of 2,000 suns on average, while boasting of an efficiency level that collects 80% of incoming radiation, converting it into energy that the masses can take advantage of later. This proposed system is capable of being installed at just about anywhere sustainable energy, drinkable water and cool air are difficult to come across, and your pockets would smile too, as it comes at cost of three times lower compared to other systems in the market.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Dell Eco-Learning Center Opens In Earth Day Celebration, Fiat 500e Arriving In California This Summer, 
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Apr 20
Those little LED garden lights are a nice way to add a little illumination to your outdoor paths and walkways. However, most of them emit the same boring white light. Not the LED lights from MoodLights. No, sirree, Bob.
Artist Felicia Renaud of MoodLights hand paints solar LED garden stake lights so they cast beautiful colored patterns on the ground and your garden at night.
She guarantees that her high-temperature water-based paints will hold up to the elements, so assuming the LED fixtures themselves hang in there, you’ll get many seasons of enjoyment out of these.
LED garden stake MoodLights sell for $25(USD) each. Be sure to check out the MoodLights Etsy shop for more nifty hand-painted bulbs, designed for indoor use.
Apr 15
With the decreasing popularity of coal and increasing volatility of petroleum prices, natural gas is emerging as a major energy resource in the the United States. And while we have plenty of reserves, an estimated 318 Trillion cubic feet (Tcf), it’s still a non-renewable resource that must be used sparingly whenever possible—like this new natural gas power plant prototype from the Department of Energy. It produces just as much electricity with 20 percent less gas every time the sun shines. More »
Apr 14
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: algae-powered building, ionic wind thrusters and 3D-textured solar cells
Posted in: Today's ChiliEach week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.
This week, Inhabitat reported that the world’s first algae-powered building officially opened its doors in Hamburg. It’s called the BIQ House and it features an impressive bio-adaptive algae facade that controls day lighting while generating a steady stream of renewable energy. It makes sense that the self-sufficient building is located in Germany; the European country is leading the way in clean tech. Despite ditching its nuclear power plants, Germany has quadrupled its energy production in the past two years, largely due to its rapidly growing alternative energy portfolio. Not to be outdone, England just flipped the switch on the world’s largest wind farm, and in Paris, Schneider Electric set up kinetic energy-harvesting tiles that generate power from runners in the Paris Marathon. Meanwhile at the International Space Station, astronauts are installing a new type of 3D-textured solar cell that will soak up 16 sunrises every day.
Filed under: Science
Apr 12
Solar-Lighted Umbrella
Posted in: Today's Chili
Now, the $149.95 Solar-Lighted Umbrella is definitely something that you might want to consider assuming you have a yard or garden large enough to fit it in. I guess it goes without saying that those who do not own landed property and are currently living in apartments, you can rule having the Solar-Lighted Umbrella around, since your balcony might not be large enough to accommodate it, either. It would be easy to assume that the Solar-Lighted Umbrella is pretty much self-explanatory, where it comes with integrated solar lights that help create a lovely mood and setting when dusk falls.
Sporting a large 9’ canopy that cranks open in a jiffy and speedily, the steel support pole is sturdy and stable, while 32 soothing LED lights will help light up your evenings when you want to have heart-to-heart talks with your beloved under romantic conditions, and just in case it has been cloudy the entire day, fret not, there is a battery backup to help recreate those magical moments. You can choose from black, brown, burgundy or hunter green colors for the Solar-Lighted Umbrella’s canopy.
[ Solar-Lighted Umbrella copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Apr 09
Those who are not too fond of solar energy have more often than not touted the fact that the technology involved in solar power have been unable to compete with coal and other traditional energy sources in terms of cost efficiency, but I guess that particular argument is no longer valid since a couple of countries – India and Italy, have discovered that solar energy production within their borders has finally achieved the holy grail of “grid parity.” In other words, the cost of solar energy is finally on par with the rest of the grid.
The following findings were published by Deutsche Bank, and it seems to be the tipping point that will help solidify the push for solar power worldwide. For over half a century, solar energy has been a proof of concept that has constantly improved itself in an effort to wean our globe from coal and fossil fuels when it comes to our energy needs, and the same Deutsche Bank report came to a conclusion that other countries will most probably follow in the footsteps of India and Italy from as early as next year onwards. Do you think that this will mark the beginning of mainstream solar energy?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sol Voltaics Announces Breakthrough Use Of Nanotechnology That Helps Make Solar Cells 25% More Efficient, Plants Used To Generate Hydrogen For Safe And Clean Energy, 
Apr 09
Sol Voltaics Announces Breakthrough Use Of Nanotechnology That Helps Make Solar Cells 25% More Efficient
Posted in: Today's Chili
Sustainability and going green seems to be the buzz words commonly used these days amongst corporations, although there are limitations to sustainable technology that make it less appealing than its traditional counterpart. For example electric vehicles that not only have a considerable shorter range than their petrol counterparts, but the time it takes to charge an electric vehicle and the availability of chargers makes it a bit inconvenient.
While the boffins are probably hard at work trying to figure out the electric vehicle, Swedish company Sol Voltaics has announced today that they have found a way to use nanotechnology to build solar cell modules that they claim are 25% more efficient than the current cells available in the market. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Plants Used To Generate Hydrogen For Safe And Clean Energy, Wind Turbine Works Sans Blades, 
Apr 01
Solar cells are a good thing, as they do their bit to make sure that the world is able to survive on renewable energy, but manufacturing solar cells are not exactly the most eco-friendly method of getting things done due to the kind of toxic waste that is a by-product of the entire process. Well, researchers from Georgia Tech and Purdue might have stumbled upon the Holy Grail, where they managed to create, what is potentially, green technology’s most renewable resource to date. We are referring to solar cells made from trees, now how about that? Not only that, these will be recyclable in something as normal as regular tap water.
Bernard Kippelen, director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, said, “Organic solar cells must be recyclable. Otherwise we are simply solving one problem, less dependence on fossil fuels, while creating another, a technology that produces energy from renewable sources but is not disposable at the end of its lifecycle.” Amazing! These solar cells are capable of converting 2.7% of the energy which it receives into electricity, a figure that was previously unheard of where organic materials are concerned.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Freeride E-Speed Electric Motorcycle, Ocean Cleanup Array Invented By 19-Year-Old Could Remove Over 7m Tons Of Plastic, 
Mar 28
Solar Impulse to fly across the US, pilots preparing for a trip around the world in 2015
Posted in: Today's Chili 
We’ve been tracking the sun-powered plane known as Solar Impulse for years as it roved hither and yon. Today, Solar Impulse’s pilots, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, came to NASA’s Ames research center to announce their plan to fly across America. The cross-country tour will begin in the Bay Area and end in New York, with stops in Phoenix, Dallas and Washington DC in between. Solar Impulse will also land in either Atlanta, Nashville or St. Louis, with the plane and its pilots set to stay in each locale for about a week to ten days to talk about the project before moving on. For the next month, Piccard and Borschberg will perform test flights around the Bay Area in preparation, and the plan is for the journey to start on May 1st, with an estimated arrival in Gotham sometime in early July.
Gallery: Solar Impulse Across America event
The point of this new flight is to inspire and educate the public in general of the benefits of renewable energy and efficiency, and to encourage school children and university students in particular to “think off the grid” and innovate and invent on their own. To that end, the pilots will be broadcasting live transmissions and allowing the public to speak with them as they fly, in addition to providing access to flight planning information on the Solar Impulse website. Read on to learn a bit more about the Solar Impulse project and it’s future plans.
Filed under: Transportation
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