Jun 28

California raceway gets 1,600 solar panels, flaunts green track status

Posted in: green, Panasonic, solar, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili

As far as sports go, the one where you drive cars around in circles several times is likely not one of the most energy efficient. With that in mind, it’s nice to see locations like Northern California’s Infineon Raceway working toward sustainability, announcing this week the installation of more than 1,600 solar panels. The panels, manufactured by Panasonic, will provide around 41-percent of the Infineon’s energy usage. Also on its list of earth-friendly features: a solar-powered billboard and 3,000 sheep, which take care of a lot of the lawn mowing on the grounds and apparently aren’t of the electric variety.

Continue reading California raceway gets 1,600 solar panels, flaunts green track status

California raceway gets 1,600 solar panels, flaunts green track status originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 05:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 26

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: ’round the clock solar plants, USB camping pot and wave energy farms

Posted in: eco, green, solar, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili, usb

Green transportation soared to new heights this week as Inhabitat showcased the world’s first true hybrid-electric airplane, and we spotted plans for a zero-emission hypersonic jet capable of traveling from London to New York in a single hour. Meanwhile, Japan gave the green for the construction of a blazing fast 313 MPH maglev train line, and we spotted a crazy high-speed rail concept that would allow passengers to change trains while speeding along the tracks. We also watched as an 11-year-old student piloted a 1,325 MPG hypermiling supercar and we saw an 8-ton Volkswagen beetle sculpture sink into the sea to start a new life as an artificial reef.

It’s been a scorching summer for solar power as Torresol opened the world’s first 24/7 solar plant in Spain, and Samsung unveiled the first photovoltaic-laden laptop to be sold in the US. We also saw Aquamarine Power break ground on a massive wave energy farm in Orkney, while Germany hatched a plan to store excess wind power in abandoned coal mines. Finally, we spotted several novel incredibly odd new energy-generating gizmos — a t-shirt that converts rock music into electricity and a power-generating USB camping pot that charges your gadgets as you cook.

Speaking of renewable energy, this week we caught a first look at the amazing EDV-01 shelter — a high-tech solar-powered building with a luminous LED facade that is capable of doubling its capacity with the flick of a switch. We also brought you Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill’s plans for the world’s 4th tallest skyscraper, and we showcased an ultramodern paperless office in the Netherlands that looks like a meteor fallen from space. Last but not least, we took an exclusive first look inside BIG’s mountainous green-roofed eco village in Copenhagen, and tech expert Peter Rojas tackled the question of whether it’s better to turn your laptop off or set it to sleep in our Ask a Tech Geek column.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: ’round the clock solar plants, USB camping pot and wave energy farms originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 22

Vizio, your favorite low-cost TV leader introduces… a light bulb (video)

Posted in: green, hands-on, LED, Today's Chili, video, vizio


It’s a busy week for Vizio. The budget TV manufacturer flaunted its flashy new tablet in front of our cameras yesterday, and had us hopping across town this afternoon for a chance to go hands-on with its latest entrant into a mysterious brand-new product category (for Vizio, at least). Reps were mum on details, so we had no choice but to return to the CEA LineShows in NYC to see what was up. We walked around the booth, looking for signs of that Vizio Android phone we saw at CES, only to find co-founder Ken Lowe cradling the new goods: a line of light bulbs. We laughed. Then asked to see the real product that Vizio insisted would be worth the trip. Nope, that was it: a LED light bulb — four of them, in fact, arranged in height-order on a chrome bathroom vanity fixture. Lowe then proceeded to introduce his product as he has any other, so we hit record. They’re bright, round, and standards-compliant, and will be coming to a screw-in fixture near you in Q3. How much? “A Vizio price.”

Gallery: Vizio LED Light Bulb Hands-On

Continue reading Vizio, your favorite low-cost TV leader introduces… a light bulb (video)

Vizio, your favorite low-cost TV leader introduces… a light bulb (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 22

California’s zero-emissions rebate program ironically runs out of green

Posted in: electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, green, money, Today's Chili
Californians will have to look elsewhere to start receiving cash back for buying eco-friendly vehicles, as the California Air Resources Board has just announced that its ever popular rebate program is no more for the time being. CARB, as the board also goes by, launched its Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) in March of 2010 with initial funding of over $11 million to go around — but we knew it wouldn’t last. According to the CVRP website, the program has issued a little over $7 million worth of rebates thus far, with the rest pending or reserved for the already existing EV-owners.

The board hopes to bring the program back within the next fiscal year by charging it up with $17 million worth of rebates. It’ll create more opportunities to get some of these rebates, while simultaneously extending the duration of the CVRP by decreasing the maximum amount to $2,500 (about half of the previous maximum). If you’re doing your math correctly, that equates to more than 6,000 total rebates that’ll be up for grabs — opposed to the 1,400 first-rounders who were awarded the rebates already. With luck and some economical upturns, Californian volt-heads can cruise into 2012 with their non-petrol-deficient wallets a little bit fuller.

California’s zero-emissions rebate program ironically runs out of green originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 21

650-Feet of Wind-Catching Fury

Posted in: green, Today's Chili, top

650 feet! That’s as tall as 113 average-height American men stacked on top of each other. That’s the size of a 54-story building. In other words, that’s huge. But why? More »

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Jun 20

Hybrid rocket / seaweed jet ready to fly in 2050, keep emissions above ozone (video)

Posted in: green, Today's Chili, video




What’s cooler than jetting from Paris to Tokyo in under three hours? Getting there in a biofuel burning hybrid rocketplane. The recently announced superjet, the Zehst (short for “Zero Emission Hypersonic Transportation”), loopholes around the whole pollution angle by only using its rocket engines in the stratosphere. Below the ozone however, seaweed-biofuel powered jet engines will kick in for some keen, green landings. Don’t get too excited though, the EADS won’t even have a prototype ready until 2020, and commercial flights aren’t expected to follow until the hump of the century. Look on the bright side though, you’ve still got that airline-approved Galaxy Tab to keep you occupied for the next four decades of long, dark, redeyes. That’s almost as cool, right?

Continue reading Hybrid rocket / seaweed jet ready to fly in 2050, keep emissions above ozone (video)

Hybrid rocket / seaweed jet ready to fly in 2050, keep emissions above ozone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 19

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: transparent airplanes, photovoltaic subdivisions and a wind-powered yacht

Posted in: green, light, solar, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili

Green transportation soared through the skies this week as Inhabitat reported on Airbus’ plans for a transparent airplane, and we showcased a crazy working hover bike capable of flying up to 10,000 feet. We were also excited to see China begin to roll out high-speed rail across Asia and we spotted several out-of-this world Frankenstein vehicles — a Mercedes-Benz bus train in Bolivia and a wind-powered yacht that doubles as an airplane.

It was a momentous week for energy news as well, as Italians voted to end the use of nuclear power, and we took a look inside Germany’s Wunderland Kalkar Amusement Park, which is built inside of a decommissioned nuclear plant. Solar power also had its moment in the sun as Enfinity unveiled two gorgeous photovoltaic-laden landscapes in Les Mées, France and Bangladesh announced that one million of the country’s homes are powered by photovoltaic panels. We even spotted a new type of flexible generator that could be built into shoes to produce power as you walk.

This week we were also excited to unveil the winners of our Bright Ideas Lighting Design Competition — the elegant geometric Tetra Pak Lamp, the gorgeous glowing Nourishment Lamp, and the cute cork Pinha Pendant Light. We also launched our new Ask a Tech Geek Series where gadget guru extraordinaire Peter Rojas answers your questions about green technology, and we reported on one Japanese researcher’s dubious plan to create an artificial meat substitute from poop. Finally, we shared an awesome steampunk rotary smartphone and a set of fun foldable Paper Punk robots that are perfect for terrorizing your coworkers’ cubicles.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: transparent airplanes, photovoltaic subdivisions and a wind-powered yacht originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 21:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 17

Strawberry Tree brings free, solar-powered charging to Belgrade’s BlackBerrys, more (video)

Posted in: cellphone, green, mobile, phone, research in motion, ResearchInMotion, RIM, smartphone, solar, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili, video

Dead battery in Belgrade? Head to the city’s Obrenovac district, where a group of students has developed the world’s first public charging station powered entirely by solar energy. Known as the Strawberry Tree, the structure’s 16 ports support a variety of handhelds, allowing pedestrians to juice up their cell phones in just ten to 15 minutes, at no charge. Its built-in batteries can also store up to a month’s worth of back-up energy, enabling the station to hum along at night, or even during Serbia’s less sunny seasons. In the first 40 days following its November launch, the Strawberry Tree logged some 10,000 charging sessions — or about ten charges per hour. Creator Miloš Milisavljevic was just 17 years old when he came up with the idea, and now, at the ripe old age of 22, is looking to plant new stations across other Serbian cities, through his Strawberry Energy NGO. He says these installations won’t generate much revenue from consumers, but that’s not really the idea:

“Energy from the sun is free, and it would be unethical to charge people to use the Strawberry Tree…We are trying to inspire young people to think about the source of the energy they use, and behave and act responsibly.”

You can check out the Strawberry Tree in the video below, or find out more about Milisavljevic’s ideal-driven endeavors in the full PR.

Continue reading Strawberry Tree brings free, solar-powered charging to Belgrade’s BlackBerrys, more (video)

Strawberry Tree brings free, solar-powered charging to Belgrade’s BlackBerrys, more (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 13

Sharp begins Eco House evaluation in Japan, aims for eco-friendly tech mecca

Posted in: green, Japan, power, Sharp, Today's Chili

Looking at vacation homes in Osaka, are you? If you happen upon a blueprint that looks anything like the crib shown above, we’re guessing that it’ll cost you a pretty penny. Er, yen. Sharp has just started the evaluation process on its newly completed Eco House — an abode that aims to emit precisely zero carbon emissions while not compromising on the technology within it. It’s outfitted with a cadre of energy-saving appliances and AQUOS TVs, all networked in via HEMS and programmed to display energy usage to whatever landlord decides to stop by for the day. Not surprisingly, some of the energy is being sourced from photovoltaic modules, and we’re told that a downright absurd 180-inch LCD will be “evaluated for suitability to today’s green-conscious world.” Something tells us the company won’t have too many issues finding volunteers to occupy the joint.

Sharp begins Eco House evaluation in Japan, aims for eco-friendly tech mecca originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 11

Chevy drops Volt base price by $1,000 for 2012, makes saving the world slightly more affordable

Posted in: electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, ev, green, hybrid, Today's Chili

Chevy wants to know what it can do to get you into one of its plug-in hybrids today. A $1,000 price drop? You got it. The carmaker announced this week that the 2012 Volt base price will come in a grand lower than its predecessor, thanks to the sorts of additional configurations that come with increased availability. The 2011 version was available in seven states and the District of Columbia and came in three configurations — 2012’s Volt is available nationwide in seven different packages, ranging from $39,995 to $46,265. And keep in mind that those prices don’t factor in potential tax credits. The latest version of the plug-in vehicle is available now for order and offers up features like MyLink media streaming, OnStar driving directions, and passive locking (though the new base model does strip away a couple of features found in its predecessor). Also there’s the whole lessening your dependence on gasoline, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Continue reading Chevy drops Volt base price by $1,000 for 2012, makes saving the world slightly more affordable

Chevy drops Volt base price by $1,000 for 2012, makes saving the world slightly more affordable originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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