Hasta La Gadget!

Listen up New Yorkers, those hot nuts you just swallowed could be used to light the signs on Broadway. Okay, so that’s a stretch, but the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) just issued a plan to turn the stuff you flush, along with rest of its wastewater, into renewable energy. New York City produces about 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater daily, yielding 1,200 tons of biosolids that can be harvested to procure methane — already accounting for 20 percent of the city’s energy — and butanol, a clean gasoline alternative. The plan, which also includes wind and solar projects, aims to use gas, converted by large digesters, to “power wastewater operations, meet on-site heat and electricity needs, and, where feasible, sell excess energy to the market.” As the DEP points out, the plan isn’t far fetched — we’ve seen a couple of solutions for turning human excrement into usable energy, and a project already under way in Greenpoint is estimated to procure enough methane over the next year to heat 2,500 homes. Now, if that doesn’t give you a newfound respect for the porcelain throne, we don’t know what will.

New York City turns to sewers for energy solutions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If Google and Microsoft can get in on the home energy management wave then hey, why not Intel? Chipzilla is teaming up with Capgemini SA to create a “tablet-style computer” that lets humans control the power consumed by their appliances. Later, presumably when there are enough of these smart devices on the grid, it could allow utilities to more intelligently manage its electricity allocation. According to Intel’s Joe Jensen, general manager for low-power embedded processors, “energy is a big part of our project to extend the fringe of computing out to the next thing.” Indeed, under Paul Otellini’s lead, Intel is targeting fuel pumps at the corner gas station, advertising signs, and even exercise equipment as it seeks opportunities beyond traditional computing devices — a market Intel believes to be worth about $10 billion. The goal of the Intel / Capgemini initiative is to offer a full-service smart-grid solution, according to Steven Harris, head of smart home services at Capgemini. Mind you, Intel’s involvement shouldn’t come as a total surprise here, seeing as how it was showing off wall panels for real-time utility management in the — groan — “digital crib” way back at CES in 2010. That’s one such device, pictured above.

Update: Corrected spelling from “Cap Gemini” (as Businessweek presented it) to “Capgemini” — this isn’t 2004 anymore. We also managed to unearth the official press release announcing Intel’s Home Energy Dashboard reference design built around the Atom processor. You’ll find that after the break.

Continue reading Intel and Capgemini to develop tablet for home energy management

Intel and Capgemini to develop tablet for home energy management originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Celebrate, oh U-Socket faithful, for thy object of convenient desire has finally started shipping. FastMac’s wall socket that serves up a pair of standard 110V power outlets alongside two USB juice ports is today taking the final steps to reaching its expectant owners’ homes. Confirmation emails have been sent out to those who ordered earliest (we’ve got one for your perusal after the break) and the retail site promises a three- to four-week delivery time for orders placed today. The price is still just under $20, while the utility of being able to plug your USB device directly into the wall has probably never been higher.

[Thanks, Gareth]

Continue reading FastMac U-Socket now shipping out to the world, making it a better place

FastMac U-Socket now shipping out to the world, making it a better place originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LAS VEGAS — Put this tubular object in your backpack, and you can generate juice for your cellphone — just by walking around.

The nPower PEG (short for “personal energy generator”) contains a weight, a spring, some inductive coils and a battery. Put it in your pocket or your backpack, and it wiggles around with your body’s natural movements. As the internal weight moves, it generates electricity in the coils, which gradually charges up the battery. You can then transfer that power to your phone or iPod via a mini USB port and an adapter cable.

It’s a brilliant idea, and anyone who has ever watched their battery indicator dwindle to nothing will surely love the idea of getting energy from nothing more than walking and fidgeting. However, for power-hungry smartphones, you’ll only get about a minute of talk time for every 15 to 30 minutes of walking, the company says. That’s hardly enough to keep your phone alive all day.

It might make more sense for smaller gadgets like the iPod nano, for which it’ll deliver a minute of use for every minute you walk.

Of course, you can always grab the nPower PEG and shake it, Shake Weight-style, to generate energy on demand. But you’ll feel kind of silly doing it.

The $160 nPower PEG debuted a year ago, and just started shipping this fall. Tremont Electric, which makes the gizmo in Cleveland, Ohio, says it had some difficulty meeting demand but is ramping up production and will begin shipping new orders in February.

nPower PEG (Tremont Electric)

Toss away up to four chunky USB chargers and replace them with one small, slick charger. That’s the promise of the Green Wall Charger from VogDuo.

At its heart the VogDuo box is a pocketable four-way charger for any and all USB-powered gadgets, and for that alone it probably deserves a place in your travel-bag (you’ll need an adapter, though, as the handy fold-out prongs are US-only). But it also comes with its own special schtick: a timer. Hit the set-button to choose between two, four, six or eight hours and press start. Once done, the circuit is cut and no power is drawn from the mains.

Want to charge your iPad? The charger provides standard five-watt USB ports, which aren’t really enough to charge the iPad (the Apple charger puts out 10-watts). A Y-connector is provided in the package, though, so you can just hook the iPad up to two sockets simultaneously.

The Green Wall Charger will be on show at CES in Las Vegas next month, where we should find out about pricing and shipping dates.

Green Wall Charger [VogDuo]

See Also:

• Europeans Realize Dream of a Single Charger for All Cellphones …
• AT&T Zero Charger Switches Itself Off
• Mystery Charger Glows Like iPhone Battery Icon
• USB Hub Packs Clutter-Reducing iPhone Charger