Hasta La Gadget!

Anyone who’s ever attempted to use a laptop on a sunny summer day can surely tell you that direct sunlight is not your friend — that’s why we like to ride out the season in our dark basement apartments. If only there were a way to harness the sun’s rays for good, instead of evil — like powering your PC while you’re off doing whatever it is that normal people do when it’s sunny outside. First introduced for the African market, Samsung’s NC215S will be hitting Russia in early August for 13,999 rubles ($479). The netbook sports a lid almost entirely monopolized by a solar panel, which contributes to an overall estimated battery life of 14.5 hours. The NC215S packs a 1.6GHz N570 Intel Atom dual-core processor, 250GB of storage, and 1GB of RAM into a 2.9 pound frame. It’s almost enough to make us want to venture out into the sunlight. Almost.

Update: The folks at Liliputing have been told the NC215S is heading stateside on July 3rd, with a suggested retail price of $399, so it looks like you’ll need to stay planted in your patience for just a few days more.

[Thanks, Marco]

Samsung NC215S solar netbook will see the light of day in Russia originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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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The train ride from Paris to Amsterdam may not be the most scenic of European railway routes, but it’s the only one capable of harnessing the awesome power of the Sun — for two miles, at least. Yesterday, engineers in Belgium officially switched on Europe’s first solar-powered train tunnel, spanning a 2.1-mile stretch of the rail line connecting the City of Lights to Mokum. The installation’s 16,000 solar panels will be used to provide 50 percent of the energy needed to power nearby Antwerp Central Station and to provide extra juice for both high-speed and traditional trains. Originally developed to help protect travelers from falling trees in an ancient forest, the project is expected to produce up to 3.3MWh 3,300 megawatts hours per year, while decreasing annual CO2 emissions by about 2,400 tons. Speed past the break for some aerial footage of the artery, along with a brief PR from Enfinity — the Belgian renewable energy company that helped bring it to life.

Update: According to the AFP, the tunnel will produce 3,300 megawatts hours per year.

Continue reading Europe’s first solar powered train tunnel goes live on Belgian high-speed line (video)

Europe’s first solar powered train tunnel goes live on Belgian high-speed line (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each 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.

Green transportation took off for the stars this week as Inhabitat reported that the European Space Agency has approved of a new hydrogen-powered “Skylon” space plane, and we spotted a hot Star Wars-inspired electric chopper that wouldn’t look out of place on the Death Star. We also learned that NASA plans to rejoin the space race with a new MPCV craft fit for deep space flights, while here on Earth we saw GE harness the power of the sun to charge Volt EVs before they hit dealerships.

Speaking of solar power, Japan unveiled plans to construct 10 new solar power plants in the wake of the Fukushima Nuclear Crisis, while Switzerland announced that it will completely phase out the use of nuclear power. We also showcased a stunning chandelier made from 500 fluttering photovoltaic butterflies, and we saw Nevada kick-start construction on the US’ first molten salt solar plant, which will generate energy long after the sun has set.

We also brought you several incredible feats of architecture this week, from a restaurant made from a recycled Soviet airplane in Zurich to an innovative cocoon-like building made from sugarcane that recently won an AIA competition. We also showed how Plantlab is making vertical urban farms a reality, and we spotted a sky-high proposal for an energy-generating city on stilts that would hover over Manhattan. Finally, this week we rounded up some of our favorite eco apps and services that can help you green your consumption.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: hydrogen-powered space plane, Japan’s solar surge and urban farms of Ze Future originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 22:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photovoltaics suffer from gross inefficiency, despite incremental improvements in their power producing capabilities. According to research by a team led by a University of Missouri professor, however, newly developed nantenna-equipped solar sheets can reap more than 90 percent of the sun’s bounty — which is more than double the efficiency of existing solar technologies. Apparently, some “special high-speed electrical circuitry” is the secret sauce behind the solar breakthrough. Of course, the flexible film is currently a flight of fancy and won’t be generating juice for the public anytime soon. The professor and his pals still need capital for commercialization, but they believe a product will be ready within five years. Take your time, guys, it’s not like global warming’s getting worse.

[Image source: Idaho National Laboratory (PDF)]

Mizzou Professor says nantenna solar sheet soaks up 90 percent of the sun’s rays, puts sunscreen to shame originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 07:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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