Feb 18

Samsung’s Blue Earth is saving the world from behind glass

Posted in: Features, mwc, mwc09, samsung, solar, Today's Chili

The entirety of civilization seems fairly well and dedicated to one-upping each other in the “green” department, and Samsung is looking to up the ante once again by stating that “blue is the new green” and putting out the new Blue Earth solar phone to prove it. Sadly, the Blue Earth isn’t quite ready to go — currently it’s only to be seen in non-working mockup form, though the hardware is certainly looking good. Samsung’s showing off its eco-packaging and built-in energy-saving functionality, including an “Eco Walk” function to let you know how many trees you save by walking places. The phone itself is built from castor bean extract and recycled plastic, and Samsung claims the integrated solar panel saves up to 34.6% of the battery’s energy. They’re also showing off a hand-crank generator, external solar chargers, and even a solar-charged stereo headset. It’s clear that Samsung isn’t just playing lip service to green (or blue, as the case may be) but at this point in time this technology is likely to act more as a gimmick and promise of things to come than a truly life-changing device.

Gallery: Samsung’s Blue Earth is saving the world from behind glass

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Samsung’s Blue Earth is saving the world from behind glass originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 13

Digicel launching ZTE’s Coral-200-Solar phone in emerging markets

Posted in: solar, Today's Chili

It may not have the glam or the flash of the Samsung Blue Earth, but ZTE’s Coral-200-Solar takes solar power to a side of the market that needs it far, far more urgently — the side without power outlets. The Chinese manufacturer is teaming up with Jamaica’s Digicel Group to roll out one of the world’s first mass-market solar cellphones to folks with “limited or no access to the power grid,” which represents some 2 billion people around the globe. The phone gets its juice via an integrated solar charger — that is, there’s still a battery lurking in there, you just don’t need an outlet to charge it — and should be available by June of this year. Pretty amazing world we live in where people have mobiles before they have power, isn’t it?

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Digicel launching ZTE’s Coral-200-Solar phone in emerging markets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 12

DS Lite solar panel mod lets you leave the PSU at home

Posted in: DS, nintendo, solar, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili

If you’ve got some 60 x 60 solar panels, a few diodes, some scotch tape, and a little time on your hands, you may never need to plug in your DS ever again. According to “dark sponge,” a poster over at Instructables, you can convert the Lite into a solar-powered wonder that will obviate the need for your standard PSU, and make your green leaning friends, er… green with envy. The mod involves slapping panels on both the bottom and top of the device which — when wired in parallel — get 6 volts of power at 80 mA, which is apparently perfect for a trickle charge. The only downside is you’ll have to leave the device face down for a bit, and it’s advised to keep it out of the sun all day. Still, it’s an excellent mod that doesn’t seem too difficult to execute, and ends up saving hassle and energy… and who can knock that?

[Via SlashGear]

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DS Lite solar panel mod lets you leave the PSU at home originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 02

Aptera designers unveil solar-powered pontoon, the Loon

Posted in: concept, solar, Today's Chili

Sure, it’s just a concept for now, but the Aptera design team (Eleven) has unveiled this solar-powered boat, and it’s looking pretty decent, so we thought we’d bring a few of the details over here for you. The Loon, as it’s called, was designed for the Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company, and it’s got a pontoon shape to it, and is relatively lightweight for its size, with a 1000W solar panel roofing which is collapsible for compact storing of the boat when not in the water. It’s 22 feet long, and is made of recycled materials, bamboo and natural fibers, with an estimated top speed of 7 knots (it should be able to travel about 35 miles a day). We don’t know when to expect these bad boys on the waterways, nor do we know how much they’re going to cost, but we’re hoping they’re not thousands of dollars.

[Via Autoblog Green]

Read – Eleven
Read – Motive Industries

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Aptera designers unveil solar-powered pontoon, the Loon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 27

Baby steps: new solar cell efficiency record isn’t awe-inspiring

Posted in: green, science, solar, SolarPower, Today's Chili

Granted, we’ve no idea what it takes to really push the efficiency level of a solar cell, but we’re getting pretty bored with these incremental improvements year after year. If you’ll recall, the record for solar cell efficiency sat at 40.7 percent in 2006, and that was raised to an amazing 40.8 percent last August. Today, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have announced an all new milestone: 41.1 percent efficiency. According to team head Frank Dimroth, the crew is simply “elated by this breakthrough.” Meanwhile, the rest of planet Earth is suddenly depressed by the thought of perishing from old age before this data point ever breaks the big five-oh.

[Via Gizmag]

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Baby steps: new solar cell efficiency record isn’t awe-inspiring originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 22

New eco ferry uses wind and solar to get you to the Rock — and hopefully back

Posted in: hybrid, solar, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili
New eco ferry uses wind and solar to get you to The Rock -- and hopefully back

Cruising across the open seas may seem like a great way to get close to nature, but take a look at the sheer quantity of fuel most boats suck down as they power through waves (and manatees) and you’ll realize the truth. Thus a new breed of eco-friendly boat has arisen, the latest entry being San Francisco’s Alcatraz Cruises Hornblower Hybrid ferry. The ship, which will take passengers on trips to the Rock and elsewhere in the Bay, uses two vertical wind turbines and a solar panel to power its on-board electronics, with any excess juice going to the boat’s propulsion systems — which still rely mostly on diesel to get the craft and its passengers where they’re going. Okay, so it’s perhaps not as green as other eco-boats we’ve seen, but a tour on this one should be a good bit more affordable when it enters service early this year.

[Via Inhabitat]

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New eco ferry uses wind and solar to get you to the Rock — and hopefully back originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 13

Next-gen Prius now official, uses solar panels to keep car cool

Posted in: hybrid, solar, Today's Chili, Toyota

The very shoe-like 2010 Toyota Prius has made its official debut at this week’s Detroit Auto Show. The company estimates it’ll have a 50 MPG rating — up from 46 MPG in the previous model — and there’s a bigger, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine for improved highway mileage. In addition to Power and Eco driving modes, EV Drive will let you run on battery alone for about a mile, which if nothing else should provide a little extra push for getting to the gas station when you’ve held off for too long. One of the coolest (literally) new features is the optional solar panels in the moonroof that will generate power for circulating air and keeping the interior temperature from going too high. If that’s not enough, there’s a remote-controlled A/C system that can run on battery alone and lets you set the temperature before you get in. Check out the read link for more specs and the full press release.

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Next-gen Prius now official, uses solar panels to keep car cool originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 10

Kinesis K2 solar / wind charger hands-on: Captain Planet approved

Posted in: charger, Features, power, solar, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili

Kinesis’ K2 solar / wind charger will power any USB device and is guaranteed to disappoint people mistaking it for a handheld fan. Of course, if you’re feeling less environmental, feel free plug it into an AC outlet to reenergize the thing. Anticipating popular demand, we’ve put video after the break.

Gallery: Kinesis K2 solar / wind charger hands-on: Captain Planet approved, in theory

[Via OhGizmo!]

Continue reading Kinesis K2 solar / wind charger hands-on: Captain Planet approved

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Kinesis K2 solar / wind charger hands-on: Captain Planet approved originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 06:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 10

MiniWIZ debuts solar-powered Solarbulb lamp / bottle cover

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

We haven’t heard a whole lot from MiniWIZ since it introduced its Hymini wind / solar charger quite a while back, but the company looks to have rolled into CES with at least one new offering: the seemingly 2001-inspired Solarbulb lamp. To complete the device, however, you’ll have to supply your own bottle, which attaches to the bottom and can be filled with water to provide a sturdy base and some sure to be soothing lighting. The lamp itself is supposedly fully weatherproof and apparently charges in just 3-4 hours of daylight, with it able to store enough energy to provide about six hours of continuous night lighting. Unfortunately, there’s no word on a price or release date just yet, though the replacement bulbs will apparently set you back between $23 and $25 apiece.

[Via Inhabitat]

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MiniWIZ debuts solar-powered Solarbulb lamp / bottle cover originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 02

Toyota Developing Solar Car: Report

Posted in: Environment, hybrid, solar, Today's Chili, Toyota

Toyota_1X_AutoblogGreen_1.jpg

Toyota Motor Corp. is secretly developing a solar-powered vehicle as an alternative to its popular hybrid Prius and Camry models, the Associated Press is reporting.

Toyota, which also builds luxury-themed Lexus cars, is developing the program in two stages. First, the automaker is working on a method to power a car partially from built-in solar cells, and then recharged via electricity generated from solar panels on the roofs of homes, according to The Nikkei, a leading business daily in Japan. Later, the next step will be to develop a version that’s totally powered by solar cells mounted on the car. In both cases, production models are still years away.

Today, Toyota uses solar panels at its central Japan plant to produce some electricity, according to the article. “The solar panels on the roofs add up in size to the equivalent of 60 tennis courts and produce enough electricity to power 500 homes,” Toyota said in a statement. “That reduces 740 tons a year of carbon dioxide emissions and is equal to using 1,500 barrels of crude oil.” (Image credit: AutoblogGreen)

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