Hasta La Gadget!

These humble-looking contraptions were revealed in a Google patent application for a “heliostat control system” that automatically adjusts solar thermal mirrors to their optimal energy-harvesting angle. A camera and computer are housed in the central tower that receives heat from the mirrors, and together they detect when a heliostat is misaligned and then correct it using actuators. Sound like a strange distraction for an Internet company? Google thinks not. It’s already invested $168 million in the world’s largest solar tower in the Mojave Desert as part of its effort to both reduce its own massive electricity bill and diversify its business. It’s also currently hiring three new technical staff to make this happen. Interested?

Google’s search for future profit targets the Sun, not just the cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, solar-paneled bags are occasionally practical and always geeky, but the women in our lives wouldn’t dream of letting us walk around with one, let alone using one themselves. That soon may change. The Solar Handbag from Diffus, a Danish design studio, integrates 100 “solar sequins” in a pattern that ladies may actually find socially acceptable, perhaps even attractive. During the day, the bag is capable of generating 2 watts of power, enough to charge many portable gadgets. After the sun sets, however, any leftover energy is redirected to a set of optical fibers, which glow whenever you open the bag to search for mascara, ABC gum stuffed in crumbled receipts, or whatever else you’ve decided may never leave your side. There’s no word on whether the bag will actually come to market, but if it does go to production, it may just end up being affordable, given that many handbag budgets far exceed the amount we set aside for gadgets.

Continue reading Diffus Solar Handbag charges your cell during the day, may actually leave the closet

Diffus Solar Handbag charges your cell during the day, may actually leave the closet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At the recent Retail Tech Expo held in Tokyo Panasonic showcased a prototype solar powered inductive charging table which is able to juice up devices simply by placing them on the table.

Although inductive coupling products have been on the market for some time, what was different about this product was how the charging panel on the table connected directly with the battery itself. A Panasonic employee demonstrated how it was possible to simply place the battery on the table and it would begin charging without any coupling or 3rd party accessories, as the circuits are integrated with the batteries themselves.

With the array of mobile devices in use today users are always looking for a quick top up of battery power on the go. Incorporating this kind of product into city restaurants and coffee shops would provide a very quick and easy way to keep the mobile offices powered, customers simply place their devices on the table as they have their coffee and automatically charging without any further cables or docking.

Sanyo’s portable Eneloop chargers, some solar powered, are already popular products on that market in Japan, so it makes an obvious next step to introduce this kind of technology into the market as well. We wrote recently about the rise in demand for alternatively powered appliances given the recent power shortages in Japan, coupled with the rise in the “eco-conscious” consumer around the world means that this kind of innovative product would potentially be hugely popular and useful.

Related Posts:

The five coolest eco innovations in Japan
CO2 Calculator adds up your carbon footprint
Suntory Midorie brings green to cities inside and out

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.

Did you know that the cell phone in your pocket could be causing the collapse of bee colonies? This week Inhabitat reported the alarming news as Swiss researchers confirmed that cell signals confuse bees and are leading to their deaths. We also looked at a Bill Gates-funded plan to power cell phones using dirt, and we spotted a new phone battery that can be charged by yelling at it — much to the chagrin of everyone else on the bus.

Alternative transportation got a boost this week as Japanese engineers unveiled a levitating high-speed electric train that flies over the earth, and we shined a light on Berkeley’s new solar-powered Impulse racer, which is gearing up to blaze a trail in the 1,800-mile World Solar Challenge. It was a big week for biofuels as well as Ford and Georgia Tech unveiled plans to create the first hydraulic hybrid U.S. school bus and UK scientists cooked up a plan to power cars with Cornish pasties.

In other news, this week a New Jersey Toys “R” Us unveiled plans to build the largest solar roof in the United States, and HyperSolar rolled out a magnifying film that can increase the efficiency of photovoltaic panels by 300%. In green lighting news, we watched Google flip the switch on its brilliant Android-controlled LED bulb, and we announced the Philips and Inhabitat Bright Ideas Lighting Design Competition, which is awarding $1,000 to the designer of the most stunning eco-friendly lamp. Finally, we got excited for the start of summer with a look at the Lapin Kulta Solar Kitchen, which will be serving up sun-cooked meals all across Europe!

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: floating trains, dead bees, dirt-powered phones and Cornish pasties originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 May 2011 22:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wander through MIT’s Killian Court and you’ll spot something distinctly modern nestled amongst its classical buildings — a set of solar-powered lounge chairs called SOFT Rockers. These curved, solar-panel-covered seats rotate on an axis to keep them facing the sun, generating additional energy from the rocking motion created when people climb inside. All that harvested electricity can be used to recharge gadgets plugged into the three USB ports and to illuminate a light strip on the inside of the loop. The teardrop-shaped charging stations were created by professor Sheila Kennedy and a team of students for the Festival of Art+Science+Technology (FAST) as an antidote to “conventional ‘hard’ urban infrastructure.” Plus, they seem like a great place to charge your phone while evading Dean Wormer and riding out double secret probation. Check out the gallery below for more images.

SOFT Rockers combine solar panels and moving furniture to charge your gadgets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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