Hasta La Gadget!

Going green is de rigeur, so the sun is becoming a much-preferred source of power. However, solar cells’ inefficient harvesting of heliacal energies is a major reason they haven’t usurped the power of petroleum. Good thing the big brains at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are looking to change that with nanocone-based solar technology. The teeny-tiny cones are made of zinc oxide and create “an intrinsic electric field distribution” to improve electrical charge transport within solar cells. We aren’t sure what that means, but we do know the prickly-looking design provides a 3.2 percent light-to-power conversion efficiency that’s a substantial improvement over the meager 1.8 percent offered by today’s flat photovoltaics made of similar materials. That’s 80 percent more efficient, and 100 percent more awesome.

Nanocones make solar cells more efficient, sinister looking originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 May 2011 05:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With gas prices topping $4.50 per gallon in some parts of the country, a car that costs a fraction of a penny per mile to drive (and looks like it belongs on the road) is sure to get our attention. The 275-pound, 2,200MPG Celeritas appears to be the closest we’ve come to having a solar-powered car that could one day take to the streets, however, which explains why the vehicle scored first prize in the Urban Concept category in this year’s Shell Eco-marathon. While it can only transport a single person (the driver), the car includes headlights, taillights, a trunk and even backup cameras. Notably absent from this version are air conditioning and a license plate — the latter of which would (naturally) be required before the car becomes street legal. The Purdue University design team chose “Celeritas” (Latin for “swiftness”) as the name for this soon-to-be-street-legal roadster, though in a category that’s notorious for slower vehicles, we wouldn’t expect the prototype to fly past us in the fast lane. Perhaps we can get Celeritas and IVy together for some alone time before we’re dropping Hamiltons for a gallon of regular?

Purdue’s Celeritas car scores 2,200MPG from the sun, wins Shell Eco-marathon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:47:00 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.

The world of renewable energy received a jolt of innovation this week as Inhabitat reported on a groundbreaking new solar technology that could render photovoltaics obsolete — see Engadget’s take right here — and a plan to use common oven rust to generate immense amounts of cheap energy. We also saw green power projects pick up steam around the world as Pakistan announced it will build its first on-grid solar system, Chevron kicked off plans to invest in wind power for Kazakhstan, and Eriksson Architects unveiled an energy-efficient geodesic gemstone city for China.

Green transportation tech blasted off as we took a look at the insane 23-passenger electric superbus that can hit 155MPH and the Phoenix roadster – the world’s first biodegradable car. Volkswagen also turned heads as it unveiled an all-electric concept version of the classic VW Bus, and we saw sustainable transportation set sail as Zyvex unveiled the nanotech Piranha boat, which is 75% lighter, 40% stronger, and 400% more fuel-efficient than aluminum vessels. Finally, we showcased several hot new green vehicles as the Shanghai auto show began to rev up — Luxgen’s all-electric Neora concept car and Peugeot’s Hybrid SXC.

In other news, this week we brought you the best and brightest green products from the 2011 Milan Furniture Fair – from an energy-absorbing lamp that never needs to be plugged in to the world’s first color-changing OLED panels to a stunning pendant light made entirely from recycled drink cartons. We also showcased several designs for greener electronics – a revolutionary paper alloy that could enclose the gadgets of tomorrow and a gorgeous bamboo MacBook case – and we shared 7 ways to get your kid excited about photography.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: crazy concept cars, the Milan Furniture Fair, and new solar technology originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We here at Engadget are in favor of hitting the books from time to time, but we can’t have lame gadget-less backpacks hurting our true techie rep. That’s why we’re excited to see Ralph Lauren outing its first solar–equipped knapsack as part of its RLX sports line. Four solar cells around back harness the sun’s power to generate 3.45 watts — completely juicing up an iPhone in a purported two-to-three hours, assuming you’ve got “proper sunlight orientation,” of course. Like the optional orange hue (it also comes in black), the sun-sucking cells aren’t particularly low profile — but for $800 don’t you want something, uh, recognizable? Still, if you simply must be that guy be sure to hit the source link and don’t look back, but for everyone else, might we recommend a portable USB charger for a little less coin?

Ralph Lauren’s solar-panel backpack charges your phone in hours, your credit card in seconds originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A professor at MIT claims to have Mother Nature beat at her own game. Dr. Daniel Nocera says his invention is ten times more efficient at photosynthesis than a real-life leaf, and could help to bring affordable alternative energy to developing countries. Described as an “advanced solar cell the size of a poker card,” the device is made of silicon, electronics, and inexpensive catalysts made of nickel and cobalt. When placed in a gallon of water under direct sunlight, the catalysts break the H2O down into hydrogen and oxygen gases, which are then stored in a fuel cell — the energy produced is apparently enough to power a single house for a day. Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen scientists try to one-up nature, in fact, we’ve seen solar-powered leaves before, but this thing actually looks poised for the mass market — Nocera signed a deal with Tata in October. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading MIT professor touts first ‘practical’ artificial leaf, signs deal with Tata to show up real plants

MIT professor touts first ‘practical’ artificial leaf, signs deal with Tata to show up real plants originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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