Inhabitat’s Week in Green: photovoltaics, footballs, and Greener Gadgets

The Week in Green is a new item from our friends at Inhabitat, recapping the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us.

This week at Inhabitat we saw several hot advances in solar technology that stand to shape how our buildings are built and how we power the electronics in our lives. CASE in point: this beautiful glass photovoltaic system can be affixed to windows and actually magnifies the available sunlight inside into tiny solar chips to create electricity.

In other photovoltaic news, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania just unveiled the world’s first solar-powered circuits. These tiny chips may one day be integrated directly within computer touch screens, essentially transforming them into multitasking solar panels.

We’re also excited to see that the finalists of the 2010 Greener Gadgets Design Competition have been announced. Two of our favorites right off the bat are these wind turbine streetlights that harvest energy from passing cars and Rocco, the kinetic energy-generating rocking horse. Check out all the entries and vote for your favorite!

This week was a big week for efficient aviation as we learned of Portugal’s plans to replace PVC airplane parts with lightweight cork and watched as Seymourpowell floated a fantastic plan for a fuel-cell powered luxury airship.

Finally, the states may be getting charged for Super Bowl Sunday, but youth in Africa are kicking around a different kind of football — one capable of generating energy in off-grid locations. We also saw a similar concept called the swirl ball that makes doing laundry a blast – fill it full of clothes and water and then kick it around until they’re clean.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: photovoltaics, footballs, and Greener Gadgets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photovoltaic circuit makes solar-powered touchscreens possible, not yet plausible

What’s cooler than the latest in technology? How about the latest in self-powering technology? University of Pennsylvania researchers have put together what seems like the world’s first photovoltaic circuit, which is to say that the electronic parts of your devices will no longer have to just consume energy, they’ll be able to harvest it directly from the sun. The most obvious application for this would be in smartphone touchscreens, which could recharge themselves while you sip your latte at the local sun-drenched coffee shop. Of course, such practical uses are still a fair distance away, as the team can generate only minuscule amounts of power at present, but the theory is in place and so is our attention. Don’t let us down, Penn!

Photovoltaic circuit makes solar-powered touchscreens possible, not yet plausible originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Inhabitat, Discovery  |  sourceDawn A. Bonnell Research Group  | Email this | Comments

Apple patent application two-fer: new gesture inputs, solar-powered iPods?

We know it’s been tough with the dearth of Apple-related speculation as of late, but it looks like we now finally have a few more clues about what the company might be up to courtesy of a pair of recently published patent applications. The first of those is a new type of gesture-based input device, which would not only be able to detect swipes and other simple gestures, but things like brushing or scooping motions that take into account force and velocity (check out an example after the break). The other patent treads a bit of familiar territory for Apple, and describes a built-in solar power system for electronic devices — such as an iPod, as illustrated above. That could apparently include solar cells covering the entire device, which could be configured to function even if they’re partly obstructed by your hand. The system would also supposedly be able to detect if the battery is completely drained and rely solely on the solar cells to power up the device or, alternatively, switch the solar cells to a “second operational state” if it detects that the battery is charged — if it ever actually exists, that is.

Continue reading Apple patent application two-fer: new gesture inputs, solar-powered iPods?

Apple patent application two-fer: new gesture inputs, solar-powered iPods? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMac Rumors  | Email this | Comments

Self-assembling solar cells built using ancient wisdom, modern technology

Alright, so self-assembling electronics are hardly new in and of themselves, and nanoscale tech tends to always come with bombastic promises, but you don’t wanna miss how this latest innovation is built. Two professors from the University of Minnesota have successfully demonstrated a self-assembly technique that arranges microscopic electronic elements in their proper order thanks to the absolute enmity that exists between water and oil. By coating elements with a hydrophilic layer on one side and some hypdrophobic goo on the other, they’ve achieved the proper element orientation, and the final step in their work was the insertion of a pre-drilled, pre-soldered sheet, which picks up each element while being slowly drawn out of the liquid non-mixture. The achievement here is in finding the perfect densities of water and oil to make the magic happen, and a working device of 64,000 elements has been shown off — taking only three minutes to put together. If the method’s future proves successful, we’ll all be using electronics built on flexible, plastic, metal, or otherwise unconventional substrates sometime soon.

Self-assembling solar cells built using ancient wisdom, modern technology originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snowflake-shaped photovoltaic cells bring the holiday cheer

Sandia National Laboratories have unveiled their newest photovoltaic cells — glitter-sized particles made of crystalline silicon. The cells are made using common microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems techniques, and the results are pretty spectacular to behold. More interestingly, however, is the fact that they use 100 times less material in generating the same amount of energy as a regular solar cell.

Because of their size and shape, the cells are well-suited to unusual applications, and researchers envision mass-production of the cells for use on building-integrated tents or clothing, so campers (or military personnel) could recharge their cell phones on the go. Researchers also think that these particles will be inexpensive to produce, but there’s no word on when they’ll be ready for consumer application. We’ll keep you posted — but hit the source link for more a more detailed description.

Snowflake-shaped photovoltaic cells bring the holiday cheer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Inhabitat  |  sourceSandia National Laboratories  | Email this | Comments

New York gets its first solar EV charging station, you can’t use it

New York gets its first solar EV charging station, you can't use it

What do you do when you’ve got two disused shipping crates, some photovoltaics, and a couple buckets of toxic green paint? Why, you make a solar electric vehicle charging station, the first in New York as it happens. It was created by Beautiful Earth Group, which whipped up this self-contained charging station to juice the company’s car, a similarly painted BMW Mini E that just so happens to fit nicely inside — so long as you don’t want to open the doors too wide. About three hours charges the little sucker up for its maximum range of 100 miles, which ought to be just enough to get you out to the Hamptons. Not that you’d want to go there this time of year.

New York gets its first solar EV charging station, you can’t use it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceInhabitat  | Email this | Comments

CoolerBot photographs nature, gets its power from it

If you’re into real life bunny wabbits and other such wildlife, but not a fan of the cold, wet and windy outdoors, what do you do? We’d say just boot up the console and shoot you some pixelated peoples, but Steve Norris’ idea might be just a tad more practical. He has authored the above mobile snap-station, which is equipped with an infrared video camera, a Nikon DSLR, and pairs of motors, 10Ah batteries, and solar panels. Power flows from the latter into the former to turn wildlife stalking into a pleasurable pastime for even the most indoorsy of folks. Video demonstration of the hardware after the break.

Continue reading CoolerBot photographs nature, gets its power from it

CoolerBot photographs nature, gets its power from it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Digg, ecofriend  |  sourceNorris Labs  | Email this | Comments

Peptide nanotube ‘forest’ coating could mean self-cleaning windows, more efficient batteries, Alzheimer’s cure, world peace

Peptide nanotube 'forest' coating could mean self-cleaning windows, more efficient batteries, Alzheimer's cure, world peaceWe are rapidly coming to grips with the idea that there is nothing nanotubes can’t do. They’re boosting solar cell efficiency, hoisting more junk into space, and even providing an exceptionally light meal. Now they’ll even clean your windows — well, not your windows, but your future self’s windows thanks to research at Tel Aviv University, where a team has created a way to grow a so-called forest of nanotubes out of peptides. This means they’re exceptionally cheap to produce and, as they’ve been shown to repel dirt and water, they’ll make an ideal coating for windows and solar cells. They can also act as a super-capacitor, increasing the output of batteries, and there’s even hope that they could treat Alzheimer’s disease. Yes, nanotubes certainly are the future — prepare for obsolescence.

Peptide nanotube ‘forest’ coating could mean self-cleaning windows, more efficient batteries, Alzheimer’s cure, world peace originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DailyTech  |  sourceAmerican Friends of Tel Aviv University  | Email this | Comments

Captain Piccard’s Solar Impulse takes flight

They said it couldn’t be done. They laughed and questioned what would happen when the sun sets, but the man whose passport reads Piccard, Bertrand, and whose bold will and bald helm match a similarly named Capitaine, has now overseen the first solar-powered flight on the Solar Impulse HB-SIA. Okay, so it was 1,150 feet flown at a meter above ground level, but that’s just classic Swiss caution for you, no reason not to celebrate the fact that there’s now a flying tub powered purely by solar energy and promising a future of aircraft operating indefinitely — so long as the sun doesn’t forget to rise every morning. This comes mere days after the first runway tests were carried out, leading us to believe that this is one mission with a glorious chance of success.

Captain Piccard’s Solar Impulse takes flight originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWired  | Email this | Comments

Flexio solar powered FM radio doubles as bookmark

We don’t really have much use for radio over the airwaves — hell, the closest we ever get to the halcyon days of rock’n’roll radio is the Flaming Groovies station on Pandora. But something as convenient (and as cute) as this next item just might get us back in the habit. A proof-of-concept by a small handful of designers (Wu Kun-chia, Wang Shih-ju, Chen Ming-daw & Liou Chang-ho), Flexio is a portable, printed, solar powered, paper-thin FM receiver that fits in a book — or a pocketbook. Each radio is tuned to a specific frequency, so the design calls for boxed sets for different cities (for example, Taipei, Berlin, or Paris). Sure, it’s probably not convenient to carry the whole box around with you, but you might want to hang onto KROQ in case you should ever find yourself wandering around LA late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Get a closer look after the break.

Continue reading Flexio solar powered FM radio doubles as bookmark

Flexio solar powered FM radio doubles as bookmark originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYanko Design  | Email this | Comments