Mar 29

Solar-powered broadcast on WFMU New York Monday night may just change your life

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

If you’re on the planet tomorrow night, you may just want to check out Engadget’s own podcast producer, Trent Wolbe, on his WFMU radio show. Sure, Trent can be found assaulting the airwaves there every single Monday, but this coming one (March 30th), the show will be live from the Solar One facility on the East River in NYC, and the broadcast will be entirely solar-powered. Oh, there’s going to be live performances by some great 8 bit / handheld, artists too. We love that. Hit up WFMU.ORG for all the details, or to listen to the show live tomorrow night, from 8-10 PM EST. Should be awesome, friends.

[Via Solar One]

Filed under:

Solar-powered broadcast on WFMU New York Monday night may just change your life originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Mar 06

IKEA starts selling totally hip SOLIG solar lighting devices

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

We’ve heard the excuse a gazillion times: “Yo, I want to go solar, but like, where do you even buy this stuff? Oh snap, 0 percent financing on a Hummer H2!” Finally, you can have a solid answer to that very quip (the first part, at least), as household megastore IKEA has begun stocking (in store; online is coming soon) a new series of solar-powered lighting supplies. The SOLIG series contains a handful of solar light sticks, orbs, garden lights, chain globes and even posts, all of which will surely brighten your outdoor patio, flower bed or Earth-friendly RV. Now, if only it were simple to relocate your life to southern Arizona in order to enjoy these more effectively…

[Via Inhabitat]

Filed under:

IKEA starts selling totally hip SOLIG solar lighting devices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Feb 28

MIT team develops solar car, boldly calls it Eleanor

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

When you name a custom built vehicle Eleanor, it better be good. It better be really good. But in fairness, the machine concocted by MIT‘s Solar Electric Vehicle Team is actually one of the more stellar creations we’ve seen on wheels. The newest iteration is a touch taller than prior versions and should be more comfortable to operate. Additionally, designers managed to increase the frontal area by 30 percent, all while keeping the drag area exactly the same. The juice comes from six square meters of monocrystalline silicon solar cells, and reportedly, the car can run all day long (providing the sun shines brightly the entire time) at a steady speed of 55 miles per hour. Eleanor will be competing later this year in the World Solar Challenge in Australia, and in preparation, the team is hoping to drive it across America this summer. So yeah, if you’ve ever wanted a summer to try hitchhiking, this would be it.

[Via Wired]

Filed under:

MIT team develops solar car, boldly calls it Eleanor originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
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]

Filed under:

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
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]

Filed under:

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
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]

Filed under:

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments
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

Filed under:

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
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]

Filed under: ,

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Jan 02

Toyota is definitely maybe developing solar-powered car

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

Around half a year ago, we heard that Toyota was engineering a Prius that would get part of its energy from the sun; now, we’re seeing an eerily similar story from Japan suggesting that the plan is still on. In a rather odd report, it’s noted that the automaker is “secretly (oh, is it now?) developing a vehicle that will be powered solely by solar energy,” though it’s also working on a partially solar-powered whip that’ll come out long before the pure solar alternative. Regrettably, details beyond that are few and far between, though the premise here is completely reasonable given the current economy and the desire for automobiles that run on anything other than petroleum. Guess we’ll check back in six months for yet another elusive report on the so-called progress.

Filed under:

Toyota is definitely maybe developing solar-powered car originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

No Comments