energy posts

'Power Aware' Power Strip Glows With Your Energy Use

by Matthew Zuras (RSS feed) — Nov 18th 2009 at 9:24AM

The Power Aware Cord is a power strip in the nude. Rather than visually shielding the complex transfer of energy contained in the cord, the Power Aware Cord glows and pulses in varying rhythms, depending on your energy consumption. As a visual reminder of your electrical use, the Power Aware Cord reminds us to shut off or shut down those energy-sucking appliances that continue to siphon current from our sockets even while dormant.

We love this novelty's eco angle, and the ambient light the cord produces is so pretty. We have only two questions: Don't most people use power strips for devices (like Wi-Fi routers and DVRs) that aren't supposed to be unplugged every time you go to bed? And do the cord's lights actually require more energy than a standard cord? We wonder if that wouldn't defeat the purpose. [From: Static!, via: Unplgged]

Tags: design, energy, energy conservation, EnergyConservation, green, power aware cord, power strip, PowerAwareCord, PowerStrip, top

Web

Artist Proposes Edible Cell Phones to Feed the World

by Matthew Zuras (RSS feed) — Oct 17th 2009 at 5:01PM

In our contemporary 'Inconvenient Truth' culture, much of the industrialized world has become nearly obsessed with finding alternative solutions to the massive problems of fuel shortages, waste, and environmental pollution. Newer and wackier varieties of these alternatives spring up daily, like those biofuels made from e. coli bacteria and, gulp, bunnies.

Boo Chapple, an Australian artist concerned with environmentalism, has recently put forward a tongue-in-cheek response to the energy crisis: edible cell phones. Chapple writes in her new pamphlet 'Consumables' that by feeding impoverished nations with "cast-off" phones, we could render starvation an unpleasantness of the past:

In place of e-waste, there would now be e-food. There would be no more photo essay exposés of towns in China piled with PCB's, dusted in plastic and beset with birth defects.

Chapple isn't seriously suggesting that we'll be seeing edible phones in the near future, or even that we should. Instead, her absurdist idea points a mocking finger at frequently ridiculous solutions that cannot possibly take a bite out of the world's current level of consumption and waste. "Instead of upgrading your phone once a year," she writes on her site, "you could buy a new one once a week and know that you were contributing something to the world simply by wasting more." In the style of 'A Modest Proposal,' Chapple satirizes the situation; if consumer society refuses to consume less, then why not gorge ourselves even more? To drive the point home ever further, those phones look more like something out of 'Videodrome' (more dystopian visions of a cyborg future) than they do something you'd actually want to swallow. [From: Boo Chapple, via Fast Company]

Tags: art, cell phone, CellPhone, edible, energy, funny, green, satire, top, weird

Audio/Video, TV, Green Tech

California Lawmakers Seeking Ban on Wasteful HDTVs

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Oct 16th 2009 at 5:10PM

Many home appliances, like refrigerators and air conditioners, have to meet predetermined energy standards, but man's best inanimate friend, the television, has managed to evade such government restrictions, so far. According to the Los Angeles Times, TV's free pass may soon get revoked in California, where state regulators are currently attempting to implement energy efficiency standards for televisions.

The California Energy Commission hopes to begin unplugging substandard sets in 2011, with a vote on the proposal possibly coming as soon as November 4th. The proposed restrictions have been met with opposition from electronics advocacy groups, like the Consumers Electronics Association, who claim the new rules will hamper technological advancements and raise manufacturing prices. But at least one manufacturer believes otherwise. Vizio vice president Kenneth R. Lowe said that his company would have no problem meeting the efficiency standards within the proposed time frame.

Tags: big screen, BigScreen, california, energy, energy consumption, EnergyConsumption, government, green, top, tv

Google, Green Tech

Google Developing Cheaper Mirror Technology for Solar Panels

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Sep 11th 2009 at 10:38AM

In 2007, Google announced that it was delving into scientific research, specifically the investigation and development of viable green energy sources. According to Reuters, the world's biggest brand is particularly interested in solar power and the development of cheaper and more efficient panel mirrors, which harvest heat and energy from the sun.

Google is looking to cut current mirror costs by at least one half, and hopes to eventually make the new technology even cheaper. These mirrors would potentially be used in the construction of solar thermal plants, which -- with the improved panels -- could cost 25-percent less to build. Results from current research reportedly won't be ready for at least a few months, though. Google still has to perform extensive testing on the durability and longevity of its current technology in order to ensure that the mirrors can withstand harsh weather conditions.

Tags: energy, google, green, solar panels, solar power, solar thermal, SolarPanels, SolarPower, SolarThermal, top

Computers, Green Tech

Global Warming-Fighting Computer Turns Out to Be Polluter

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Aug 29th 2009 at 9:45AM

When the U.K.'s Met Office for weather research fired up the nation's largest supercomputer in May, the Daily Mail celebrated the enormous weather predictor by saying it would "help save millions of lives by predicting long-term patterns in global warming and forecasting extreme weather events such as typhoons and hurricanes."

The Daily Mail reports that the almost $50 million IBM machine, which houses 15 million megabytes of memory and requires 1.2 megawatts of energy to operate, is one of Great Britain's most egregious polluters. According to a report from the Department of Communities and Local Government, the machine, which is designed to eventually perform 1,000 billion calculations per second and uses enough energy to power 1,000 homes, contributes 75-percent of the Met Office's annual 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Those numbers qualify the weather center as one of the U.K.'s worst polluters.

Tags: energy, global warming, GlobalWarming, green, ibm, met office, met office supercomputer, MetOffice, MetOfficeSupercomputer, pollution

Web, Social Networking

The House That Tweets

by Kendra Cunningham (RSS feed) — Jun 25th 2009 at 2:59PM

Twitter, apparently, now appeals to inanimate objects. Not letting his house miss the Web 2.0 boom, Andy Stanford-Clark, a 43-year-old computer engineer, has wired his U.K. home with sensors to tweet status updates.

According to The Daily Mail, Mr. Stanford-Clark, who is a "distinguished engineer and master inventor" at IBM, was worried about the upkeep of his home in the Isle of Wright. To solve this problem, he set up a network of sensors to monitor every activity in the house – from mouse traps to his power meter.

Tags: energy, green, home, ibm, sensor, top, twitter

Green Tech

Increased Gadget Use Offsetting Efficiency Improvements

by Peter Mychalcewycz (RSS feed) — May 15th 2009 at 6:02AM

Thanks to tech goodies like cell phones, TV's, and computers, our modern world is more connected than ever -- but does our unquenchable desire for round-the-clock access come with a price that's greater than a dollar sign? The International Energy Agency (IEA), according to Reuters, would say yes.

The IEA believes that demand for tech gadgets is undoing efficiency gains in other areas of energy consumption. That means that, for every air conditioner we make more efficient, there's another more power-hungry TV hitting the market. The IEA is urging governments to draft efficiency standards that account for the rapid development of hot industries -- such as smart phones or plasma televisions -- since IEA told Reuters that the energy used by household electronic devices may triple by 2030.

Tags: efficiency, energy, environment, iea, top

Green Tech

America's First 'Solar City' Coming to Florida

by Darren Murph (RSS feed) — Apr 13th 2009 at 1:46PM

Given that Florida has accurately been coined The Sunshine State, it's not at all shocking to hear that America's first "solar city" will be built in the state's southwest corner. Or, at least that's the plan. According to a new report, West Palm Beach-based Kitson & Partners is currently developing a new city near Charlotte County, which will get juiced by a massive 75-megawatt solar plant. Said plant will cost around $300 million to build and will be installed by Florida Power & Light; if all goes well, homes will begin construction on a sizable plot of land dubbed Babcock Ranch by 2011. If things don't go so well, we're told that the actual power plant will still be erected and fed into the larger grid. In other words, Florida's gettin' some solar power, with or without this newfangled concrete jungle.

[Via: Fark]

Tags: eco-friendly, electricity, energy, florida, green, power, power plant, PowerPlant, solar, solar city, solar plant, solar-power, solar-powered, SolarCity, SolarPlant, sun

Computers, Green Tech

Hackers Could Cause Blackouts on Smart Grid

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Mar 23rd 2009 at 7:25PM

One of the things that the money in President Obama's tech-laden stimulus bill is supposed to pay for is a massive re-hauling of the U.S.'s energy infrastructure and the deployment of what is called a smart grid. This is a great thing, since smart grids are considered essential to reigning in our power usage and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Simply put, smart grids are two-way communication systems that dynamically adjust how power is used in a home in order to minimize load on the grid, thus preventing blackouts and increasing efficiency. The system relies on specialized meters installed in homes that can be controlled over the Internet. This raises a bit of a problem for us paranoid computer types, because this leaves our power grid open to attack via the Internet, and recent studies from security firm IOActive have shown that a smart grid may be vulnerable to hackers on a massive scale.

IOActive found that a hacker with $500 in equipment and a background in electronics and engineering could break into the grid with relative ease. From there, it would be a trivial matter to gain control of hundreds (or even thousands) of meters and cause a blackout.

Tags: energy, energy efficiency, EnergyEfficiency, hacker, security, smart grid, SmartGrid

Car Tech, Green Tech

New Electro-Pulse Technology Could De-Ice Your Car in Seconds

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — Feb 11th 2009 at 9:52AM

De-Icing in Seconds with Electro-Pulse Technology

On a cold, frosty morning, having to go out and start your car a few minutes early to get the de-icer working is a drag. So, too, is breaking out the window scraper and hacking away, causing your fingers slowly to go numb. A new tech could remove that delay, literally blowing the ice off of your car in seconds with a 20,000-kilowatt electro-pulse!

The tech is currently being used on the 489-foot-tall Uddevalla bridge in Sweden, and also on a glass dome in Moscow. Instead of using wires that slowly warm and melt the ice, an electric surge of 20,000-kilowatts per square meter causes the ice to detach from the surface, quickly falling away. It's believed the tech could also be applied to cars, where it would actually save energy by not having to let your car run so long while the ice melts, but we're not entirely sure just how many intact fuses you'd have left after a jolt like that. [From: AutoBlog]

Related Links:

Tags: cars, de-ice, de-icing, defrost, electro-pulse, energy, green, ice, transportation, winter

Green Tech

Google PowerMeter to Let You Track Electricity Usage

by Ross Miller (RSS feed) — Feb 10th 2009 at 11:42AM

The New York Times is reporting Google will announce a free web service tomorrow called PowerMeter that'll let users track energy consumption in their homes or business, provided there's a means to upload the data. That part of the equation's gonna be up to other companies to create compatible devices, and while no manufacturing partners have been named, we'd suspect strange bedfellow GE will probably jump aboard pretty quickly. The service is expected to roll out in the next few months. Ready to give the boys in Menlo Park even more access to your life?

Update: The official site has launched. According to the FAQ, PowerMeter is currently in closed beta. There's also a video about the program, which you can peep after the break.

Tags: electricity, energy, energy consumption, EnergyConsumption, google, new products, NewProducts, power, power meter, PowerMeter, smart grid, SmartGrid

Green Tech

This Garbage Truck Runs on Rubbish

by Laura June (RSS feed) — Feb 3rd 2009 at 10:58AM

The Brits get all the cool stuff -- Queen Elizabeth II, The Sex Pistols... and now a rubbish truck that runs on rubbish (sort of). That's right: up in Huddersfield they've just unleashed a modded three-and-a-half ton Smith Edison Ford Transit garbage truck that tools around, picking up garbage, hauls it to a nearby Energy from Waste power station and recycling center which then burns the 'bage to make electricity for the next day's route.

The garbage also produces about 10 megawatts of excess electricity per day which is dumped into the grid for added fun. The truck's got a top speed of about 50 miles per hour, and is apparently so quiet that the locals fear it could be dangerous to unsuspecting pedestrians. Maybe they could slap a speaker on there and pump some Oasis as a warning? Just a thought.

Tags: electricity, energy, england, ford, ford truck, FordTruck, garbage, garbage truck, GarbageTruck, huddersfield, recycling, smith edison, SmithEdison, uk, UnitedKingdome

Green Tech

LED Light Bulbs That Last 60 Years to Get Cheaper

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — Jan 29th 2009 at 12:32PM

Super-Efficient LED Bulbs to Get Cheaper

Those old-school incandescent bulbs you grew up with are on their way out, deemed too inefficient for a continued life in today's eco-friendly society. But their replacements, compact flourescent (CFL), have their own share of issues. Some people find that the next-gen bulbs give them headaches, and since each one contains a bit of mercury they aren't exactly green themselves. For that reason, many have seen LEDs as a possible replacement, but they have their issues, too, primary among them being cost. That could change thanks to a British professor's newest tech, which could make the bulbs considerably cheaper.

LEDs are small and don't give off much light, but they last for literally decades (like, 60 years) and give off virtually no heat, making them three times more efficient than the twisty CFL bulbs. Professor Colin Humphreys at Cambridge University has come up with a way to make them far cheaper than normal, creating a more efficient way to produce gallium nitride, a material required for the production of LEDs. His discovery could pave the way to LED bulbs that cost less than $5 a pop. However, we're still at least a few years away before these could go into mass production, meaning you're going to have to keep hitting the Asprin or guiltily using your old incandescent bulbs. [From: The Daily Mail]

Related Links:

Tags: bulb, cfl, cfls, eco friendly, EcoFriendly, energy, energy efficient, EnergyEfficient, led, light bulb, LightBulb

Green Tech

Scientists Hope to Birth Tiny 'Star', Achieve Fusion

by Lee Bains (RSS feed) — Jan 2nd 2009 at 8:30AM

It is the stuff science fiction is made of.

In Livermore, California, at the National Ignition Facility, scientists talk of creating a star small enough to fit in a large barn, laser beams 1,000 times more powerful than all of the United States' electrical output put together, and -- with hopeful, anxious tones -- a seemingly endless supply of energy.

In the spring, researchers in Livermore will -- with the aid of that high-powered laser, mirrors and lenses, a 32 foot wide 'reaction chamber' and billions of dollars -- set out to initiate nuclear fusion, the Telegraph reports.

Tags: energy, fusion, power, science, top

Audio/Video

Solar Panel-Packin' Sunglasses Power Your Gizmos

by Darren Murph (RSS feed) — Dec 29th 2008 at 11:16AM

Before you get all "Oh, that comment was so heartless" on us, we will say that the spectacles you're peeping above are still a concept for now, though we wouldn't be surprised at all to hear that Kanye himself eventually funds their commercialization. At any rate, designers Hyun-Joong Kim and Kwang-Seok Jeong should be mighty proud of their concoction, which integrates dye solar cells into fashion-forward sunglasses in order to power your pocketable gadgets. Put simply, the SIG (Self-Energy Converting Sunglasses) convert the sunlight that they'll obviously see into usable energy, though it should be understood that these could give the impression that you're rockin' a head-mounted display. And we wouldn't want that, now would we?

[Via Engadget Polska]

Tags: art, concept, design, energy, fashion, glasses, solar, solar-powered, Sunglasses

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'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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