Posts tagged Solar at Switched

Posts with tag solar

Eco-Friendly Hybrid Yacht Can Be Yours for $600,000

by Engadget Staff, posted Nov 4th 2008 at 7:51AM

Yachts are usually pretty environmentally unsound, so the DSe Hybrid just debuted by Island Pilot at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show should be a real breath of fresh air (literally) if green is your thing. And apparently it's really about as eco-friendly as it gets -- using a combination of diesel, solar and electric power (when it goes into commercial production it will also boast wind turbines) the vessel can cruise at up to six knots on a sunny day for an indefinite period of time without any fuel and zero emissions. Possibly best of all (for those like us with delicate ears, anyway), it's virtually silent when not running on fuel. If you need to get somewhere in a hurry however, its Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System in diesel mode will move at up to 13 knots.

There are all sorts of "luxury" amenities on board including a 26-inch HDTV and totally ferocious Bose home theater system. Island Pilot is taking pre-orders now (you have to lay down $5,000 just to reserve one) for delivery in 2009, but fair warning: this thing has a price tag of $600,000. [Via gizmag]

Pennsylvania Amish Embrace Solar Power

by Lee Bains, posted Oct 15th 2008 at 1:10PM

In a fascinating convergence of the old world and the new, some Pennsylvania Amish communities have recently begun harnessing solar energy to power devices like hot water heaters and horse-drawn buggies' taillights.

While environmentalists have been pushing for the development of solar energy for decades, the Amish's adoption of the energy source has little to do with its being "green." Instead, these communities -- devoted to a lifestyle independent of outside society -- appreciate that solar panels can provide affordable energy without the help of a municipal or state power grid.

While the Amish have found solar power to peacefully coexist with their belief system, we still don't expect to see an Amish woman wearing one of these anytime soon. [From: CBSNews.com]

Solar-Powered Bra has Neither Form Nor Function

by Tim Stevens, posted Sep 29th 2008 at 10:01AM

Unless your name is Madonna, you're probably in the habit of wearing your underwear beneath the rest of your clothes -- assuming you wear any at all. For this reason, a concept piece from high-end lingerie manufacturer Triumph might seem a bit peculiar to you. It's a solar-powered bra capable of charging an iPod or cell phone, in theory. In practice, this thing doesn't really seem to have any purpose whatsoever.

The bra sports a lengthy mid-section complete with a crudely-attached, flexible solar panel crudely. Directly above the panel is a small LED panel that lets you broadcast messages. On sunny days, you can hook up your celly or portable music player to the outfit in order to refill the battery. However, like most bits of tech, this one is best left at home on a rainy day. It can't even be washed, meaning this eco-friendly bra would, after a few wearings, likely become more of an ecological disaster. [From: Just-style]

12-Year-Old Invents Breakthrough Solar Panel

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 22nd 2008 at 8:52AM

Imagine what would happen if you took a kid ten times smarter than Doogie Howser, made him a scientist instead of a doctor, and then made him more concerned with helping the world than getting dates.

The t12-year-old Oregonian has invented a solar cell that is being described as a 3-D cell (though we're still not exactly sure what that means). The new cells absorb visible light and ultraviolet rays, which greatly increases the amount of the Sun's radiation captured. Even on cloudy days, the solar panel could produce plenty of power since UV rays are still able to penetrate cloud cover.

The next phase for Yuan is to find a manufacturer and market his invention, which could make solar energy a much more viable source for electricity. Yuan is currently gearing up for a trip to Washington D.C., where he'll accept the Davidson Fellow award (a $25,000 scholarship for students under the age of 18). All of the other recipients this year are at least four years older than Yuan. [From: Komo News]

Japanese Firms to Propel Cargo Ship Via Solar Panels

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 29th 2008 at 9:56AM

First things first -- when we say "partially" propel, we mean partially. Nippon Yusen and energy distributor Nippon Oil are teaming up to spend around $1.37 million in order to equip a car-hauling cargo ship with 328 solar panels. Rather than just provide energy for the crew's on board entertainment system, it will be the first solar installation to actually produce a smidgen of power for the boat's engine.

If successful, the panels would provide 0.2% of the ship's energy consumption for propulsion, and they're hoping to raise that to a whopping 1% by 2010. Gives a whole new meaning to "baby steps," huh? [From: PhysOrg]

Solar Plane Smashes Flight Endurance Record

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 25th 2008 at 12:16PM

QinetiQ just (unofficially) smashed the record for an unmanned flight by a solar airplane, sending its Zephyr craft into the air for a staggering 83 hours and 37 minutes, more than double the official record by "Global Hawk" in 2001, and a good margin more than its last flight. The plane was guided by autopilot and satellites to a height of 60,000 feet, and powers off the sun during the day, prepping its rechargeable lithium-sulphur batteries for the night. Zephyr is being built for reconnaissance, communications and unofficially setting really bad-ass flight records. [From: QinetiQ via USA TODAY]

Researchers Create Cell Phone-Charging Solar Necktie

by Donald Melanson, posted Aug 18th 2008 at 7:03PM

There's certainly no shortage of folks working to incorporate solar cells into clothing and accessories, but a team of researchers from Iowa State University now look to have devised a way to make the wearable technology slightly more discreet, with them using digital textile printing to print fabric that matches the pattern of the solar cells.

The solar cells themselves are then attached using a "liquid stitch" method, although that apparently presented its own set of problems, as the application of the cells made it difficult to tie a knot. As the researchers helpfully point out in thier paper, however, a clip-on tie would solve that problem. Combine that with the special pouch for carrying your cellphone, and you've got a combo that can't be beat. [From: North Carolina State University via textually.org]

Oregon Begins Building First "Solar Highway" Project

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 18th 2008 at 4:01PM

Just over a year ago, we passed off a far-out proposal that would turn highways into wind farms. Now, however, the state of Oregon is proving that such feats are actually within reach as it breaks ground on the first so-called "solar highway" demonstration project. The project will be installed at the Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 interchange in Tualatin, where it will cover around 8,000 square feet and produce 112,000 kilowatt hours per year. The total cost for the 104-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system is $1.3 million, and believe it or not, it should be completed and operational in December of this year. [From: SustainableBusiness.com via Digg]

MIT Makes 'Revolutionary' Solar Power Storage Breakthrough

by Thomas Ricker, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 11:37AM

MIT is in a twisted, propeller-capped knot this morning heralding a new discovery it says will unleash a solar revolution. However, the "revolutionary leap" inspired by photosynthesis is not on the glamorous front-end of energy collection, rather, it's related to a simple, highly efficient and inexpensive way to store that energy when the sun doesn't shine. "This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years," says Daniel Nocera, MIT neomaxizoomdweebie who with Matthew Kanan developed the unprecedented approach to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases using the sun's energy. The gases can then be recombined later inside a fuel cell. The key components to the process are a pair of catalysts (one consists of cobalt metal, phosphate, and an electrode; the other, platinum) which produce the O and H gases at room temperature and in neutral pH water (i.e., tap water). While similar solutions exist for industrial use (primarily), these are very expensive and require specialized environments.

"This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind," said James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis at Imperial College in London. "The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production thus reducing our dependence for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem." Nocera concedes that further engineering is required to commercialize the approach but hopes to see it implemented in household fuel cell systems within the next 10 years. Click through for the video breakdown. [Source: MIT News]

Continue reading MIT Makes 'Revolutionary' Solar Power Storage Breakthrough

Best Gadgets for the Beach (Video)

by Tom Samiljan, posted Aug 8th 2008 at 12:01PM

We may be talking Back-to-School already, but summer is still very much with us, at least if the hot and humid August weather is to be believed. And that means that the beaches are alive and well and just waiting to be pounced upn. Geeks that we are, we can't help but bring gadgets every with us, including the beach, which is exactly what we did in the above video. Check it out.

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