Alternative transportation blasted off into the future this week as DeLorean revealed plans to launch an all-electric vehicle in 2013 and Richard Branson announced the official opening of the Virgin Galactic Gateway spaceport. Researchers also developed a next-gen quantum levitation technology that could lead to floating vehicles, and we spotted a cloud concept blimp that soars through the skies. We also brought you an exclusive interview with Revenge of the Electric Car director Chris Paine, and we shared a leaked brochure with specs on Toyota’s new Prius C.

Renewable energy also rocketed towards a more sustainable tomorrow as Japan’s team Tokai took first place in the World Solar Challenge and Apple filed a set of patents for next-generation solar technology. Meanwhile Facebook announced plans to launch a new energy efficiency app in 2012 and we launched a contest where you can win one of 25 $600 home energy audits. We also showcased a stunning set of satellite photos of the world’s power lines, and since Halloween is on its way, we brought you a Zombie-Powered Vertical Farm designed to keep its inhabitants safe from the Living Dead.

Speaking of Halloween, this week we shared instructions for making a DIY cardboard box robot costume, and we launched our 2011 Green Halloween Costume Contest for kids. We also brought you several developments from the realm of eco textiles — a material that repairs its own rips and tears and a Japanese company that recycles old bras into power-generating fuel. Finally, we showcased several slick developments in aqueous technology: an oil skimmer that cleans up spills four times faster, an artificial muscle that could one day propel nanobots through the body, and a quirky set of ‘Macquariums‘ made from Apple iMacs.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: quantum levitation, Zombie-Powered Vertical Farm and Macquariums originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alternative transportation blasted off into the future this week as DeLorean revealed plans to launch an all-electric vehicle in 2013 and Richard Branson announced the official opening of the Virgin Galactic Gateway spaceport. Researchers also developed a next-gen quantum levitation technology that could lead to floating vehicles, and we spotted a cloud concept blimp that soars through the skies. We also brought you an exclusive interview with Revenge of the Electric Car director Chris Paine, and we shared a leaked brochure with specs on Toyota’s new Prius C.

Renewable energy also rocketed towards a more sustainable tomorrow as Japan’s team Tokai took first place in the World Solar Challenge and Apple filed a set of patents for next-generation solar technology. Meanwhile Facebook announced plans to launch a new energy efficiency app in 2012 and we launched a contest where you can win one of 25 $600 home energy audits. We also showcased a stunning set of satellite photos of the world’s power lines, and since Halloween is on its way, we brought you a Zombie-Powered Vertical Farm designed to keep its inhabitants safe from the Living Dead.

Speaking of Halloween, this week we shared instructions for making a DIY cardboard box robot costume, and we launched our 2011 Green Halloween Costume Contest for kids. We also brought you several developments from the realm of eco textiles — a material that repairs its own rips and tears and a Japanese company that recycles old bras into power-generating fuel. Finally, we showcased several slick developments in aqueous technology: an oil skimmer that cleans up spills four times faster, an artificial muscle that could one day propel nanobots through the body, and a quirky set of ‘Macquariums‘ made from Apple iMacs.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: quantum levitation, Zombie-Powered Vertical Farm and Macquariums originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s nothing worse than losing the charge on your iPhone at the company picnic. But fear not, you won’t be stranded Twitter-less next to the potato salad if UCLA’s new energy recycling LCD technology ever makes it to market. According to its inventors, the traditional LCD polarization process loses as much as 75 percent of light energy — something that eats around 80 to 90 percent of the device’s power. By using polarizing organic photovoltaic cells, however, the LCD-packing gizmo can recycle its own lost backlight energy, keeping itself charged for longer. What’s really cool is these cells can recycle indoor or outdoor light as well, so you will essentially never lose a charge — or have to speak to another human IRL again. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true

Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Things are lookin’ up in New England — particularly for those who crisscross Yawkey Way with an electric vehicle. A grand total of 142 EV charging stations are slated to hit The Bay State in the coming months, with 25 communities across the commonwealth to get gifted. Boston reports that the majority of ‘em will be in “common commuter or traveler spots,” places like downtown parking garages, MBTA lots, shopping malls, etc. The bulk of the boxes will be part of the ChargePoint network, and we’re told that the rates for recharging will be set by “municipalities on public land and by property owners on private land,” depending on where each box is planted. So, is the charging station rollout between NY and MA the new Yankees vs. Red Sox? Nah, but a techie can dream.

142 electric vehicle charging stations head to Massachusetts, Nantucket and MV not included originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look closely at that blue blob up above and you’ll realize it’s made up of 500 butterflies, each one meticulously cut from photovoltaic cells. The hundreds of insects collect the sun’s rays as they flutter around a giant glass bulb that turns into a churning mass of light after dusk. The Virtue of Blue chandelier is a stunning work of art by Dutch designer Jeroen Verhoeven that draws connections between the beauty and power of nature and the importance of sustainable energy… or, you know, just something trippy to stare at while you sip a few cocktails at the Blain|Southern gallery in London.

Solar-powered butterfly chandelier is a fluttering mass of art and light originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 07:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Solar power is the most egalitarian of all energy sources, yet residents in many parts of the world still lack access to electricity. Three University of Michigan engineering students have created an affordable solution to this problem — to the delight of camping geeks everywhere — with the Emerald, a portable solar panel that does double duty as both a cellphone charger and personal light source. We’ve seen the personal solar panel idea before, but the price of entry made it an untenable solution for developing nations. Solar-powered light bulbs have been around for a while too, but the Emerald’s light lasts for eight hours on a charge (as opposed to the bulbs’ two to six hours), and it’s able to fully charge a phone in the same time it takes an outlet to do the job. They aim to sell the device for the low, low, price of under twenty bucks for customers in the developing world, which is 90 percent cheaper than other solutions and 100 percent more awesome.

Continue reading UM students make cheap and portable solar charger / light source for developing nations

UM students make cheap and portable solar charger / light source for developing nations originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If “danger” is your middle name and yet “caution” a favorite word, you’ve probably already got an ugly old emergency radio buried somewhere in your car. Today, Eton’s unveiling a model that you might actually feel comfortable using in public without disaster having to strike first. The solar-powered Eton Raptor boasts a slender, 11-ounce carabiner-like design that seems positively packed with tools, including the typical (AM / FM / WB radio, compass, LED flashlight), the adventurous (altimeter, barometer) and the plain ol’ useful (audio line-in, bottle opener). It’s also got a USB port for charging gadgets from the internal 1800mAh battery and takes splash-proof cues from the Eton Soulra. No word on price, but we know a few road warriors who might be interested when it hits shelves in the first quarter of next year. PR after the break, images immediately below.

Continue reading Eton Raptor emergency radio trades the crank for solar power, rakish good looks

Eton Raptor emergency radio trades the crank for solar power, rakish good looks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E-readers are flooding the market these days, and KDDI has delivered its most recent offering just in time for the holiday season. Since the biblio Leaf SP02‘s specs were first released, battery life seems to have grown to 13,000 pages, with presumably a few extra thrown in courtesy of its solar array. The device utilizes KDDI’s LISMO Book Store and its 20,000 titles to obtain content, and if that isn’t enough reading material for you, the company claims that five times as many titles will be available by 2012. All this can be had on Christmas day for

NRG Solar (get it?) and SunPower — neither of which are strangers to extracting juice from that glowing ball of fire in our sky — have just linked up to build one of the world’s largest photovoltaic solar plants. The tandem will start construction in San Luis Obispo County next year, creating around 350 jobs in the process and helping California inch ever closer to realizing its 33 percent renewable portfolio standard. The 250-megawatt plant still pales in comparison to a few others (namely this guy in Arizona), but it dwarfs the vast majority of factories in operation today. The project is expected to stretch out for three or four years, but when all is said and done, around 100,000 homes (yeah, even the home of one Vincent Chase) will be given sun-sourced energy thanks to this here installation. That said, the actual energy bills for Californians everywhere probably won’t sink — but hey, at least you’re throwing Ma Earth a well-deserved bone, right?

Continue reading NRG and SunPower partner on 250-megawatt solar plant, plan to power 100,000 California homes

NRG and SunPower partner on 250-megawatt solar plant, plan to power 100,000 California homes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No one’s going to be calling Nokero out for falling behind. Just a few short months after revealing its first commercial light bulb for developing nations, the outfit has now rolled out a second version, the predictably titled N200. This guy strikes a vastly different pose compared to the original, with the LED enclosure hanging on a swivel that enables it to be positioned in a way that would optimally catch light. When night falls, users can flip the light north to create a lantern. Nokero claims that this edition is just as rugged and rainproof as the original, but it’s 60 percent brighter and lasts three times as long. A single NiMH battery is included, and that’s what is rejuvenated by the sun — once charged, it’ll provide between 2.5 and 6 hours of light, depending on the mode. It’s on sale now for $20 apiece (bulk prices are less), representing a modest $5 premium over the (still available) N100. Can’t say the Yankees will be looking to decorate their outdoor patio with lighting right about now, but for the nomads trekking to Panama to escape Old Man Winter… well, you know what to do. Vid’s after the break.

[Images courtesy of Larry Bollig]

Continue reading Nokero’s solar-powered, rainproof N200 light bulb: brighter, stronger, more flexible

Nokero’s solar-powered, rainproof N200 light bulb: brighter, stronger, more flexible originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 03:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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