Here is a picture of the glass coating:

 http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/02/spray-on-solar-glass-gets-a-bit-bigger/

The coatings are less than 1/10th the thickness of thin films, New Energy says, taking advantage of what it calls “the world’s smallest functional solar cells.” The company claims that by generating electricity from both natural and artificial light sources, its cells “outperform today’s commercial solar and thin-film technologies by as much as tenfold.”

This stuff has the power and distribution possibility to be in every home and help reduce the amount people spend on electricity.

Watch the trailer here:

Bloom Box 60 Minutes Segment

Bloom Energy, a California startup with big financial backing, is about to launch (tomorrow) their Bloom Box, a fuel cell device that they hope to see in the home of every American in the next 5 to 10 years. Holding up two tiny boxes, K.R. Sridhar of Bloom Energy told Lesley Stahl in a recent 60 Minutes interview that they were enough to power a single American home (incidentally, the same number of boxes could power 4 Asian homes, and UK homes require just one).

Many, however, are skeptical that these Bloom Boxes will be able to deliver on their power-saving promises. Michael Kanellos, editors of Greentech Media, has doubts. His concerns are twofold. First, big firms such as GE already have patents for fuel cells but have not yet begun to sell them, primarily because they cost too much to be competitive. Second, well-funded projects like this one with a protracted product development stage—Bloom Energy has been working on its fuel cells for about 10 years and has already received more than $400 million in funding—tend to fall flat when they finally “go live.”

But Bloom Energy already has several clients that have been using the Bloom Box for 9+ months with a lot of success. The installation on the eBay lawn has been running for about that much time and apparently has already saved the company more than $100,000 in electricity costs, providing about 15% of the building’s energy. Their system produces about five times more energy than their acres of solar panels, too!

What remains to be seen is whether the Bloom Box will be affordable for the average consumer looking to save energy at home. Sridhar promises that it will be affordable for Americans, and even for communities in developing countries. We’ll find out tomorrow!

Fido Fashion LED Dog Leash

There seems to be no end of interesting and innovative renewably-powered gadgets coming on the market these days, some more affordable and useful than others. But they all have one thing in common: making it easier for you to power-up your various portable electronic devices on the go with clean energy, like solar energy, kinetic energy, and even doggie-powered energy!

Take the Scosche solBAT II for instance. It’s a solar charger that hooks up to most portable devices using a USB connection. It has a 1500mAh capacity battery with a 5-volt output. You can hook it to your backpack, hang it from your car window with a suction mount, or just put it on your desk. Wherever you put it, just be sure to leave it where it will get direct sunlight. You can charge up the onboard battery within about five hours (after an initial charge that takes 4-5 days). And the best part is that it is only $30.

Then there’s the new Neon Green solar bag. Now, we know that there are a ton of solar bags around these days, but this company has put together a wide range of styles and shapes so that there’s something for almost any renewable energy enthusiast looking for a new bag. From the Piggy Back Soular Back-Up Pack (attach it to your existing backpack), to the full-sized Centurian backpack, to the Big Piggy (for powering up gadgets), they’ve got all kinds of options.

And finally, check out Fido Fashions’ doggie-powered LED leash. It works by gathering energy as the leash coils and uncoils inside of the device. The energy gathered is then used to power three high-intensity LED lights that shine down to light-up your way as you walk your pooch. There’s also an LED light that projects upwards to illuminate your car or front door so that you don’t have to fumble with the keys. And for added convenience, the leash casing has a compartment for doggie waste bags. So check out these new power-saving gadgets and let us know what you think!

Neon Green Piggy Back Solar Back-up Pack

Scosche solBAT II USB power device

InCharge Battery Station

The Greener Gadgets Design Competition is on in anticipation of Greener Gadgets Conference to be held in New York City on February 25. You can make your voice heard by voting for the gadget you find more eco-friendly.

Consider, for instance, the BuLogics Smart Grid Home Controller. It’s billed as the world’s first smart grid-compatible wireless controller. By installing the Z-Wave HAN in your home, you can automatically shut down appliances and electronics that are not being used during peak electricity demand times. This occurs when your local utility grid sends a demand change request and allows you to reduce your monthly power costs. You can also monitor how much you’re using and saving using a wireless computer or cell phone. It’s a great way to really get a handle on when and how much energy you use in order to save power as much as possible.

Another option is the InCharge Battery Station by Pensa. We all know that using rechargeable batteries is not only cost-effective, it’s more environmentally-friendly than disposable batteries. But it can be a pain to plug in the charger and hook up the batteries. With the InCharge Battery Station, simply drop the batteries into the base—it automatically sorts them and begins charging. The LED light indicates the relative charge in each individual battery, holding charged batteries until you need them so that you always have batteries at the ready.

And if you want to produce your own power to charge your electronic devices, check out the RollerGen. As you cycle, the RollerGen will automatically charge two devices—cell phone, mp3 player, and so on—simultaneously. In fact, a 2-mile ride can charge a smartphone!

Or how about the Turbine Light? It’s a renewable energy harvesting device that doubles as a renewable energy system. As the wind turns the turbine, energy is created, which can be used to power the lighting at night. The wind is generated by weather or by passing vehicles.

So don’t miss out on your opportunity to vote for the greenest gadget (deadline February 25)!

RollerGen bicycle powering device

Turbine Light

Sanyo Eneloop electric bike YouTube video from CES 2010

For the summertime commute or for year-round transportation for those living in balmy climes, the Eneloop Bike by Sanyo could just be one of the biggest money and energy-saving devices you could ever buy. Forget about trading in your SUV for a hybrid vehicle! If you’re interested in truly low-cost driving, then check out this electric bike.

The Sanyo Eneloop electric bicycle is a very low-energy, cost effective means of getting from point A to point B, with little in the way of greenhouse gas emissions along the way. With a rack on the back, you can carry your work bag, groceries, or your child as you run errands, head to the office, or make a trip to a friend’s house. Plus you have the advantage of getting fresh air in the meantime!

When you pedal, it goes—the faster you pedal, the faster you move, up to 15 miles per hour. And by adjusting the built-in Power-Up mode, the bike automatically gives you assistance from the motor while you pedal so that you can ride comfortably uphill with very little energy (they state that it will increase your riding distance by 1.8 times).

Using “Loop charging” the bike circulates energy, charging the battery while you ride. When you apply the brakes, the rear brake acts like a generator that charges the battery. It can also be plugged in to charge it in 3 hours and 30 minutes.

It is available at a variety of retailers for about $2,300, including Best Buy (limited distribution) in their Personal Transportation department.  It’s only available in the white color and one size, but they believe the frame fits about 80% of the people in the market. The seat is adjustable up and down. You can also customize the graphics package for the bicycle (much like your iPhone), so you can personalize your vehicle for an extra charge.

Sanyo Eneloop electric bike

Concord Keystone solar-powered handbag helps you save power on the go

Concord Keystone Trading LLC, an interesting little company, has recently produced a new solar-powered tote bag that’s stylish as much as it is an energy-saver. Unlike many other solar-powered backpacks, briefcases, and handbags that are so not trendy or chic in the least, the 4U2ReUSE (for you to reuse) Solar Sling actually has some good style sense.

But more than that, the bag provides renewable energy while exposed to solar energy during the daytime. Using G24i’s solar panel technology, which is a thin-film variety form of photovoltaics that is capable of charging even when the sun hides behind the clouds, the on-board battery stores the energy from the panels and then can dole it out to small electronics via USB connector. It can charge anything from a cell phone or smart phone to digital cameras and iPods. When in full sun, the system should be fully charged within approximately five hours, according to Concord.

To add to the bag’s eco-credibility, it is made from recycled PET plastic bottles and of course can be used in place of disposable plastic bags handed out at a variety of vendors—from your local grocer to fashion retail outlet.

The bag’s other features include a compartment for a laptop, a key clip, and spacious pockets. It will be available in four color combinations and comes with the battery pack.

Concord Keystone featured this new product at CES, the consumer electronics tradeshow that took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has yet to be priced, though is expected to come on the market soon.

Wattvision YouTube video shows you how you can save energy by monitoring your power consumption

If you want a stupid simple way to see how much energy you use and what appliances are costing the most on your utility bills, then here’s a very user-friendly solution. Wattvision’s Sensor is a really easy system you can install yourself (no electrician required) to monitor the energy you use at home, at your school, or in your business. Once the system is installed, you’ll get a whole-house or whole-building energy-use report (with 15-second intervals) that can be read on a computer or your iPhone.

Many great features make this system incredibly practical. First, you can view how much energy you’ve saved (or used) over the history of your Wattvision system, down to the minute. So you can track trends by hour, day, week, or time of year. Additionally, with 15-second updates, as soon as you turn the system on you can test to see which appliances and electronics in your home are using the most energy. Unplug the fridge and watch the energy use diminish or plug in the kettle to see how much energy it takes to boil some water. With this system, you can pinpoint which energy-using devices need to be recycled or replaced so that you can begin to really make changes that count.

Wattvision saves you energy by showing you where you use the most

You can get started with your very own Wattvision Sensor by going to their site, telling them where you are (approximately) and what type of energy meter you have, and then ordering the right sensor for your home or building for $149 (with code wvbetablog; they’re regularly priced at $199). To see a Wattvision in action, check out their live demo.

Lucet LED Solar Window Lamp

Not yet something you can purchase at a boxing week sale, but this new solar-powered LED lamp has some great features that, if it ever hits the market, could make it much easier to light up your home with renewable energy. Designed as a concept lamp by industrial designer Rui Palma, the Lucet, as it is called is a lamp that runs on solar energy, collecting it as it sticks to your window. A great energy-saving device in the making.

Although this isn’t the first-ever solar lamp to stick to the window, it does have some great practical features. First, it uses AAA batteries, and while we’d like to see a way to get rid of batteries all together someday, for now, this makes it accessible to the average consumer. And since they’d have to be rechargeable batteries, they’ll at least have a longer life than conventional one-use batteries. As long as the consumer recycles them in the end, this is a pretty green solution.

Second, the lamp can be moved and positioned as needed. In fact, by combining several lamps together, the user could create some nifty designs to suit the room. Third, because it uses LED bulbs, it can provide light for much less energy consumption. Combined, you can control the amount of light provided depending on the illumination needed (more lamps equals a brighter indoor space). Unfortunately, the light may not be overly bright, but in time, as LED technology improves, this won’t likely pose much of a problem.

Great access to solar energy means great efficiency for indoor lighting. Plus, it looks kinda cool, too.

Lucet Lamps sticks to window

DIY solar is now a reality with solar systems available at Lowe's via Flickr - OregonDOT

Starting now, you can purchase easy-to-install solar photovoltaics from Lowe’s, carrying them home and installing them yourself, if you so desire. This first-ever, off-the-shelf option was recently announced by Akeena Solar Inc and is a way for DIY consumers to get the renewable energy system they want.

Akeena Solar is a manufacturer and installer of solar power systems and has hooked up with 21 Lowe’s home improvement stores in California to offer these plug-and-play solar panels to the general public.  Packages include racking, wiring, grounding, and all of the other parts needed to produce your own energy. Plus they have built-in inverters so they output AC power, which means no high-voltage wiring is required. These simple systems are supposedly to be installed easily by experienced do-it-yourselfers as well as electricians and HVAC contractors.

Barry Cinnamon, CEO of Akeena Solar, had this to say:

“The PC revolution in the computer industry occurred when new technology made PCs easy to use and affordable. Likewise, with panels becoming plug-and-play appliances, the solar revolution has started. The availability of solar panels in Lowe’s stores makes it easy for homeowners to go solar and is a big step toward getting solar on every sunny rooftop.”

The award-winning solar panels will be in Lowe’s Energy Centers where customers, using an interactive information kiosk, create their own unique energy plan according to their budget and energy goals. Additional energy-saving products will also be available in the Energy Centers.

The good news is that Lowe’s Energy Centers will be added to more stores throughout the US and Canada during 2010.

Lowes Home Improvement Energy Centers now carry solar systems (in California) via Flickr - doortoriver

Akeena Solar has teamed up with Lowe's to provide a DIY solar option for consumers

Obama administration recently announced a new clean energy REDI program

The Obama administration announced a new program on December 14: The Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative (REDI), which will offer $350 million in funds to accelerate the development of clean energy technologies. As both a domestic and global initiative, some of the funds ($85 million) will go into a joint coffer (supported by other countries such as Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands, the UK, and France) to be used to develop and deploy clean energy tech around the world.

The program will operate in several industries, including advanced vehicles, bioenergy, building and industrial efficiencies, smart grid technologies, carbon capture, high-efficiency coal,  and of course, solar, wind, and marine energy. The official REDI website outlines the following programs that will receive this funding:

• The Solar and LED Energy Access Program will accelerate deployment of affordable solar home systems and LED lanterns to those without access to electricity.  This program will yield immediate economic and public health benefits by providing households with low-cost and quality-assured solar alternatives to expensive and polluting kerosene.
• The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment Program will harness the market and convening power of MEF countries to improve efficiency for appliances traded throughout the world.  A number of MEF countries have implemented, or are exploring, incentive programs for energy-efficient appliances. Coordinating incentives, standards and labeling systems can create unprecedented economies of scale for these appliances.

• The Clean Energy Information Platform will establish an online platform for MEF countries to exchange technical resources, policy experience and the infrastructure to coordinate various activities in deploying clean energy technologies, and share this information with the world.

• The Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (S-REP), under the World Bank’s Strategic Climate Fund, will provide policy support and technical assistance to low-income countries developing national renewable energy strategies and underwrite additional capital costs associated with renewable energy investments.  Funding through Climate REDI will accelerate the launch of S-REP.

Further, it states that REDI will use the following tools to disseminate the new technologies:

1. Quality assurance to guard developing country consumers against sub-standard renewable energy products;
2. Minimum efficiency standards to remove the lowest efficiency appliances from the market;
3. Labeling to guide consumers to quality-assured and high-efficiency products;
4. Financing for scale up of early-stage low-carbon products, to bring down costs and remove barriers to deployment and to catalyze investment by the private sector;
5. Information sharing that enables all energy stakeholders to access state-of-the art information on technology and best practices.

Solarmer Energy's organic photovoltaic technology

There have been some interesting developments in the world of solar this month and two in particular seemed share-worthy. First, ShadePlex, purportedly the leader in solar-electric flexible-use architectural fabrics, is now offering color-coordinated solar products! Their energy-producing fabric frames come in a variety of colors (red, yellow, green, or bright blue) so that you can match them to various surfaces.

While the fabrics themselves don’t product energy, the thin-film, flexible solar material is bonded to architectural fabrics to form a flexible, framed solar panel. They can be used to cover walkways and canopies, as tents, and in other flexible structures. And because of their lightweight materials, they require little to no reinforcement. Interesting concept!

Second, Solarmer Energy Inc has recently boosted the efficiency of their flexible plastic solar panels (organic photovoltaic technology or OPV) from the 7.6% efficiency they achieved earlier this year to 7.9%, a number that has been confirmed by the US Department of Energy. Though that may not seem like a huge bump in efficiency, it is still movement. And since Solarmer aims to reach 10% efficiency by the end of 2010, every bit counts. Here’s what they said regarding the breakthrough:

“First, low-cost plastic is used as the active materials to convert solar energy into electricity. Thanks to the extraordinary light absorption capability of the plastics, the active plastics layer is extremely thin – only a few tenth of micrometer thick, i.e. less than 1/1000 of silicon cell. This material cost is significantly lower.

Second, very low cost printing techniques can and will be used to manufacture plastic solar cells (just thinking of the newspaper). The combination gives much lower cost of equivalent energy (only ~10 – 20% that of silicon technology). In addition, the fabrication process is both low temperature and environmentally friendly, significantly reduces the amount of energy consumption in the manufacturing process.”

ShadePlex color-coordinated solar panels

Solarmer Energy's building-integrated solar photovoltaics

Solar Cookers International

If you’re looking for a meaningful way for you to symbolically save power this holiday season, why not consider sponsoring a solar cooker through Solar Cookers International? In fact, sponsoring a solar cooker through this organization could make a very good gift. Making donations to nonprofit organizations in someone else’s name rather than purchasing something they neither need or want is a great way to support a good cause, reduce your consumption and waste, and help perpetuate a more sustainable future.

Of course, there are many great options for nonprofit gift giving but this is certainly a great one. Solar cookers come with many benefits for fighting climate change. Not only do they require no dirty energy, their use helps to protect forests and human health.

Traditionally, people in developing countries cook over open fires by burning things like wood and animal manure. The resulting air pollution leads to millions of respiratory problems and many deaths. It is estimated that as many as 2 million children die from health problems caused by the black carbon smoke emitted by cooking fires. And this black carbon is said to be the second more significant global warming pollutant in the world! Solar cookers create none of this air pollution and are therefore healthier for people to use. Of course, when forests are protected, they are able to help sequester carbon, too.

And instead of spending time to forage for firewood with the potential for depleting local forests, women who cook with solar cookers can do so without harming their community’s natural resources and have more time for other endeavors, such as entrepreneurial work or caring for their children.

The Solar Cooker International’s kit comes with the solar cooker and a pot along with tips and hints on how to use them. What’s even better is that a water indicator is included. This makes it possible for women to measure whether harmful microbes have been killed in the water so that they know whether it’s safe to drink.

So make a difference this holiday season—donate a $50 solar cooker to someone in a developing nation to change a life and offset emissions in the process. Of course, you could also purchase one for yourself or a family member or friend to get into the renewable-cooking movement yourself!

Residential Wind Turbines and Solar Panels - greenforall.org

Good news via a study out of Yale, Berkley, and the University of Illinois. The study, entitled Clean Energy and Climate Policy for U.S. Growth and Job Creation outlines some very positive statistics on where we’ll be after the implementation of a climate bill in the US. According to the analysis by these folks, a climate bill will have exceptionally-positive benefits for both job creation and the economy: it could potentially boost the bottom line by $111 billion by 2020 as well as add 2 million jobs at the same time.

These numbers depend on a few key factors being present in any bill passed in the US. For instance, it requires that targets for emissions reductions be at least 17% nationwide by 2020, and then 83% by 2050. Additionally, utilities will need to get their electricity from renewables at a rate of 20% or greater.

According to the report’s summary, the key findings are as follows:

“All 50 states can gain economically from strong federal energy and climate policy, despite the diversity of their economies and energy mixes.

“Contrary to what is commonly assumed, comprehensive national climate policy does not benefit the coasts at the expense of the heartland states.

“The country as a whole can gain 918,000 to 1.9 million jobs, and household income can grow by $488 to $1,176, by 2020 under comprehensive energy and climate policy.”

The report even offers a state-by-state analysis of what effects a climate bill will have on local economies. This is all very good news for a skeptical and fearful society convinced that dealing with climate change will cost too much.

Center for American Progress Action Fund - 2009 National Clean Energy Jobs Tour

The ReVerb comes with nifty feedback icons

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the techie in your life, look no further. Regen, a company that specializes in making solar-powered gadgets, most notably of which is their ReNu which powers any of their other devices such as the iPod Dock, Audio Dock, and Side Light.

But the most recent addition to the Regen family of solar gadgets is the ReVerb, a high-quality speaker with an integrated photovoltaic solar panel that generates enough energy to power the speaker for up to 12 hours at normal volume (to get it fully charged takes about 20 hours). Simply plug in your iPod Touch or iPhone to access digitally-stored media files and away you go.  It also comes equipped with 2x USB ports, 1x USB input for charging the unit, as well as a nice little LCD display (about four inches).

Though the speaker can also be powered by a regular AC adapter, it is meant to be run with solar power. And it provides some very nice quality sound, according to reviews. The Earthtechling reports that:

“It generates sound equal to that of a regular 60-watt speaker and sports stereo drivers and a sub-woofer.”

You can also use the speaker to control your audio device, whether you want to play/pause, increase/decrease volume, or select a different track. And one of the best parts is that it actually gives you feedback about how you’re using it. For instance, if you’re running low on power because of a lengthy playback session, it’ll let you know that it’s dissatisfied by displaying an unhappy face. Now that’s a full-service speaker!

But it doesn’t come cheap: about $2,300 each! And they won’t be available until April 2010.

The ReVerb in full view

With iPhone for perspective on size

• Wangari Maathai

• Perhaps one of the most influential environmentalists in Africa, Wangari Maathai is a fearless leader, working to improve human health, foster vibrant communities, and encourage women to become economically independent, all with a green angle. She was the first woman from Africa to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and started the Green Belt Movement.

• Despite the recent smear campaign against Van Jones, he is a leader in the environmental community worth watching. He has a knack for linking good jobs to social justice and environmentalism, skilfully connecting the dots and coming up with ambitious and innovative solutions for today’s greatest environmental problems.

• Founder of Better Place, Shai Agassi has a vision to make electric vehicles affordable and mainstream in short order. His solution is to provide battery swap stations that are powered by renewable energy, making personal vehicle ownership virtually emissions-free.

• Founder of Patagonia, a leading-edge, eco-friendly outdoors company, Yvon Chouinard has been experimenting with green concepts for over fifty years.
• Main character in An Inconvenient Truth and advocate for audacious climate goals, Al Gore is naturally one of the most well-recognized faces in the fight against global warming.
• An environmental hero in Canada and beyond, David Suzuki has been talking and writing and filming about the environmental challenges of our time for decades.
• If you’re looking for a humorous slant on the environmental movement, check out Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno for a quirky twist on the issues.
• Bringing the green to Hollywood, Ed Begley Jr. has been talkin’ up eco-friendly living for decades, too. He’s even got his own show, Living with Ed.

Georgia Tech - close-up of 3-D solar cells

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It just makes sense that solar cells be exposed to as much sunlight as possible, right? Not with Dr. Zhong Lin Wang’s new nanostructure optical fiber “hidden” photovoltaic cells. This Georgia Institute of Technology professor, along with a team of researchers, recently developed a new way to create renewable energy, and it could spell a major change in the roof-top solar panel dominated industry—and in fact may take solar collectors underground. According to Wang:

“Optical fiber could conduct sunlight into a building’s walls where the nanostructures would convert it to electricity. This is truly a three dimensional solar cell.”

These solar collectors are made by modifying common optical fibers used in the telecommunications industry for data transport, applying zinc oxide (think lifeguard nose protection) as a conductive coating, and then adding nanowires as well. Then a dye-sensitized material is added that uses a photochemical system to produce energy. These are cheap to make, are highly durable and flexible, and very versatile. In fact, they could be installed into walls, roofs, and other building materials without any visual disturbance, making the collection of energy possible on nearly any surface.

“This will really provide some new options for photovoltaic systems,” Wang said. “We could eliminate the aesthetic issues of PV arrays on building. We can also envision PV systems for providing energy to parked vehicles, and for charging mobile military equipment where traditional arrays aren’t practical or you wouldn’t want to use them.”

One drawback is efficiency. Unlike traditional silicon-based solar cells which get about 12% efficiency, these currently only about 3.3%, but with diverse applications in which this technology could be used, the trade-off may just be worth it. And they hope to increase efficiencies to about 8% in the near future.

Georgia Tech - working on new hidden solar cells

Georgia Tech - Dr. Wang with zinc oxide solar cells

Chinese renewable energy Via Flickr - drs2biz

All eyes were on the Chinese-US talks the last week as Obama met with key leaders in the Asian country. With clean energy being one of the biggest issues on the table for the first time in a really public manner, we were all holding our collective breath to see whether anything would get done. And it seems that there is reason to hope!

The US and China, knowing the joint sway they will hold over the Copenhagen talks in January, were eager (or so it appeared) to see how they could influence the talks for good by developing a renewable energy agreement. These the two biggest emitters were able to agree on a broad plan that would help to bring about serious advances in clean energy.

The seven-point plan included the following:

• They US and China will establish a Clean Energy Research Center to facilitate joint research and development of renewable energy technologies. The center will receive both public and private funding to the tune of $150 million over the next five years.
• A joint US-Chinese Electric Vehicles Initiative was announced that will see joint vehicle standards, public education, demonstration projects, and more.
• Together, China and the US will work on an Energy Efficiency Action Plan for buildings, consumer products like appliances, as well as industrial facilities.
• A new US-China Renewable Energy Partnership was launched that will help to support renewable energy deployment and regional partnerships for sharing expertise and best practices.
• “Clean” coal was part of the overall strategy—21^st Century Coal. The two Presidents will work together to develop large-scale carbon capture and storage projects for coal-fired plants.
• Working together, the two countries will explore Shale Gas Resources within China using the experience gained on US soil.
• A new Energy Cooperation Program between China and the US will also be established to leverage private sector resources that will support smart grids, green buildings, combined heat/power, renewable energy, clean coal, and more.

Electrical outlet Via Flickr - kalleboo

Americans waste an enormous amount of energy powering devices as they sit idle. Whether it’s the television or DVD player, cell phone chargers, appliances, or toys, this “phantom drain” on your energy bill could be adding significantly to your monthly electricity costs. In fact, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, vampire energy can account for as much as 5 to 10 percent of the average home’s electricity bill! Check out this fun graphic that illustrates where energy is most commonly wasted.

While unplugging unused electronics and appliances is perhaps the most simplistic way to avoid this kind of energy waste, it’s not the only method by far. Power strips are a more automated, convenient method of reducing your energy consumption, and they make great holiday gifts, too! Here are three great options for you to consider as you prepare to start shopping for those on your gift list:

Turn off unneeded energy-drains with the Belkin Conserve’s wall switch for the power strip. With eight always-on outlets and six that are controlled with the wall switch, you can customize which electronics and appliances get switched on and off with a flick of your finger.

The Isolé® IDP-3050 Plug Load Control has a unique, ultra-convenient feature: a motion detector that will switch electronics on when it senses someone in the room. And of course, it shuts them down when movement stops, too. Price: $90.

With a claim that it can pay for itself in as few as six weeks, the SmartStrip is a veteran in the intelligent power strip world. It can “sense” the flow of electrical current, turning off peripherals when they’re not in use. It also protects against power surges.

Belkin Conserve Energy Saving Surge Protector with Remote Switch

Isolé® IDP-3050 Plug Load Control

SmartStrip

Whether it’s talking on your cell phone, watching TV, or playing online games, the electronics you use in your home could be adding to your monthly electricity bill. Only five percent of the energy used by cell phone chargers, for instance, goes to actually charging your phone; the rest is consumed when your phone isn’t even attached to the charger. Similar idle power drains—often called “phantom power” drains—occur with most electronic devices, including printers, computers, televisions, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, and more.

This unnecessary energy waste is completely preventable with a few simple and easy tricks. Buying more efficient models is certainly one way to save energy and money, but an even simpler, low-cost method is to enable your electronics’ power-saving features. You might just save enough to buy yourself an extra latte or video game!

• Look for the ENERGY STAR logo on all battery-powered devices you’re considering buying, whether it’s a power tool, a new electronic device, or a household appliance. These will come with battery charging systems that are 35 percent more efficient than standard models.
• Install a power strip to completely power-down all electronics, including televisions, computers, monitors, DVDs, VCRs, and set top boxes when they’re not in use. Although it’s difficult to estimate how much this will save one home since it depends on the quantity and efficiency of your electronics and the price of your power, as a nation, this could cut $750 million from our annual electricity bill.
• Choose an energy efficient television model to save $30+ every year on energy costs.
• If you’re television uses 130 watts, and your cable box 35 watts, and your electricity costs about $0.08 per kWh, one hour of television watching might cost $1.42. Save money by encouraging your kids to have one Green Hour every day away from the television and pocket the energy savings.
• LCD televisions are generally more efficient than plasma TVs, so choose a more efficient option tosave up to $60 every year in power consumption.
• Choose a television with an energy-saving standby feature (and make sure it’s activated!) to save between $10 and $40 every year in electricity costs.
• If your television has a “quick start” or standby mode, consider turning it off. This mode typically consumed on the order of 50 times more power.
• Use your computer’s power management features to ensure it shuts down when not in use to save between $40 and $80 annually in electricity.
• If you’re in the market for a new computer, choose a laptop to save $25 in electricity yearly.
• Buy an ENERGY STAR television to save 30 percent in energy costs.
• Choose ENERGY STAR for your entire computer system (monitor, computer, printer, and fax) tosave $115 in energy costs over the lifetime of your equipment.
• Although you’ll have to pay to power-up rechargeable batteries, and they cost more up-front to purchase, overall they will save on energy (it takes more energy to produce disposable batteries). An $80 charger and a $35 package of four rechargeable batteries could save you $670 in replacement costs over disposable batteries.
• Smoking adds pollutants to the atmosphere and your own body. Quit and you could save almost $1,500 every year.

Barnes & Nobel Nook E-Reader

The world of e-book readers is in constant change these days, it would seem. This past month, two new e-readers were released to give Amazon’s Kindle a run for its money in the eco-friendly book space.

First up is Barnes and Noble’s new Nook, an e-reader with a 10-day battery life and weighing in at only 11.2 ounces. It comes with WiFi and AT&T 3G, a replaceable battery, PDF support, and has two screens—one for reading and the other (color) for easy browsing. It’s available now for about $260 (about the same as the Kindle) and can store 1,500+ eBooks, magazine, newspapers, and more. A fantastic green feature: you can “lend” your books to friends for up to 14 days!

Rumor has it that Apple will also soon be releasing their version of the e-reader with the Tablet (set to come out in 2010 according to BusinessWeek).

Using an e-reader saves energy in a number of ways:

• By reducing the number of books that are produced, we reduce deforestation, which in turn conserves carbon-absorbing trees.
• You’ll need less shelf space to store your books, which means you can presumably have a smaller home (less square footage to heat and cool).
• Buying books electronically saves on the fuel you’d use to go to the bookstore or the shipping require should you order a paper book online.

In fact, a report by the Cleantech Group has concluded that e-readers like the Kindle 2 can help you go green by saving 1,074 kg of CO2 annually (assuming you would avoid buying about 3 physical books/month).

Producing your own clean, renewable power is perhaps one of the most effective methods for you to limit your impact on climate change. By producing your own locally-grown energy with renewable technologies like solar, wind, micro-hydro, and geothermal, you’ll be removing your support from dirty energy and demonstrate to your friends and neighbours your commitment to fight global warming. Remember as well, that most renewable energy systems will qualify you for rebates or subsidies from the federal, state, or municipal governments: Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.

• Perhaps the most obvious renewable energy solution for the average homeowner is solarphotovoltaics. With this technology, all it takes are a few panels on your roof and you’re producing your own electricity with the power of the sun. You can alternatively install solar shingles or pole-mounted photovoltaics, depending on your home’s configuration. Regardless of your choice, you’ll have a system that guarantees the price you’ll pay for electricity for at least 25 years so you won’t have to worry about rising electricity costs, which are sure to come.
• The sun can also be used to produce warm water to use in your home (for showers, laundry, dishwashing, and more) as well as for your pool or spa. Solar water heaters are one of the most economical forms of renewable energy because of their lower up-front cost and quicker payback time.
• Growing in popularity are geothermal systems. These can be adapted in a number of different ways—they can produce electricity, provide hot water, and even heat and cool your home. They do have a longer payback time because of the higher capital costs, but geothermal systems last for decades and are one of the most reliable forms of renewable energy. They also add to your home’s value significantly.
• If you live out of town or are able to install a small turbine on your city home’s roof, wind energymay be a great option for you. These can be very economical and produce clean energy even when the sun isn’t shining.

One final option to those living near a water source is micro-hydro. By tapping into the energy in moving water without impacting the local stream or river, you can produce your own energy with very little expense.

Producing your own clean, renewable power is perhaps one of the most effective methods for you to limit your impact on climate change. By producing your own locally-grown energy with renewable technologies like solar, wind, micro-hydro, and geothermal, you’ll be removing your support from dirty energy and demonstrate to your friends and neighbours your commitment to fight global warming. Remember as well, that most renewable energy systems will qualify you for rebates or subsidies from the federal, state, or municipal governments: Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.

• Perhaps the most obvious renewable energy solution for the average homeowner is solar photovoltaics. With this technology, all it takes are a few panels on your roof and you’re producing your own electricity with the power of the sun. You can alternatively install solar shingles or pole-mounted photovoltaics, depending on your home’s configuration. Regardless of your choice, you’ll have a system that guarantees the price you’ll pay for electricity for at least 25 years so you won’t have to worry about rising electricity costs, which are sure to come.
• The sun can also be used to produce warm water to use in your home (for showers, laundry, dishwashing, and more) as well as for your pool or spa. Solar water heaters are one of the most economical forms of renewable energy because of their lower up-front cost and quicker payback time.
• Growing in popularity are geothermal systems. These can be adapted in a number of different ways—they can produce electricity, provide hot water, and even heat and cool your home. They do have a longer payback time because of the higher capital costs, but geothermal systems last for decades and are one of the most reliable forms of renewable energy. They also add to your home’s value significantly.
• If you live out of town or are able to install a small turbine on your city home’s roof, wind energy may be a great option for you. These can be very economical and produce clean energy even when the sun isn’t shining.

One final option to those living near a water source is micro-hydro. By tapping into the energy in moving water without impacting the local stream or river, you can produce your own energy with very little expense.

Electronics

Whether it’s talking on your cell phone, watching TV, or playing online games, the electronics you use in your home could be adding to your monthly electricity bill. Only five percent of the energy used by cell phone chargers, for instance, goes to actually charging your phone; the rest is consumed when your phone isn’t even attached to the charger. Similar idle power drains—often called “phantom power” drains—occur with most electronic devices, including printers, computers, televisions, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, and more.

This unnecessary energy waste is completely preventable with a few simple and easy tricks. Buying more efficient models is certainly one way to save energy and money, but an even simpler, low-cost method is to enable your electronics’ power-saving features. You might just save enough to buy yourself an extra latte or video game!

• Look for the ENERGY STAR logo on all battery-powered devices you’re considering buying, whether it’s a power tool, a new electronic device, or a household appliance. These will come with battery charging systems that are 35 percent more efficient than standard models.
• Install a power strip to completely power-down all electronics, including televisions, computers, monitors, DVDs, VCRs, and set top boxes when they’re not in use. Although it’s difficult to estimate how much this will save one home since it depends on the quantity and efficiency of your electronics and the price of your power, as a nation, this could cut $750 million from our annual electricity bill.
• Choose an energy efficient television model to save $30+ every year on energy costs.
• If you’re television uses 130 watts, and your cable box 35 watts, and your electricity costs about $0.08 per kWh, one hour of television watching might cost $1.42. Save money by encouraging your kids to have one Green Hour every day away from the television and pocket the energy savings.
• LCD televisions are generally more efficient than plasma TVs, so choose a more efficient option to save up to $60 every year in power consumption.
• Choose a television with an energy-saving standby feature (and make sure it’s activated!) to save between $10 and $40 every year in electricity costs.
• If your television has a “quick start” or standby mode, consider turning it off. This mode typically consumed on the order of 50 times more power.
• Use your computer’s power management features to ensure it shuts down when not in use to save between $40 and $80 annually in electricity.
• If you’re in the market for a new computer, choose a laptop to save $25 in electricity yearly.
• Buy an ENERGY STAR television to save 30 percent in energy costs.
• Choose ENERGY STAR for your entire computer system (monitor, computer, printer, and fax) to save $115 in energy costs over the lifetime of your equipment.
• Although you’ll have to pay to power-up rechargeable batteries, and they cost more up-front to purchase, overall they will save on energy (it takes more energy to produce disposable batteries). An $80 charger and a $35 package of four rechargeable batteries could save you $670 in replacement costs over disposable batteries.
• Smoking adds pollutants to the atmosphere and your own body. Quit and you could save almost $1,500 every year.

Important People

We look to the heroes in our world for direction, inspiration, and motivation when fighting against impossible odds like those facing us today in the environmental community. Here are a few influential environmentalists you should watch as they change the world with their good green message.

• Perhaps one of the most influential environmentalists in Africa, Wangari Maathai is a fearless leader, working to improve human health, foster vibrant communities, and encourage women to become economically independent, all with a green angle. She was the first woman from Africa to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and started the Green Belt Movement.

• Despite the recent smear campaign against Van Jones, he is a leader in the environmental community worth watching. He has a knack for linking good jobs to social justice and environmentalism, skilfully connecting the dots and coming up with ambitious and innovative solutions for today’s greatest environmental problems.

• Founder of Better Place, Shai Agassi has a vision to make electric vehicles affordable and mainstream in short order. His solution is to provide battery swap stations that are powered by renewable energy, making personal vehicle ownership virtually emissions-free.

• Founder of Patagonia, a leading-edge, eco-friendly outdoors company, Yvon Chouinard has been experimenting with green concepts for over fifty years.
• Main character in An Inconvenient Truth and advocate for audacious climate goals, Al Gore is naturally one of the most well-recognized faces in the fight against global warming.
• An environmental hero in Canada and beyond, David Suzuki has been talking and writing and filming about the environmental challenges of our time for decades.
• If you’re looking for a humorous slant on the environmental movement, check out Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno for a quirky twist on the issues.
• Bringing the green to Hollywood, Ed Begley Jr. has been talkin’ up eco-friendly living for decades, too. He’s even got his own show, Living with Ed.

Videos

• Wangari Maathai

• Van Jones

• Shai Agassi

• Yvon Chouinard

New Products

Pushing the boundaries of existing technologies to find ways to produce energy, reduce the effects of climate change, and make our lives greener, healthier, and more productive is the task of the great thinkers of the world. Here are some of the projects they’ve been working on.

• Not necessarily new, but definitely significant in the fight against climate change, green roofs are super environmental. They help to mitigate stormwater runoff, provide habitat for wildlife and green spaces for humans, are a source of food, filter the air, and reduce the urban heat island effect.
• Electronic paper, which acts much like traditional tree-based paper, is being touted as an eco-friendly replacement. Epaper can be reused over and over again and works via microcapsules filled with particles that carry electric charges.
• Hydrogen power is perhaps one of the most sought-after forms of clean energy. If it can be harnessed safely and efficiently, hydrogen power has the potential to provide abundantly clean, infinitely renewable energy.
• Renewable energy comes in many forms, and scientists and engineers are working on better ways to turn the ocean’s waves into a source for clean energy. Wave energy has the potential to provide a significant portion of the world’s energy if it can be developed sustainably with little impact to ocean ecosystems.
• Another way to fight climate change is to remove heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide from the air. The process called carbon sequestration hopes to do just that by sinking carbon into the deep layers of the earth where it won’t contribute to the greenhouse effect.
• Some scientists hope to add to the renewable energy mix with ocean thermal energy conversion. The ocean absorbs enormous quantities of energy, so by taking advantage of the difference in temperature between the ocean’s surface and depths, they hope to produce electricity.
• The looming water crisis threatens to be even bigger than energy shortages, with the possibility of millions of people being negatively impacted by drought and serious lack of clean water. To combat this problem, many environmentalists and scientists are working on ways to remove salt from seawater, making it potable for the masses in a process called desalination.
• One more potentially positive source of renewable energy is algae. By employing algae to make biofuels, many hope we can generate energy using some of the smallest creatures on the planet.

According to the United Nations 170,000 square kilometres of forest is destroyed each year. If we constructed solar farms at the same rate, we would be finished in 3 years.

How little land is required to power the world with solar

Using some everyday math and artistic talent, the folks at Land Art Generator Initiative have put together some maps depicting how much physical space would actually be required to power the world energy requirements—all 678,000,000,000,000,000 Btus of energy worth—using only wind and solar energy. The results are quite encouraging, indeed.

As you can see from these visual representations of where and how wind and solar power could be generated, it’s obvious that the amount of land required would actually be very small. The US, for instance, would need approximately 1,000 solar “supersites” measuring about 10 square km (about 6.2 square miles) to generate enough solar energy for the entire country.

Compared to the amount of space required for the American highway system—94,000 square kilometres, or 58,400 square miles, and those highways were constructed in a space of 35 years.

Harvesting wind for the world’s energy needs

Land Art Generator - Wind Power to Fuel the World

The numbers for wind energy are equally as impressive:

A 5 MW turbine can be expected to produce 17 GWh per year (they are 40% effective from their peak rated capacity – 5 MW x 365 x 24 = 43.8 GWh). Therefore, it would require 11,748,294 of the 5 MW capacity turbines to create the same yearly output. There are 500 million cars in the world so it’s not like that’s an unattainable goal from a manufacturing standpoint. And each 5 MW turbine is a 30 year lifespan money making machine for whoever buys it. The same can not be said for my car. But if we can build 90,000 Cape Wind size installations, we would be there on wind alone. Based on that installation, each turbine requires 1/2 square mile of area for offshore sites. This would require 5.85 million square kilometers for 2030 world energy needs.

Sunny Flower solar charger Via DesignBoom

We use energy to charge our mobile devices every single day. And since so many chargers are inefficient in their design (wasting energy by turning it into heat), it does us good to look for lower-energy methods of powering our gadgets and such.

But what is a green fashionista to do when she wants to power her gadgets without a clunky backpack or solar strip? Use a small, happy little solar charger, of course.

Welcome the new Sunny Flower solar charger by Chinese designer Fandi Meng. This ultra-portable solar-powered charger comes in a compact form, but by spreading out the “petals” it flowers into a cheery charging station.

It comes with the mini solar panel petals that charge an on-board battery. Once charged, simply fold up the petals and then use it to power almost any small mobile device—iPhone, mp3 player, etc. There’s even an indicator light that glows when your device is fully-charged.

This is a really nice, stylish solution for green power options on the go. It provides plugless, free solar energy and makes dead batteries a thing of the past, too.

Sunny Flower solar charger Via DesignBoom - on window

Sunny Flower solar charger Via DesignBoom - folds up