Portable wireless mice have a problem: most of them rely upon disposable batteries, which often wind up in landfills as e-waste. Adele Peters’ Corky mouse aims to change all that — it’s a kinetic energy-harvesting mouse that is powered with a flick of the wrist. One of 18 finalists in this year’s Greener Gadgets Design Competition, it’s also made from 100% recycled plastic components and recycled and biodegradable cork.
It’s easy enough to find a solar-powered charger for iPods, cell phones, and other gadgets, but this ultra-tiny solar-powered sensor system is smaller than anything else on the market — 1,000 times smaller than standard systems, in fact. Developed at the University of Michigan, the 2.5 x 3.5 x 1 millimeter system is the smallest in the world, and it can harvest energy from its surroundings almost perpetually.
Many of us have been to the gym and wondered why the exercise equipment isn’t hooked up to generate electricity and feed it back into the grid. At long last a company in Florida called ReRev has answered our calls, converting existing elliptical machines into sources of power. Now when you hit the gym, you can burn off those calories while creating some renewable energy for a carbon negative workout.
Can you imagine living in a high-rise apartment building where the 360 degree views are of fishes and saltwater? Although just a concept now, this upside-down, underwater eco-skyscraper could be the future of building, especially if sea levels rise as predicted and we end up living in a water world. Designed by Victoria BC-based firm Zigloo, the Gyre is a floating eco-development meant to be both a research station as well as an off-shore resort with shops, restaurants, gardens and recreation. Powered completely by the sun, wind and ocean, the Gyre would offer a zero emissions stay for both tourists and researchers hoping to gain a better understanding of the ocean’s ecosystem.
Yet another reason New Yorkers might be jealous: the city of San Francisco has just announced 19.2 million dollars in new funding for energy efficiency programs. The bulk of the funds will go to EnergyWatch, a program that provides free energy efficiency assessments and low-cost retrofits for businesses and multi-family residences in the city.
One of the biggest challenges of building a sustainable future is figuring out how to efficiently move people and objects from one place to another. Electric cars and biofuel-powered planes might be the answer in the short-term, but now a physicist at Tohoku University in Japan has figured out how to teleport energy from one point in the universe to another.
When the sun goes down many developing countries rely upon dangerous kerosene lamps, which emit hazardous fumes and generate 190 million metric tons of CO2 each year. Seeking an eco-friendly alternative to this trend, four Harvard engineering students developed the Soccket – a soccer ball that generates and stores electricity during play. Soccer is found in just about every African country, so the energy-generating ball has great potential to encourage healthy activity while producing clean electricity to light up the night.
Solar engineers have long sought to develop an energy-generating glazing that is as capable of producing power as it is easy on the eyes. The feat may just have been accomplished by The Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE), who have developed a concentrating solar system that is not only modern and attractive but extremely efficient and cost effective. The system is made up of rows of pyramid-shaped glass receptors that move with sunlight throughout the day, magnifying the incoming light and capturing it in a small photovoltaic cell located in the center of each pyramid.
At Inhabitat we often wonder, with so much great green technology out there, why are we so far behind other countries in renewable energy? Gearing up to watch Obama’s State of the Union Address last night I was hoping for a bit of an explanation. Last night, as it is becoming ever apparent in US politics, the divide between the parties was distinct and almost unchanged throughout and Obama agreed that this partisanship might very well be what is holding our country back.
Piezoelectric energy is nothing new, but researchers at Princeton University have developed a new type of electricity-harvesting rubber sheet that has the potential to change the way we power electronic devices. The flexible rubber sheets are imbued with piezoelectric ribbons and are durable, versatile, and open up exciting new applications for harvesting kinetic energy.
We tend to have a love/hate relationship with Wal-Mart, but we will give them props for their latest green effort. The retailer has just installed close to 5,300 solar panels at its Apple Valley distribution center in California – that’s enough to power 175 homes. The array is Wal-Mart’s largest solar installation and will provide roughly 20 percent of the power for the …
Sure, it’s easy enough to find a quality portable solar charger, but powerful, portable wind turbines are a different story. Enter the Eolic, a portable turbine that can be mounted on its telescopic pole in just three steps.
Are you in the New York City area and looking to liven up your weekly routine with an evening out of the ordinary? Well, button up your favorite flannel shirt, pull on your skinny jeans, and head out to Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg for local brews, food by Blue Ribbon, live bands and games of tenpin at the only LEED certified bowling alley in the world!
The humanitarian emergency in Haiti has resulted in a complete loss of the country’s power infrastructure. To bring it back, a host of companies and aid agencies are using the most plentiful resource on the planet to begin powering one of the biggest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen: Solar power.
Take 100 billion pounds, a plan to create 60,000 jobs, and the urgent need to end an addition to fossil fuels, and what do you get? The first steps in Britain’s plan to develop its offshore wind farm capabilities. The UK recently announced plans for two massive turbine farms, and has set a target of producing 33 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2020 – a 3000% increase over current capacity.
Last Saturday marked the official ribbon cutting ceremony of Antarctica’s largest wind farm! Located on Ross Island at New Zealand’s Scott Base, the almost 1 MW wind farm is powered by three 333 kW Enercon wind turbines and will provide up to 11% of the power needed by the base, which will cut down on diesel use by 120,000 gallons and reduce carbon dioxide output by 1,370 tons annually.
This year’s Consumer Electronics Show is over, but there are still a number of nifty devices trickling into our inboxes. One of our favorites is the RCA Airnergy, a USB-connected device that converts Wi-Fi antenna signals into usable power for your gadgets. The device is completely self-sustaining — it automatically charges whenever a Wi-Fi signal is close by and stores the power in a lithium-ion battery.
Australia-based EnviroMission Ltd recently announced plans to build two solar updraft towers that span hundreds of acres in La Paz County, Arizona. Solar updraft technology sounds promising enough: generate hot air with a giant greenhouse, channel the air into a chimney-like device, and let the warm wind turn a wind turbine to produce energy. The idea isn’t new — it’s been around since the mid 1980’s — but it’s only now starting to take off.
As the world energy crisis mounts and the threat of catastrophic climate change looms near, the need for clean and green energy sources has never been greater. Fortunately, the future is bright and 2009 saw no shortage of sustainable energy solutions! From space-age solar power beamed down from above to glitter-sized solar sequins to power producing plasma plants, check out our top 5 energy stories from 2009 and vote for your favorite!
Still making plans for New Year’s Eve? Why not brave the crowds of Times Square and help generate the power needed to light up the famous new year’s numerals! Duracell has been running their Smart Power Lab complete with Power Rovers, which are stationary bikes that anyone can hop on to generate renewable energy that will be used when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.
LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!
© Inhabitat.com 2010 | Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Inhabitat, LLC
