Surge case for iPod touch integrates solar panels | iPodNN

Novothink has introduced the Surge, a case for the iPod touch that integrates solar panels to charge the device. The panels are claimed to output 5.5V at 100 mAh in full sun, while a built-in 1500 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery offers 120 percent capacity compared to the iPod’s internal battery.

A USB port can be used to charge the case battery or sync the iPod without removing the case, while four LEDs indicate the status of the battery. The company includes a USB cord and a Novocord which can be used to tether the case to a backpack for sun exposure when traveling.

No Comments »

The sun doesn’t always shine on solar stocks

Q: What is causing the tanking of solar stocks such as First Solar and Energy Conversion Devices?

A: Solar is a technology that easily grabs the attention of investors, but is a tougher sell for consumers.

While solar power is relatively abundant in many parts of the country, it’s a tough sell in many cases. Solar power often comes with high initial set up costs to install solar panels. Installing panels usually requires somewhat significant construction, including drilling into homeowners’ roofs. Lastly, solar’s biggest challenge with the consumer is inertia. It’s too easy to just keep using the electricity that’s already being fed into the house.

No Comments »

One Man’s Trash …

HUNTSVILLE, Tex.

Skip to next paragraph

Multimedia

Related

Times Topics: Recycling of Waste Materials

Michael Stravato for The New York Times

Dan Phillips with a “tree house” he built and rents to low-income artists in Huntsville, Texas. More Photos »

Michael Stravato for The New York Times

Other materials used in Mr. Phillips’s houses include bull vertebra for decoration. More Photos >

No Comments »

Eco Tech: Metal Reflector To Make Concentrated Solar Power Affordable – Ecofriend

concentrated solar power tracking system

Eco Factor: New technique replaces glass reflectors with a metal one to reduce weight and cost.

The world today is looking toward possibilities that can lower the cost of renewable energy and make it comparable with conventional forms of energy. Researchers in Golden think they have a solution to lower the cost of renewable energy generated in concentrated solar energy generating plants.

No Comments »

Industry-wide solar crisis coming next year –- Thank you China!

For 2010, I “cautiously” anticipated that no new additional capacity will be brought on board, maintaining 2009 levels of 17,551 MW. This would bring capacity utilization to 35.4 percent and reduce inventory to 96 days on average for all of 2010. That ideal scenario is represented in the table below.

Posted via web from New Orleans Solar Power

No Comments »

eIQ Raises $10M, Launches Solar Power Optimizer

eIQimageMost solar panels are strung together like Christmas tree lights, so that if one panel stops working, performs poorly or ends up in the shade, the whole string is affected. To address this problem, 2-year-old startup eIQ Energy came out of stealth mode Monday night and announced it has raised $10 million in funding from NGEN Partners and Robert Bosch Venture Capital, for a system that helps connect solar panels in parallel instead of in a series. The San Jose, Calif.-based company says its Parallux system can make solar systems both cheaper to install and more efficient.

No Comments »

Eco Tech: ‘Vertical Gardener’ Designs An 8-story High Vertical Garden With 12,000 Plants – Ecofriend

vertical garden london_1

Eco Factor: Vertical garden designed in London covers 8-stories and is composed of 12,000 plants.

What started as a simple plant suspension that ran its roots into a fish tank in his bedroom wall has turned into a profession for Patrick Blanc. After developing vertical gardens in different parts of the world for 40 years, the designer, popularly known as the “Vertical Gardener”, has achieved new heights. The latest creation is an 8-story high antigravity forest composed on 12,000 plants in London.

No Comments »

Japan Plans $21bn Space-based Solar Farm For 1GW Of Power – Ecofriend

space solar

Eco Factor: Space-based solar farm to be developed by Mitsubishi

Electric Corp and IHI Corp.

Space-based solar plants are slowly gathering momentum with a Japanese project to develop a space solar plant that is capable of generating 1GW of power being announced. The project will be developed by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and IHI Corp. and will make use of a four square kilometer array of solar panels stationed 36,000km above the surface of earth.

No Comments »

As Small-scale Solar Expands, Utilities and Critics Clash

August 31, 2009

As Small-scale Solar Expands, Utilities and Critics Clash

solar-panelsResidential and small-scale business solar generation is growing by leaps and bounds, but critics allege that utilities are unfairly guarding their turf when it comes to smaller players hooking into the grid.

In 2008, consumers added 522 megawatts in solar generation, while utilities added a meager 96 megawatts, reports Newsweek.

In all, 2008 saw 33,500 rooftop solar systems added in the United States, up 63 percent over 2007. In California, the increase was more pronounced at 95 percent.

No Comments »

ICP Solar to Introduce iSun(R) Mobile Products – MarketWatch

MONTREAL, Aug 31, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — ICP Solar Technologies Inc. (OTCBB: ICPR.OB, FRANKFURT: K1U.F), a developer and marketer of innovative, proprietary solar panels and products, today announced that the Company plans to introduce its long-anticipated line of iSun(R)-branded portable solar chargers before the end of September. The chargers, targeted to road warriors and urban explorers who are always “on the go,” will easily interface with most cell phones and PDAs and are designed to be scalable, modular, pocketable, and attractive. They will be sold through distributors worldwide and over the Company’s website.

No Comments »

« Newer Entries - Older Entries »