This is an amazing how-to on building your own solar panel. It’s incredibly cheap as well at only $104.85, much cheaper than pre-built models. Let’s hear it for DIY!

How I Built and electricity producing Solar Panel

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What do you do when you need a tiny device, but the batteries  you’d need to charge it are too big? Use solar power!

Not only will James Bond be able to snap secret spy pictures, but he’ll never have to worry about stopping to replace the batteries in the middle of a secret mission.

But really… this is a pretty cool product. The pen has a small camera in it that can wirelessly transmit photos to a nearby device (like this digital media player).

So if you’re planning any top secret missions in the near future, or you’re just a sucker for a super-cool gadget, this might be for you.

You’ll have to bust out the big bucks though, this spy-cam will cost you $332, but just think of all the money you’ll save in tiny spy batteries!

via EcoGeek

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If you think solar power is the new high-tech method of generating power, it’s been around for a while.

Back in 1956 General Electric developed a solar powered radio that uses only 4 transitions, 7 solar cells, and weighs only 10 ounces. Did I mention is can last a whopping 8 months in total darkness? This radio will also charge from a 100 watt lightbulb. Is it just me or does this beat almost all of the current solar-power solutions?

Okay, so we have more energy-sucking devices today, but it’s hard not to be amazed by such an elegant device.  Quite impressive. It’s a shame you can’t still buy these, it would be a great addition to emergency kits, providing reliable access to information without having to worry about expired or dead batteries.

via EcoFriendlyInfo

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These 6 backpacks are a bit different than you average backpack; they all contain solar panels!

I have tons on electronic gadgets I like to carry around, but keeping them all charged is a pain. Not only will these bags give you plenty of room for you gadgets, but the sun will charge them. They also all have internal batteries to store unused power, so you can even charge at night.

They range quite a bit in features and in price, and I recommend going for a cheaper one unless you want enough power for something like a laptop. If you do want to compute everywhere though, some of the higher-end bags can be a lifesaver!

Our roundup of the best 6 solar backpacks available after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

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How freakin’ cool is this: a portable digital pocket scale powered by SOLAR! Why would you need to carry around a tiny scale that can measure grams and ounces? Well… I’ll leave that up to your imagination, heh.

This tiny scale weighs only 1 pound, and measures 3.8″L x 3.8″W x 1″H. It can measure up to 250g, in increments of 0.1g, perrrfect. And yes, it’s 100% solar powered!

So whatever you’re measuring this Solar Powered Digital Pocket scale will do it without the need to ever replace the batteries! That sure comes in handy when you really really need to measure something.

The ultimate hippy piece of technology? Possibly.

You can buy this from amazon for under $25

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There are tons of solar-powered toys and kits out there, but how many can boast being able to sit in the palm of your hand?

This mini-solar car contains no batteries or any of that power-wasting mumbo jumbo, it’s 100% solar. It’s also ridiculously tiny. The car measures a mere 3.3 x 2.2 x 1.4 cm. It’s hard to understand just how small that is until you see it on someones hand:

Amazing, no? This is another great demonstration of solar technology, and with it’s ultra-portable size, you can take the solar-powered fun anywhere!

This amazing micro-wonder is on sale at thinkgeek for only $20, get em while they last!

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Dubai has been the center of a huge building boom in the past couple year, and sustainable energy is not being forgotten.

This beauty is the Burj Al-Taqa (”Energy Tower” in English). It’s a 322-meter, 68-story, green tower currently being built in Dubai. So what’s so special about this green tower? Well, it’s just how green this tower is.

The Burj Al-Taqa is completely off-grid. Through a combination of thermal air conditioning, wind, and solar power, it is able to generate 100% of it’s own electricity, plus a bit more (which will be used to extract hydrogen for fuel-cells).

Air conditioning can be a large problem in Dubai due to the scorching sun. The tower manages to reduce energy usage for air conditioning by using a form of natural air conditioning. The tower’s design forces hot air out of the tower, while at the same time pumping fresh, seawater-cooled air in. This keeps energy usage down, provides a cool interior, and also allows for the warmth of direct sunlight through the windows.

Beyond the tower’s efficiency, it generates all the power it does use. The tower features a wind turbine on it’s top, as well as two roof-mounted solar arrays generates a majority of the tower’s power. In addition, the tower has an additional solar array on a rotating shield that changes to match the position of the sun.

This rotating shield, in addition to generating electricity, serves to block out the majority of the sun’s rays, improving the air conditioner’s effectiveness.

This tower uses numerous other energy saving techniques to reduce energy usage such as super-efficient windows, hanging gardens inside transparent ducts, and a specially designed shape that minimizes the building’s surface area exposed to the sun.

This green tower sets a fantastic example for future skyscrapers, and proves that with enough design and engineering, skyscrapers can be sustainable. It is not proven yet, but construction is underway in Dubai, and we’ll see how effective the finished building turns out to be.

By the way, this building will take #22 on the list of the world’s tallest buildings. Go green go!

via Inhabitat

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We’ve covered dozens of solar powered gadget chargers in the past, all charging your popular gadgets through USB cables or other special cable. So far however, we haven’t seen a solution to provide an actual outlet.

The Earthtech Portable Power Kit is marketed as a gree way to charge your laptop, and it does do a great job of this. A fully charged battery will run a 25w laptop for about 6 hours.

It’s much more than just a laptop charger however. It provides both a 12V DC outlet, and a 115V AC outlet for charging any other device or appliance. TV, Phone, Computer, Radio, etc. All can be powered by the battery.

Here’s a list of examples of operating times when running off battery power:

Approximate Operating Times for 115 Volt Products:

• Cordless Telephone (5 Watts): 40 Hours Operating Time
• Home Security System (5 Watts): 40 Hours Operating Time
• Clock Radio (8 Watts): 20 Hours Operating Time
• Portable Stereo (10 Watts): 15 Hours Operating Time
• Flourescent Work Light (14 Watts): 12 Hours Operating Time
• 5” Color TV (20 Watts): 8 Hours Operating Time
• Laptop Computer (25 Watts): 6 Hours Operating Time
• Table Lamp (40 Watts): 3.5 Hours Operating Time

Approximate Operating Times for 12 Volt DC Products:

• Cell Phone (6 Watts): 36 Hours Operating Time
• Fish Finder/Depth Sounder (6 Watts): 36 Hours Operating Time
• Bilge Pump (36 Watts): 6 Hours Operating Time
• Portable Cooler (30 Watts): 5 Hours Operating Time
• Car Vacuum (85 Watts): 1.2 Hours Operating Time

Pretty impressive times!

This can be incredibly valuable for emergencies, or just a small way to offset some of your electricity usage to a more green source.

The Power Kit was assembled by Earthtech from two different products. You can buy these two individually or as the kit to save some money.

The Battery pack is the XPower Powerpack 300 Plus, which Earthtech sells for $139.00

The Solar cell charger is the Sunlinq Portable Solar Panel Charger which Earthtech sells for $409.99

You can get these both in the Portable Power Kit for $478.95 (sale price).

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Christmas might be a ways off still, but can you remember all those lights on at once? What a waste!

Luckily, Nigel’s Eco Store has stocks a solution. These are solar powered Christmas lights. Equipped with a solar panel, these lights will shine for 3 days off a fully charged battery.

Since these are solar, you won’t be hassled with outdoor wiring, massive tangles of wire, powerbars on top of powerbars, and even the risk of electrical shock by drawing so much power.

Each string will have it’s own power source, so there’s no need to run wiring around your yard. Since you’re not tied down by wiring, you could even create whole new displays of lights where you normally couldn’t get power. High atop that tree? That’s what I was thinking.

These lights, being solar, will charge themselves in the daytime, providing power at night from the battery. No more huge balls of powerbars, and no sucking electricity all night.

These come in red and yellow, and are a great way to green up the holiday season.

These Solar-Powered Christmas lights sell for about $45 (£22.49) from Nigel’s Eco Store.

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If you keep a flashlight on your keychain you know how convenient they can be.

…but what if your trusty flashlight runs out of batteries?

The Key Ring Solar 2-LED is a keychain flashlight with a green twist. Sure, it uses ultra-efficient, long lasting LED bulbs, but it also features a solar panel on the side for power.  Although it’s a bit bigger than most keychain flashlights, measuring 6.8 x 3.8 x 1.4 cm it’s still pretty tiny, but those with a massive amount of keys already might want to think otherwise.

I do also wonder how effective the solar panel will be, seeing as my keys are either in my pocket or in my car. Not a lot of solar exposure. Powering only 2 LEDs however, I can’t imagine much exposure is required.

This might be a bit impractical for those without a lot of pocket space, but a flashlight with guaranteed power could come in handy. I might suggest this as a backup flashlight for emergencies, rather than a keychain. Still, good to see even keychain accessories going green.

Additional Pictures (click for bigger):

via GeekAlerts

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