Wind power is brilliant, but there is so much opposition against wind farms and even when they get planning permission, a wind farm can be seriously expensive mean that the return on the investment makes for a long wait.

However, in the Netherlands, researchers from the Delft University of Technology are working a working model of variant of the wind farm, except this time, they are using kites to generate enough power for around ten homes, which is around ten kilowatts per ten square metre kite. The kites are tethered to a generator this produces the electricity.

In the longer term, there are plans, which could hold more kites and rise up to 30,000 feet in the air producing around 100 megawatts of electricity.

Source [Inhabitat]

 

 

 

Alternative Energy, Arts and Entertainment, Consumerism, Eco Friendly, electric, electricity, Energy Efficient, Energy Saving, Homes, kilowatt, kilowatts, kite, netherlands, Technology Alternative Energy, Arts and Entertainment, Consumerism, Eco Friendly, electric, electricity, Energy Efficient, Energy Saving, Homes, kilowatt, kilowatts, kite, netherlands, Technology

Not to be outdone, General Motors is not about to phase out its mainstream cars such as the very popular Cadillac. The Cadillac Provoq is GM’s first concept car that aims to show-off its eco-friendly technology as well as installed gadgets that comes with this luxury vehicle. It runs on hydrogen fuel and lithium ion batteries and has a solar panel to power its electronic devices.

The Provoq primarily runs on hydrogen, but uses the battery for peak power output and storing electricity to extend the range when it’s needed. Like others, the battery can be charged simply by plugging into any wall socket. With this setup, it’s reported to get up to 300 miles per one tank of hydrogen. The vehicle also uses GM’s fifth-generation fuel cell which now encompasses far less space than previous versions, allowing for increased interior room and overall storage.

(Source) BLORGE

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In the food business, gas and waste are two of the high needs that owners would have to worry about. Hiring someone to carry out the garbage and getting rid of spoiled oil are two things that they have to cater to and this cycle and innovation that has been developed by The Red Blazer is truly something that most current restaurant and dining owners would want to check out and consider.

Karathanasis learned of the device at a Chicago trade show, and found it solved an immediate problem — his staff had to lug out heavy bags full of empty glass bottles to the garbage bin in back. That practice had led to a couple of injuries, he said, and the glass crusher — which pulverizes empties and dumps the remains into a bucket — solved that problem.

Not having to throw the empties away meant a lot less garbage in the outside bin. That translated to lower costs for hauling it away. As in $8,400 a year lower.

Overjoyed with this success, Karathanasis began looking at other ways to conserve. He switched out the restaurant’s light bulbs. He installed a new dishwashing system that saves on water and electricity, helping reduce his power bill substantially. When he was once paying $8,000 a month for electricity, this past month he paid just $5,500 — in the height of summer, with its consequent need for air-conditioning inside the restaurant.

(Source) Union Leader

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We have seen various alternative ways to create energy and this one is something worth looking into. From the usual solar energy panels to hydrogen power, imagine energy being generated from potato waste. Now that is something.

In my previous post I already put out a post that some groups in the world today are looking to transform their trash to energy. While there were no specifics, this is because there are a lot of different waste categories to choose from. It is not solely from “trash” alone.

Potato Waste

Farmer Philip Johnson asked Durham County Council for permission to produce electricity – enough to heat 1,200 homes – from potato waste from the Walkers’ crisp factory, in Peterlee.

With the request granted, about 1,000 tonnes of potatoes a year will be pumped through an anaerobic digester, along with about 7,000 tonnes of agricultural crops and 2,000 tonnes of manure.

That will generate 500kw of electricity for the National Grid and 8,000 tonnes of fertiliser.

(Source) The Northern Echo

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Its great to have lighting outside but there is always that electricity problem! This means having to run cables from the house which not only look nasty, it can be a hazard too, especially it rains.

But thankfully for FireBox have come up with a really great idea, solar powered lights. These are a little bit those lights that go on the xmas trees, but with the added bonus of being solar powered and the have six settings to match your mood and at $50 you will be in a good mood.

Features:

Lights for up to 20 hours once charged.

No wiring, easy installation.

No electricity bills.

Turns on automatically at dusk.

On/off switch (overrides automatic function).

2 year limited manufacturer’s warranty.

Charges in all daylight conditions.

Fully waterproof for use in all conditions.

3 timer modes for best winter performance.

2 meters of cable between solar panel and control box.

Battery Requirements:

Rechargeable batteries included and fitted.

Dimensions:

Solar panel approximately 9cm(W) x 12cm(D)

String of 50 LED lights approximately 5 metres

String of 100 LED lights approximately 10 metres

Alternative Energy, Arts and Entertainment, Camping, electricity, LED, led lights, rain, rechargeable, rechargeable, solar, solar panel, Solar Power, Trees, xmas Alternative Energy, Arts and Entertainment, Camping, electricity, LED, led lights, rain, rechargeable, rechargeable, solar, solar panel, Solar Power, Trees, xmas

The idea of an eco nightclub would initially sound like a place that would be in the open countryside away from everyone else and with limited facilities, a bit a music festival!

But this club called Surya is nothing like that it is in fact a real nightclub, but with a difference. Walkers and cyclists get in for free and as for the dance floor, well this is something completely different for it has been designed to generate its own electricity when people move on it. To complete the scheme there is a solar energy system and wind turbine with excess electricity being donated to the neighbourhood.

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In the world of electronics, don’t be surprised to find established companies such as Matsushita Electric Works to unveil new concepts and designs in their fold. The latest news is that they have discovered an eco-friendly lamp that does not use mercury or gas-discharging process.

Brighter lights but using lesser electricity is what the people need today and for this eco-friendly lamp that has been developed by Matsushita, a lot of consumers are sure to want it in their homes.

Japan’s Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. said Tuesday it had developed a fluorescent lamp that does not use mercury or a gas-discharging process.

The environmentally friendly device, which uses processed silicon, could be 50 percent brighter than a conventional fluorescent lamp while consuming the same amount of electricity, the company said in a statement.

Conventional fluorescent lamps use mercury for discharging gas to allow a phosphor to light up.

(Source) AFP

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It’s an interesting concept that Sheila Kennedy from KVA Matx has, she is a great believer in integrating solar cell technology into the design of buildings and structures. They have gone so far as to design the Soft House which uses curtains to produce 16,000 watt hours of electricity.

Virtually every office building or home has either blinds or curtains, but they have never been used before to produce power, which is really a waste because they nearly always have direct sunlight on them at some point in the day. KVA Matx has just married the two together.

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When you enter a public restroom these days, you are bound to see options to dry your hands, toilet paper or the hand dryer. Of the two, people will normally be advised to use the former to cut down on the electricity cost. But while that is a good decision, you have to consider that you are adding to another aspect of eco-friendly issues that of which is waste management and deforestation for the toilet paper materials used.

So which is the lesser of two evils. Today, people are forever trying to produce eco-friendly contraptions and surely we can expect some green made dryers out there today which make it ideal to use over the traditional toilet papers.

The bottom line is that hand dryers will be the greener choice in about 95 percent of circumstances. If the choice is between using a tiny corner of recycled towel versus a 2,400-watt dryer, then the Lantern can see how the towel will win. But dryers get the nod in most other scenarios, particularly if the dryer is rated at less than 1,600 watts.

(Source) Slate

Conservation, Deforestation, electricity, Energy Saving, Green Ideas, Green Living, Green Tips, hand dryer, hand dryers, paper materials, toilet paper, toilet papers, waste management Conservation, Deforestation, electricity, Energy Saving, Green Ideas, Green Living, Green Tips, hand dryer, hand dryers, paper materials, toilet paper, toilet papers, waste management

I have to admit i don’t get the explanation in this video by its makers. But the end result and their funny send up is priceless. Do check it out. It involves electricity, wires, a tricked out gizmo, a stage, an audience, and one brave human. View the video for the electric art show!

via [Digg and Boing Boing TV.net]

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Investing in home theatre systems with the top brand in television solutions like Sony will really be anyone’s dream. Their top line, the Sony Bravia is certainly something that everyone is familiar about and another added twist to that is their new unveiling of the eco-friendly Sony Bravia, the Bravia KDL-32JE1 HD LCD TV.

With features that consumer lesser electricity and parts made from recycled plastic parts from other products, you can imagine the impact that this new LCD TV will have in the market and how demand will certainly boom.

Sony has launched a new energy-saving TV in Japan this week, claiming that the new Bravia is the truly “green” option for eco-friendly TV consumers.

The Bravia KDL-32JE1 HD LCD TV sucks up a mere 89W of power, in comparison to the 160W of an equivalently-sized Bravia model.

(Source) Tech Radar

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While other people are finding ways to change and conserve energy for lighting, D.light designs has gone the opposite way and is developing new lighting solutions to the underprivileged people who have to rely on the ancient traditional lighting power we all hear of today.

Aimed at providing light to countries with no regular access towards modern lighting, these revolutionary lighting products aim to be the modern and new way of shedding light to the unfortunate people in the world today.

d.light design today announced the launch of its first line of revolutionary lighting products, custom-designed for urban and rural households in developing countries that do not have regular access to electricity and are currently relying primarily on dim, polluting and hazardous kerosene lanterns for lighting.

“We believe that 1.6 billion people without regular access to electricity deserve high-quality, safe and dependable light that they can afford,” said Sam Goldman, CEO of d.light design. “We have brought together the best partners in technology, design and manufacturing to develop these products, which will radically improve the quality of life for countless families.”

(Source) The Earth Times

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With the influx of numerous eco-friendly gadgets such as chargers today, here is another one that incorporates a LED flashlight as well. A useful charger to have if you want to change your phone recharging practices or are caught somewhere with no place to plug in, this wind-up charger is definitely a good thing to have around with you.

It is available for sale at a price of $25.99

Features:

Streamline body Design, Novel, Beautiful, Comfortable Hand Feel, Useful, Essential goods for family life and traveling.

Adopts mechanical device to generate electricity with precise construction and high working efficiency.

Battery-less, Green Environmental protection.

Adopt three extra-bright LED lights as light source, nature and smooth, durable. For more than ten thousand hours, high efficiency and power saving.

Blink and Siren Functions. As the best helpful tool when meeting emergent situation on outdoor traveling and camping.

Auto scan radio with loud and clear speaker, and easy operation.

It is made with emergent lighting, charge Mobile Phone, Siren, and USB power source functions.

Can charge Samsung, Siemens, SonyEricsson, Nokia, Motorola or other PDA Phone.
After fully charged, the flashlight can work 6-8 hours continuously or hand winded for one minute, it can work over 10 minutes.

* Dimension: 146 x 63 x 44 mm
* Weight: 215g

(via Gizfever)

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Looks like Brothers Kevin and Daryl Maas of Washington State are on their way to a Nobel Prize for making electricity from cow manure.

We use a proven, commercialized technology called a manure digester to harvest methane gas from manure. We burn the methane to create electricity, while sending the processed manure back to the farmers as an organic fertilizer now free of pathogens and odor.

via zedomax

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Game consoles such as the Playstation 3 and the Xbox have totally changed the face of modern entertainment as both adults and the youth have been so attached to these modern day games today. We can see them sleeping less and focusing a lot in playing these high-end games all thanks to their graphics and the storylines which simply challenges the minds of modern people today.

While this technological enhancement has been something worth noting, it would be best to see if these game consoles have passed the green standards of healthy living. Energy consumption is another thing since seeing that they are being used extensively by owners, did they even consider applying the electricity it needs to operate?

The materials used is another, and surely these thing have to be addressed. I hate to be a party pooper but it seems we have overlooked one aspect important in globalization and eco-friendly living today.

“If manufacturers only looked at each other’s products, they’d quickly see ways of replacing their own dirty components with toxic-free materials,” said Greenpeace on their site. “A greener, cleaner game console is possible. There’s no excuse for playing dirty.”

(Source) Palgn.com.au

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