Items tagged with solar
Smartwatches are finally starting to gain some traction in the marketplace, but one of their biggest downsides compared to their more traditional counterparts is battery life. Devices like the Apple Watch Series 4 can last at most 2 days before a recharge is needed, while Samsung's Galaxy Watch will give up after roughly 4 days. What if there was a smartwatch that would last for months or even years on end without you needing to plug it in or replace the battery? Well, take a gander at the Matrix PowerWatch 2. It is powered by your body heat using thermoelectricity (like its predecessor, which was announced last year), and this time around adds supplementary solar charging technology. As a result,...
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Tesla has just made it official that its much-anticipated Gigafactory will have its grand opening on July 29th. The company itself hasn't issued a public statement on this event, but invites have already been sent out to Tesla owners and others in Tesla's good graces. To say that those who get invited by Tesla is an exclusive club would be an understatement. To qualify for the invite, a person had to act as a referrer to at least five others who ultimately ended up purchasing a Model S. Think being able to purchase a Model S is a luxury? Imagine being able to convince five (or more) friends to snatch one up, too! Tesla's Gigafactory 1 should help reduce the cost of its vehicle batteries...
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There are few who would disagree that solar energy is an amazing thing. It's not really "free" energy per se, in the grand scheme of things, given that absorbing solar rays requires expensive equipment to harvest energy from the sun. However, beyond that little barrier to entry, solar is becoming more practical as an alternative energy source and the future looks, well, bright. One of the perks of solar energy is that it's also usually safer than providing power through other means (like nuclear, for example), but that doesn't mean that flukes can't happen. Remember when you were young and your mother told you to be careful where you aimed that magnifying glass on a sunny day? Well,...
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This past fall, we reported on a development with Google's Project Loon, which aims to deliver Internet via balloons to underserved countries. At some point in 2016, a bunch of balloons will take flight over Indonesia, and once that happens, it could very well spearhead what could become a common sight in Internet-deprived countries. The internal group that handles Project Loon is called Google Access, and alongside Loon, this segment of Google has also been working on a different, but similar project: Project Skybender. Like Loon, Skybender involves sending objects into the sky, but unlike the cost-effective nature of Loon, Google's going all out with Skybender by relying on drones to transmit...
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We have the feeling that the “personal power storage” market is about to really take off. Many environmentally-conscious homeowners are looking towards alternative power generation (like solar) in an effort to reduce their reliance on the traditional electric grid. As a result, there will be a need for complimentary battery systems to capture and store solar energy when the sun isn’t shining, and even those without solar panels can “load shift” to take advantage of more favorable utility rates throughout the day. So it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Mercedes-Benz, a company that has more than dabble with lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles, is unveiling what it calls private energy...
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Three atoms thick. According to a paper published this week in the science journal Nature by a group of researchers from Cornell University, that is the breadth of the transistors that can now be produced using an experimental — and highly conductive — material called transition metal dichalcogenide (also called a TMD). We aren't talking five atoms thick, or even four (because any schmoe with a hobbyist chemistry set can do that), but transistors rendered at a thickness of just three atoms. As it applies to theoretical science and human achievement, the harnessing of TMD for practical use is quite remarkable. It is the prospective leaps that could potentially be made in technological hardware...
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We learned some important details about Tesla's upcoming in-home batteries late last week, and now, thanks to analyst Trip Chowdhry, we now have a clearer idea of what it will cost. Backing up what we learned earlier this month, Tesla's battery will cost $13,000 outright. There's also the option to shell out $1,500 for a down payment and then pay $15/month for 10 years, after which point the battery will go back to Elon Musk-backed SolarCity. Tesla Model S battery pack Nothing has changed so far regarding Tesla also getting into supplying batteries to "utilities". As mentioned in last week's post, Walmart has already signed on board, which is without question a major win for Tesla. Why would...
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Tesla is going to be announcing a brand-new "not a car" product at its Hawthorne Design Studio on April 30, and now the Web is abuzz with speculation of what it could be. What does seem likely at this point, though, is that it could be an in-home battery that's backed by solar energy. Major new Tesla product line -- not a car -- will be unveiled at our Hawthorne Design Studio on Thurs 8pm, April 30— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2015 As Benzinga reports, the amount of information Global Equities analyst Chip Chowdhry provides does lend a great deal of credibility to the in-home battery being Tesla's next big announcement. It's said that currently, about 230 homes in California and 100 in other...
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Apple took an important step in making good on CEO Tim Cook’s promise to make Apple’s new campus “the greenest building on the planet.” The company announced that it plans to spend $850 million as part of a massive, 25-year solar power purchase agreement with a solar power farm in California. The farm, which will belong to Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar, has yet to be built. However, following its completion in 2016, the farm will supply Apple with up to 130 megawatts of power from what has been dubbed the “California Flats Solar Project.” The Monterey County solar farm will power the ring-shaped Apple headquarters that is currently under construction. “We expect...
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Sometimes, you just never know where technology is going to wind up next. Walking through a park, would you ever expect that a simple bench would be able to charge your phone? That's a reality that's soon to come to some Boston parks, thanks to "Soofas", solar-powered benches. Boston mayor Martin J. Walsh greatly supports the initiative, saying, "Your cellphone doesn’t just make phone calls, why should our benches just be seats?" He goes on to praise Boston's entrepreneurs who are "thinking creatively about sustainability and the next generation of amenities for our residents". At this point, it's a little unclear exactly what a Soofa design is going to be like, and whether or not someone...
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One has to wonder if Elon Musk if even human. When he's not busy working on electric supercars, he's launching satellites into space. And when he's not doing that, he's working to plant a massive solar field in New York. The latest news involving one of today's greatest innovators has arrived this week, with SolarCity announcing an agreement to acquire Silevo, a solar panel technology and manufacturing company whose modules have demonstrated a unique combination of high energy output and low cost. Musk's SolarCity is presently in discussions with New York to build an initial manufacturing plant, continuing a relationship developed by the Silevo team. Straight from Musk's mouth: "At a targeted...
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Google is kind of involved in everything, and the company is tackling clean energy with gusto, too. In conjunction with a White House push for renewable energy and agreements from some 300 organizations to pursue clean energy options that includes 1 billion square feet of buildings in the U.S. (and a $2 billion investment in making federal buildings more energy efficient), Google announced that it’s created the Little Box Challenge to foster clean energy innovation. Specifically, the company will pony up $1 million for whoever comes up with the best (that is, smallest, cheapest, and most effective) power inverter. Shrinking the size and cost of power inverters will mean that solar installations...
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Battery life has long been the bane of the mobile market, hamstringing laptops, tablets, and smartphones even as processors, graphics, and storage have increased in both performance and efficiency. Apple is reportedly tackling this problem head-on as it looks to other forms of power for its impending smartwatch device. The New York Times has found that Apple is exploring options including solar power, inductive charging, and kinetic charging. The outlet spoke to Tony Fadell (he of iPod and Nest fame) who said that Apple has experimented with solar power on its devices for years (and still does), with limited success due to those devices rarely spending time in sunlight. That wouldn’t necessarily...
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For as amazing as our mobile devices are, their battery life is a joke. Most of us can’t make it through a whole day (or in cases, more than a few hours) without having to plug in. Solar charger company Goal Zero, in collaboration with AT&T and Brooklyn-based design studio Pensa, are developing solar charging stations designed to offer passersby a convenient charging station that gets it juice only from the sun. “We’re excited to team up with AT&T and Pensa to help make New York a little greener and solar power a little more accessible,” said Joe Atkin, President and CEO of Goal Zero.” His company’s solution, called Street Charge, enjoyed a trial run...
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In the midst of Google's Android growth, Chrome explosion, Chromebook entries and Fiber roll-outs, it's actually easy to forget that Google does other things as well. There's search, Glass, and energy. Yes, energy. Google has been dabbling in energy for some time now, which makes sense given the tremendous amount of power that it uses worldwide. This week, the company announced an expansion of options for companies to buy renewable energy. To date, Google has committed more than $1 billion to renewable energy project investments, signed agreements to procure wind power near our data centers, and installed solar panels at our corporate headquarters. To go along with that, Google is expanding its...
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We hear about green construction practices all the time, but it’s often surrounding facilities such as data centers rather than retail stores. However, Walgreens is determined to go as green as possible, and to that end, the company announced plans for the first net zero energy retail store. The store is slated to be built at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Keeney Street in Evanston, Illinois, where an existing Walgreens is currently being demolished. The technologies Walgreens is plotting to implement in this new super-green store will include solar panels and wind turbines to generate power; geothermal technology for heat; and efficient energy consumption with LED lighting, daylight...
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One of the difficulties in using solar panels is that solar panels aren't exactly easy to install. Most are big, stiff, fragile, and inefficient. But now, engineers at Stanford have developed a peel-and-stick alternative that sounds more like a 3M Post-It note than a scientific invention. The goal was to create flexible, decal-like solar panels that could be placed on and peeled off like a Band-aid, so that you could place them on random windows and places where green energy is needed. The new decals solve most of the issues that traditional solar panels presented, and while the technology is detailed in the via link, what you need to know is that this could pave the way for solar to be impactful...
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Information regarding a few patent applications recently filed by Apple has surfaced. The applications feature designs for a clip-on antenna mechanism, portable devices with multiple power interfaces, and an advanced oleophobic coating application technique. The antenna clip application can be viewed here. The application essentially outlines a number of scenarios where an external, separate antenna clip can be added to an electronic device (like an iPod, iPhone, etc.) with a metal housing. The metal housing would in-turn be connected to the device's internal circuitry. A quote from the application states, “The antenna is positioned in the attachment clip to facilitate receipt of data transmitted...
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iPad case, anyone? How about one with a built-in solar panel? It's possible to have the both of those with Element5's newest product, the Mini L Solarbag. It's a Swiss-made case that'll hold your iPad, iPad 2 or any other iOS device with a Dock Connector. There's also a bit of room for accessories and peripherals, and there's a solar panel on the outside as well as a power connector on the inside that allows customers to juice up their gadgets with the sun, and then have that energy passed along to the device inside. The company's not making it clear how much energy is being converted here, nor how long you'd need to keep it in the sun in order to make a real dent in helping out that battery,...
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It had to happen sooner or later, and it's happening today: a solar powered keyboard is now reaching commercial status. Logitech has been known for their innovations in the peripheral market, with the nearly microscopic Unifying USB receiver being the latest. But the company's newest keyboard is likely to be the one that people remember most from 2010. The Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 is the company's first keyboard designed to be powered entirely by ambient light. That means that you can just use ambient, extra light in your office to power it; you don't need to be under direct sunlight. This is definitely a major step forward for keyboards, and it will be difficult to see too many companies...
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Electric vehicles sound fantastic in theory, but there's still the issue of charging the vehicles. Energy, even the kind not found in traditional fuel pumps, requires fossil fuels or a green alternative to make, and burning loads of coal in place of petrol doesn't exactly sound like a great compromise. Toyota seems to agree, with the automotive giant recently announcing that it had developed a solar charging station for plug-in hybrid automobiles and purely electric cars. Essentially, this kind of charging solution really would enable an electric vehicle to cause a serious impact for good; not only would it avoid or lessen its use of petrol, but the energy used to recharge its batteries would...
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Earlier in February a strange case arose over an obscure California law, the Solar Shade Control Act (.PDF), passed in 1979 after the Oil Crisis. The law essentially made criminals out of a pair of Sunnyvale residents, whose eight redwood trees cast shade on a neighbor's solar panels.The dispute between the neighbors, Mark Vargas (solar panel owner) and Richard Treanor and Carolynn Bissett (tree owners) was "settled" when a judge ruled Treanor and Bissett had to cut two of the trees down, despite the fact that the trees pre-dated the solar panels.Let us cast some common sense on this by saying: huh? The trees were there first!Well, on Tuesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill...
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