MIT Scientists Show Off Self Repairing Solar Cells

When it comes to emerging science and technology, renewable energy is right up there as one of the most widely researched and often most impressive areas. Solar energy is considered the most viable form of renewable energy because of how abundant it is in our atmosphere but solar cells are far from cheap and they don’t have the longest life that one would hope for when fitting them to the home or anywhere else.

Sunlight and oxygen is a damaging combination, unfortunately, and as well as being the reason that paper discolours when left in the sun it is also one of the reasons why solar cells often have such a short lifespan.

Professor Strano and a team of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (yes, MIT) have discovered a way of integrating the photosynthetic reaction centre utilised by plants into solar cells. The end result is a solar cell that can repair itself as it becomes damaged by the constant exposure to the sun’s rays.

The solar cell is unlike anything you see on roofs or on your 1980s calculator. They use synthetic molecules called phospholipids which attach themselves to carbon nanotubes. The nanotubes also channel the flow of electrons that are created from the reaction.

OK, so it’s not you average high school science lesson, but it is science essentially imitating something that nature has been perefcting over millenia and it will have a practical use.

The ability to self repair is something that sets nature apart from science and this looks like it could be several steps closer to bridging the gap between the two. Professor Strano is now looking for a way to improve the overall solar efficiency of the cells so that they collect more solar power.

Will we soon see self repairing solar cells on houses across the country?

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Source:- MIT

Go Green Wearing Condom Dresses And Banana Fibre Underpants

In the same way that there’s an app for just about everything, you’re pretty much assured to find a green gadget for any purpose. There are green speakers that double up as miniature plant pots, there are houses made from recycled beer and plastic pop bottles. There are even rocking chairs that generate power as you rock back and forth.

If that’s not enough for you, and you won’t to wear your ecologically friendly lifestyle as a badge then you could always have a dress made from expired (not used or recycled we hasten to add) condoms or a pair of underpants made from the fibre of bananas.

Fair enough, you’re going to look a bit stupid and a lot of people will think you’re a condom short of a three pack or a banana short of a bunch but you’ll definitely be doing your bit for the environment.

Emma Kaywin of New York University has created two dress designs and one coat design using piles of expired condoms, saving them from being thrown in landfill. The outfits were actually displayed back in January and they received what could be described as a sceptical response. In order to show support for her own creations, Kaywin wears them out in public which should ward away all but the most fearsome of people.

And, for the men, Austrian company Aussie Bum has designed a pair of underpants made from a combination of cotton and banana bark fibre. To further enhance the eco-friendly tag, the undies are made using environmentally friendly manufacturing processes too.

Will you be wearing a condom dress or Aussie Bum banana undies?

Have you designed some eco-friendly but bizarrely insance item of clothing we should hear about?

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Sony Ericsson Elm Is O2′s Greenest; But No iPhone Or Blackberry In List

It’s not made of recycled toilet paper and it doesn’t draw energy directly from the heart of the sun, but the fact that it is made from recycled plastic and Sony Ericsson couldn’t be bothered including a manual means that the virtually unheard of Sony Ericsson Elm has been awarded the prestigious (in some peoples’ eyes we’re sure it’s loaded with prestige) title of being O2′s greenest handset. To be fair, Sony Ericsson did also go to the trouble of stamping their GreenHeart branding on the allegedly low power charger.

O2 has listed 65 of its mobile phone and smartphone handsets in order of how green they are. Apple and RIM (they make Blackberry handsets by the way) turned down the opportunity to have their phones ranked in the list and while Apple has had little to say on the subject, RIM have at least said that they should be included by the first quarter of next year.

The rankings were awarded by O2 in conjunction with Forum for the Future and were based on the environmental impact the phone had during manufacture and use. It also considered packaging and other aspects.

Scoring a 4.3 out of 5 the Elm (which must be environmentally friendly because it’s named after a tree) took top spot of the list which included 93% of the provider’s handsets (although in terms of market share you’d have to question that figure).

Honourable mentions needed to go to almost all of the rest of the phones in the list with the Nokia 1800, Nokia 6700, Nokia C7, Samsung GT-S8500, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini, Sony Ericsson Mini Pro, and Sony Ericsson Zylo all scoring 4 out of 10.

The Palm Pre Plus should be ashamed of its performance bagging just 2.7 out of 10 and at the bottom of the pile showing that you basically have a choice between feature rich or smug green.

Will you be rushing out to buy the Sony Ericsson Elm (it’s cheap, at least)?

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Do Your Bit For The Next Generations Even When You’re Dead

According to the environmentally aware among us, we need to do more to protect future generations from the ravages of global warming. There’s green this and green that, and just about any item can be bought in its more standard variety and an ecologically sound version. One of the more morbidly amusing green items we’ve managed to find is the ecopod which is a green coffin both in terms of its colour and its biodegradability.

Rather than looking at fine mahogany caskets, interested parties will be considering their greenfield burial in what looks like a green body bag that is made from recycled newspaper and finished with recycled silk and mulberry leaves.

One slight oversight, we believe, is the fact that the manufacturers seem to think only people 6 foot or under would be interested. Two sizes are available – the small takes people up to 5 foot 3 and weighing up to 15 stone while the large ecopod will take people up to 6 foot in height and weighing 18 stone. If you’re over 6 foot then you could always zip two together, maybe, or be folded in half.

Although the picture is of a green (colour) one, there are actually three different designs; a blue one with doves on, green with a celtic cross, or red with an aztec sun. They come with a securing harness and, erm, carrying handles. The £769 price tag also includes delivery, although we assume that means delivery of the empty ecopad and not once it’s occupied.

If you’re really seriously serious about green burial and are interested in an ecopod for your end of days then you can buy one at Nigel’s Eco Store.

Are you considering a natural eco-burial?

Will you be buying the green body bag, sorry, natural burial pod?

Green Tech News – Spray On Solar And Floating Turbines

OK, so we’re the first to sit and wonder why the world of renewable energy hasn’t come on in leaps and bounds. The truth of the matter is turning ideas into money are more difficult when creating stuff like solar panels and wind turbines than creating the latest killer touch screen tablet. However, you can generally rely on the Norwegians to improve matters for the rest of the world in this respect – they are the front runners in everything from solar power to poo power.

EnSol is one of the companies that helps them retain that rather dubious accolade and they’ve done it again by apparently producing and creating a spray on film that will turn virtually any surface into a solar panel. It uses that technology that makes us drool every time we hear it; nanotechnology. Nanoparticles embed into a transparent composite matrix (that sentence alone is enough to make us weep with joy) apparently and the spray has a multitude of possible settings.

The days of bulky solar PV tiles would be all but gone, replaced by virtually invisible solar “cells” sprayed onto the outside of buildings, the surface of standard roof tiles, and just about anything. You could spray the roof of the car and do away with the problem of having to find a recharging station every 8.23 miles.

Again, we head to Norway, but this time a company called StatOil has created and successfully tested a floating wind turbine. It’s called the Hywind turbine and following narly a year of successful testing, the company now plans to install a whole windfarm of these (not so) little beauties. The ability to float turbines easily and efficiently would make it considerably easier to find viable wind farm placements – phew, we hear you cry.

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Viewsonic Announces New LED Monitor Range

Viewsonic has announced that it will transition from the use of CCFL displays over to the more ecologically progressive and higher quality LED displays. Every new monitor that the company launches will use LED technology and this not only means that they will consume a lot less energy, many featuring quite incredible additional energy saving options, but it also means that the monitors will offer considerably higher resolution and much better picture quality than their predecessors.

The flagship monitor, the release of which coincides with the announcement, is the VX2450WM which offers a massive 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio as well as full 1080p HD performance. The monitor not only provides incredible picture definition and quality but is manufactured using a mercury free process, is Energy Star 5.0 compliant, and is fully recyclable. The eco-mode option is also a great addition, and reduces operating power by 50%.

Far from being the only new model released, the VX2450WM is joined by two affordable models, the VA1931W-LED and the VA2231W-LED – these are being targeted specifically at schools and businesses and offer similar green credentials while of course using LED technology to make them even more attractive. They’re also joining the ever expanding line of companies to leap on to the 3D bandwagon by releasing what will be their first 3D monitor – the V3D241WM-LED. It will be fully compliant with ATI 3D and iZ3D standards and include a set of active shutter glasses so users can benefit straight out of the box.

To produce monitors and computer equipment using greener products is always a benefit, especially if it saves the user money as is the case with ViewSonic LED monitors. To do that and enjoy the added side effect of increasing picture quality and clarity is a great move.

Will you be buying one of the new Viewsonic LED monitors?

Have you got a 3D monitor yet?

Nanotechnology Means Solar Could Soon Be Everywhere

The fight to find a viable and meaningful use of renewable energy is far from over. Solar power is a fairly obvious use of our natural resources especially if global warming leads to hotter summers but solar panels can prove cumbersome and far from attractive. They are also quite costly unless you are one of the lucky ones to receive free solar panels from HomeSun and they are far from being the absolute solution that many experts seek.

However, nanotechnology experts at the University of Leicester could have made a major breakthrough that will one day see everyday items like windows, walls, and standard roof tiles creating energy where they stand. A nanite based solar panel film would be virtually invisible to the eye and could be fitted on anything that stood outdoors. Initially it would presumably cost a lot of money but as is often the way, the price would eventually come down as manufacturing processes were improved and made more cost effective.

The University of Leicester has joined forces with EnSol AS, a Norwegian company, in order to develop the idea of a solar film. The technology relies on a new type of solar cell that was first developed by EnSol AS chief Phil Denby and through the partnership it is hoped that it will be made more practical, more effective, and more cost effective.

You could basically end up wrapping your home in solar clingfilm, piercing a few holes, and then leaving it to cook in the microwave and producing enough electricity to power your home. Once electric cars become more commonplace it means that you’ll even be able to power your car so it would make you more cost effective too – or, at least, that’s the hope.

Have you got solar panels in your home?

Would you use solar cling film wrap to cover your home?

See The LED Man – Believe The LED Man

If you saw this out of your bedroom window you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d gone a little bit mad – or, at least, for thinking somebody else has gone completely mad. The so-called LED man is attempting to show the world the benefits of using LED lightbulbs (namely, the fact that they are highly energy efficient using just 1/8 of the amount of energy needed to light a normal bulb) but he’s chosen quite an unusual way to go about it.

Incandescant light bulbs are certainly one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century but they’re far from being energy efficient. Around 80% of the energy used to power a lightbulb is actually wasted as heat emitted from the bulb and only the remaining 20% serves any real purpose in lighting the room around you. In contrast, LED lights do not generate heat and therefore 100% of the energy that is transmitted to the bulb is used for its intended purpose.

Dancing around and waving LED lightbulbs at the camera is far from being the normal way to show off LED lights but there’s more from the LED man, who is part of the Panasonic Sparks team; the team that is dedicated to testing the ocmpany’s new and leading eco products.

Solar-powered camcorder launched

The Jetyo HDV-T900 is notable for being one of the only camcorders for home users to feature an integrated solar panel to make holiday video capture a more environmentally-friendly process.

The camcorder itself is slightly weighed-down by the large solar cell attached to the device above the flip-out LCD viewfinder, but it is a small price to pay if you are truly concerned about the environmental impact of gadget use.

The camcorder captures video directly onto high capacity SD memory cards, although sadly the fixed zoom means that you might have to rely on digital rather than optical image enlargement, which will be a limitation for some.

There is currently no information as to how long the camcorder will take to charge up if you leave it lounging in the sunlight. The energy is used to juice up four standard AA batteries, which is good news if the day is overcast as you can always pop in some fresh units and continue shooting.

According to the calculations of industry observers, the 120mA solar cell would take an entire day to fully charge a single 2500mAh battery. This no doubt leads to the troubling suggestion that trickle-charging the camera will not only mean leaving it out in the sun for ages, but also potentially unattended whilst you go off gallivanting.

The idea behind the HDV-T900 camcorder is a noble one, but you will have to wait and see whether in practice it is a workable solution, or more trouble than it is worth. This is one area eco-friendly technology that will no doubt continue to evolve as photovoltaic cell technology evolves. But it is great to see the manufacturers starting to innovate.

Freeloader Globetrotter Solar Charger Kit review

With climate change and the environment currently at the top of the political and business agenda, there is now a huge demand for products that can be used ‘sustainably’. Unfortunately, this is also occurring at a time of insatiable demand for the latest power hungry gadgets. For the ordinary person, the ability to use your favourite electronic toys without harming the environment is probably preferable, but becomes extra appealing when combined with saving money and making life easier. Enter the Freeloader Globetrotter Kit, which is designed to recharge a massive range of gadgets on the move, with no need for mains powered or battery electricity.

The product works by collecting light energy from either the sun or an artificial light source. This is then converted into electricity and stored in the supplied battery. The battery itself is 1000mA power, meaning that it will charge a large proportion of mobile phones and MP3 players to full, although it is really designed to give a ‘flash’ part charge to allow you to use your electronic devices whilst on the move. The battery is of the modern lithium ion type, which is environmentally friendly and can withstand two years of constant use. If you happen to visit somewhere with a computer, but no compatible wall socket (or if you don’t have it with you), the battery can also be charged directly via a USB connection, providing a further option. The solar panel itself is around eight inches wide by six inches tall, which is bigger than the original FreeLoader Portable, but offers a much more reliable charge time, of as little as four hours in direct sunlight.

 

 

The solar panel comes housed in its own smart carry case, which is made of canvas and so protects from light bumps and from scratches, without adding any significant carry weight for when – as expected – you’re travelling with the device. The solar panel is also designed to be actually used whilst moving and offers two lever secured clamps to attach to a strap, a bicycle or a bag and there is also a velcro strap for extra security. This means if you plan on spending the day, for example, walking or cycling, you needn’t worry about finding somewhere that you can leave the Freeloader unit to charge. As well as the main large solar panel, the Globetrotter kit also comes with two smaller panels, which can be more easily transported if this is an issue for you. They also fold up neatly into the same style as the brushed metal battery pack and the best bonus of having these extra chargers is that they can be used in combination with the main charger to collect more light and therefore maximise your recharge times.

If using artificial light as a charging method, its likely you’ll have a longer charge time, unless the lights are especially strong, or the unit is close to the light source. However, this still remains a great way of charging your phone or MP3 player for free, as you can always leave it charging, wherever you are, even if you don’t think you’ll be needing it – allowing you to reclaim some of the cost of powering your lights at home or in the office. The unit does not have a dedicated indicator to tell you when the battery is full, as the assumption is that you will leave it on charge for as long as possible at all times. However, it does have an indicator telling you if the battery is being charged at full rate (i.e. from direct sunlight), or at a lower rate (e.g. if it is cloudy or you are using an artificial light source). The device holds its charge for up to three months, so you can easily make sure you always have the battery fully charged before you even know you’re going to need it again.

Because of the wide range of phones this device is compatible with, it is stocked by leading retailer mobilefun.co.uk and makes a great purchase alongside an LG Chocolate, Motorola V3, or any Nokia phone, as well as others from Samsung and Sony Ericsson. However, while its most useful application is probably phones, it can also be used with any iPod or iPhone, a range of satellite navigations systems as well as hand held gaming consoles, such as the PSP. The unit is designed to be incredibly easy to use, with different cables included in the box for the range of compatible devices and simple ‘plug and play’ functionality.

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