We all know what regular solar panels look like. They are big ugly black squares on our roofs that help us save money. Even though the last part is really cool and all, many people would really like to make those other parts disappear.
It is for this reason why these bad boys were invented. These all glass pyramid shaped solar panels work in the same way any regular solar panel would. However, instead of being big, black and ugly, these are modern looking and have a cool look to them. Best of all, these things are extremely efficient at making electricity which is something that everyone will love.
Another thing that i like about these things is what you can do with them. Not only can they be used as solar panels, but they can be used as decorations for the inside of your home.
Hydro power is the idea of the future, and has been in motion for some time now. This is a very exciting approach to conventional power and great for keeping our earth as healthy as possible. While researching this I found a very interesting but simple video explaining how the process works. Our earth has given us the resources to make this type of think possible, so why not take full advantage of it? It’s cleaner, and is significantly less harmful to our closely cherished mother earth. Here is the video, so check it out…
The Power Aware Cord was designed to making people aware of the amount of energy they consume. The power cord was designed by Static Energy + Design Network. Their concept was that if people can see how much energy they’re using, they are less likely to leave their PC or TV running all night.
The beautiful luminous light was not meant to be festive but to warn you of how much energy you waste. The more energy flowing through the brighter the power cord glows and the more it pulses.
I think this is a great idea. The way this economy is right now we need more inventions like the Power Aware Cord, they will help save money and the environment.
Most of us have heard by now the prospect of recycling body heat. the most promising thing I have heard of is the 30,000 dollar system proposed by a sedish company that reused body heat from the subway to heat an offic building. this system can supply about 20% of the offices heat. That however is old news and not what this post is about.
While perusing the web looking for ways that I could make my life a little less significant in the grand scheme of things, I ran into an article about charging a battery using body heat. Now do not get to excited this is still in the testing stage, but still the prospect of charging a battery just by leaving it in your pocket is mind boggling. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California we can look forward to anything from ipods charging in our pockets to cars reusing the engine heat. The possibilities are numerous and the applications very very practical.
To learn more about this body heat capturing technology visit 800hightech
Tidal Power sometimes called tidal energy, is a form of hydro power that converts the energy of the tides into electricity or other useful forms of power. Although not yet widely used, tidal power has potential for future electricity generation. Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar energy. Tidal power is the only form of energy which derives directly from the relative motions of the earth-moon system. Tidal energy is generated by the relative motion of the Earth, Sun and the Moon, which interact via gravitational force.
This concept car called the ‘Twizy’ runs off of electricity. You would just plug it into a regular outlet, unless they made the outlets especially for them. It would have 2 seats, be able to go as far as 60 miles, and go as high as 45 mph. So for the millions of us who spend a good majority of our lives in one town for a long period of time and are usually in the same area, this would be the perfect way of transportation for a basic day.
Have you ever looked onto your roof and asked yourself how much wasted space that is? Well, if you are wondering what you can do with all that extra space then look no further then the now flexible solar shingles. What are these things you ask? Well, these power shingles act as both shingles, and solar panels that provide you power.
Now the biggest problem people have had with solar panels is that one, they are very big and heavy. Two, they are very expensive. This is where these babies come in. Not only do they provide solar power and don’t put a big strain on your roof. They are also cheap and affordable. In fact, these solar panels provide solar power at a competitive rate to conventional methods.
Lastly, these act as regular shingles too, so you don’t have to worry about them making your roof leak, or having your power blow away in a bad storm. also these are easily integrated into any home of office, so everyone can have cheap solar power at an affordable price.
Scott Brusaw is completely confident in the theory that covering 1.7 % of the U.S.’s land surface with solar powered roads with 10%-efficient solar energy converters will be able to provide the amount of energy we are currently using. The U.S. road systems are close to the 1.7 percent, and he feels covering them with glass panels that could collect and distribute solar energy will do this. The amount of energy estimated to accumulate is enough to light the road at night, heat the road in the winter, and within every mile of this miracle trail 500 houses will benefit with full energy.
Brusaw predicts that a single 12′ X 12′ Solar Roadway panel could cost up to $5,000 dollars, leaving his product to cost about $4.84 billion dollars total! But is there really a cost too great to prevent global warming?
A wind farm with 66 turbines is being planned near Groton. Next Era Energy Resources will build and run the Day County Wind Farm, all electricity produced there will be purchased by the Basin Electric Company. The project is estimated to to cost somewhere close to $250 million dollars and should produce up to 99 megawatts of power. The project should be completed in just about a year from now. You can expect them up and running by the very end of 2010, more than likely December. The Wind Farm will produce energy for South Dakota and some counties of the surrounding states.
“Construction of this project is expected to begin this fall and be completed starting early next year.” East River Electric’s Jeff Nelson says the wind farm will be a cooperative effort: East River will provide transmission lines for the project, which will be built by Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Next Era Energy Resources.
Green Mountain Coffee is doing its best to earn their “green” title. Lots of companies do small things like install a couple solar panels, or to recycle some paper. These small things are great, but it is only when multiple people start getting on board that the numbers become impressive. Green Mountain Coffee is offering employees an incentive to install solar panels in their homes. Green Mountain Coffee is really the first to offer this program to its employees.
The way the program works is that the employer contributes money to each system purchased by an employee. Then groSolar discounts the cost of the system by 25-cents per watt. The idea is that combining that with state and federal incentives solar panels becomes much more affordable. What could normally cost 15 thousand dollars now just costs 6. For that investment you can help save money, and help convert the world to a more environmentally friendly energy source.
After seeing this as a real possibility other companies have expressed interest in setting up a program like this for their employees. Who knows perhaps thanks to the example set by Green Mountain Coffee you may be able to afford installing solar panels.
We all know what regular solar panels look like. They are big ugly black squares on our roofs that help us save money. Even though the last part is really cool and all, many people would really like to make those other parts disappear.
Yovia