DIY eco-power systems are growing in popularity, and most of them involve building some sort of wind turbine. Fashioning your own photovoltaic solar panels is unlikely to be a feasible option, but a DIY wind turbine needn’t be too vast a challenge: that’s just what Mike Davis has done, breaking the whole system down into five key areas – generator, turbine blades, mounting, tower and electronics – and detailing the project that cost him just $140.
Sharp have been demonstrating a solar-powered HDTV at CEATEC 2008, capable of operating solely from the power generated from sunlight. The 52-inch set uses an LED backlight and other energy-efficiency technology so as to reduce it’s power requirements to just 220kWh; coincidentally, that’s the same amount as the solar panel generates.
Google has announced a partnership with General Electric (GE) which will see the two companies cooperate on policy and technology solutions around electricity generation, transmission and distribution. The deal will see the development of a so-called “smart grid” that can prioritize energy efficiency, use of environmentally-friendly sources such as enhanced geothermal systems and support electric vehicles.
HP have announced a new sustainable packaging bundle, to be sold exclusively through US retailer WalMart. The deal consists of the company’s DV6929WM-B 15.4-inch notebook, based on a 2GHz AMD Turion X2 TL-60 Dual-Core Mobile CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 250GB 5,400rpm SATA hard-drive, bundled with a laptop bag made from recycled materials. However it’s not just the bag that’s earth-kind: both the way the DV6929WM-B starts its journey, and the way your old PC ends it, are too.
Responding to the constant criticisms of power-greedy standby modes on modern electronics, Grundig announced its Vision 6 ECO LCD TVs. Not only has standby draw been shaved down to less than 0.1W, operating draw is much reduced too, at around 76W. That’s up to 48-percent less than comparable normal LCD TVs.
It’s just about August which means many will be making their way back to school. For some, that means a bit of shopping and a new laptop bag. Well if you’re going to pick up a new one you might as well pick one up made out of recycled materials.
External hard-drive manufacturer Fabrik have announced what they’re calling “the world’s most energy-efficient, resource-conscious, Turbo USB 2.0 external storage and backup drive”, the SimpleTech [re]drive. Basically a 500GB USB 2.0 hard-drive, Fabrik have used bamboo and recycled aluminum for the enclosure and coupled it with an EnergyStar compliant power adaptor.
This isn’t the first water-powered clock to be sold, but it is a lot more attractive than some I have seen. The other one I wrote up over a year ago not only was cheap, but looked it.
Although we would all prefer to pick up an incredibly chic solar bag. One that manages to make the panel flow with the rest of the bag, however, budgets don’t always allow for that.
There are enough laptop bags in the world that no matter your tastes, you’re bound to find one that fits. If you’re going to put out the effort to find the perfect bag, you might consider snagging one from an environmentally conscious company. These bags are actually made of recycled car seats and armchairs.
SlashGear Japan
