Solar

New York City’s Times Square is getting its first eco-friendly billboard powered entirely by wind and sun.

Construction on the 35,000 Lbs. billboard, that will be advertising the Ricoh Americas Corporation, (an office equipment and document storage supplier) will begin this month.

It will have 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels and produce enough power to light six homes. It will be lit by floodlights, rather than light-emitting diodes, and won’t have a backup generator, so it could go dark during long periods of little wind or sun.

However, company spokesman Ron Potesky said the sign’s turbines will be able to keep the billboard lit even after four days without breezes or bright sun. It has also been estimated that the sign will keep 18 tons of carbon out of the environment.

A lighting ceremony for the 126-foot wide, 47-foot tall sign is scheduled for Dec. 4. Although the sign may not be as glitzy as some of its neighbors on Broadway, it will definitely make quite a statement.

This year’s New Year’s Eve, revelers will be able to get a close-up view of the first eco-friendly billboard. What a great way to bring in the New Year.

It’s official; Solio chargers received the coveted 2008 “Best of Gear” by National Geographic, the utmost authority on all things travel.

Solar Charger for your iPod, digital camera or phone

It’s easy to connect to the power of the sun with the Solio chargers. They’re the most convenient, earth-friendly ways to charge on the go, whether climbing Mt. Fuji or running errands. For anyone who uses a cell phone, iPod, digital camera, or any other portable electronic device…a Solio charger is a must!

With fall activities in gear, everyone wants to stay connected on the go and still save energy. Now that National Geographic has given the Solio charger its seal of greatness, that should be all the incentives we need to power up solio style!

Check out Solio products HERE.

IKEA announced that is plans on pouring $77 million into “clean-technology start-ups” within the next few years and would also like to add “green” items such as solar panels to it stores, according to the Cleantech Group.

Another IKEA move planned for this fall will be to support sustainability by eliminating its checkout use of plastic bags. British customers have been charged for the use of these bags for about two years now. More than 380 billion plastic bags are estimated to be trashed each year in the United States alone.

Endeavors to advertise new and affordable green technologies within the next several years could lead to IKEA selling the resulting products among its growing collection of stores, (currently 283 in more than 30 nations). The products would relate to energy in the form of solar panels, efficiency meters and lighting; as well as more sustainable materials.

Given IKEA’s reach, and assertive focus on green technologies, it’s likely IKEA will reshape the furnishings industry! Green-business masters have given credit to Wal-Marts debatable efforts to green its shelves and practice shifting consumers’ tastes toward less toxic and eco-friendly products. .

IKEA’s Swedish stores use mostly renewable energy and some of the 18,000 staff members use hybrid cars or bicycles. IKEA pledged to carry organic consumables, including coffee, jam, and schnapps within the year.

IKEA has been a place to go for low priced, modern furniture and soon it will be the place to go for solar panels for homes too!

Joe Hyneks Power Purse is a high-tech bag thats outer surface is covered with solar panels which absorb the sun’s rays and create electricity used for powering everyday gadgets.

The shape of it is designed so it can sit on a windowsill and charge while you’re at work, or sitting in a coffee shop! Joe has said his goal was to use solar cells in a way that’s unobtrusive to fashion while still being useful.

Hynek designed the Solarjo Power Purse during a handbag competition in an experimental garment design class.

The black, rectangular purse is covered with laminated solar panels, which resemble a very thin camera film separated by white lines. Clear plastic handles top the handbag.

The purse is designed to power any small device that uses an USB port, including cell phones, personal digital assistants, iPods, global positioning devices, voice recorders and small cameras.

The bag only needs two hours of full sunlight to charge a mobile phone battery. Also, there is extra padding in the purse for protection and a zipper for security.

Very creative, eco conscious and I must say, pretty hot looking!

A cool solar community in the town of Okotoks, Alberta Canada has been successfully designed that incorporates Canadian energy efficient technologies with a renewable, unlimited energy source, the sun.

The Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) is the first of its kind in North America. DLSC is heated by a district system designed to store ample amounts of solar energy underground during warm months and distribute the energy to each home for space heating needs during colder months.

The system is unprecedented in the World. It’s the largest subdivision of R-2000 single-family homes, (energy efficiency standards are registered with the Built Green Alberta program and Gold level highest standard). Each home is 30% more efficient than conventionally built homes, plus a first in the world for 90% of residential space heating needs, which will be met by solar thermal energy, (resulting in less dependency on limited fossil fuels). The community will help with the reduction of approximately 5 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per home, per year.

The Government of Canada and its Canadian industry partners are proud to showcase Canadian solar thermal and energy efficient technologies in this “one of a kind” community

Solar energy began to flow into the borehole thermal energy storage system as of sunrise on June 21, 2007, (summer solstice) and performance results indicate that the solar energy system is performing as expected.

This solar-powered lounger will certainly be a summer favorite not only for techie geeks who bring all kinds of gear along while relaxing on a beach or by the pool, but non-nerdy types will surely want to lounge on the Tech Chair too! Experts at computer retailer PC World have come up with this Tech Chair which boasts all the necessary ports for various gadgets to hook up to while you’re chilling outdoors sipping your favorite cocktail.

The chair is made with solar panel chair fabric, which maximizes power collection while allowing you to relax. An automatic sunshade moves with the sun to protect you from the harshness of the rays while it feeds on the same energy to juice up all your gadgets.

Some of the Tech Chair features are: all wires and power are internal and are totally waterproof, are built in WiFi and Bluetooth, have a headphone socket, laptop table power, can make reservations, has a GPS screen, a text reservation system {that allows you to secure this eco-friendly yet high-tech lounger), and a camera and MP3 docks, just to name a few of the very cool feature to this futuristic chair.

Remember to place all your gadgets under an umbrella or in a shaded area, since direct exposure to sunlight is a big no-no when it comes to electronics.

This is definitely the ultimate lounge chair for the future. Vacationing and relaxing no longer imply bidding adieu to your “must have” gizmos!

The sun’s energy is so potent that in just 1 hr. the amount of energy that hits the earth equals the amount used by the world’s population in 1 year.

Capturing and transforming this energy into electricity is perhaps the biggest difference you can make when is comes to renewable energy and climate change. We all know that any “eco” attention we pay towards the environment, know matter how small, makes a difference. One of the best ways we can make small changes is to invest in solar powered products.

Here’s how it works. Light from the sun hits the solar cells stimulating electrons within the cell. They then travel through a conductive metal strip to create an electric current. This current can either be stored in a battery or used directly in the form of electricity. The stronger the sunlight and the more rays that hit the cell, the more electricity the solar powered product generates.

Solio designs some of my favorite solar powered products because their whole focus is on sustainability. They have a really great website that posts pictures from people all over the world who are using their solar products. It’s very cool.

Solio assimilates and transforms emissions from the sun into a positive input that allows other earth systems to flourish. They go to great lengths to find components from the most sustainable sources to bring renewable energy to the forefront of design.

The more you use solar powered products, the less carbon dioxide you emit into the atmosphere. You can charge all of your hand held electronics at home. Solio’s a hybrid and can accept power from either the sun or the wall storing the energy within its internal rechargeable battery.

There are 3 Solio Chargers to choose from, varying in battery capacity and design: the Solio Classic, the Solio Hybrid 1000 and the Solio Magnesium. This is definitely a great way to add a little more “green” to your life, plus you’ll look cool doing so!

San Francisco’s board of supervisors has finally approved the Solar Energy Incentive Program making San Fran the country’s largest municipal solar program. The program has been a go for 10 years with an annual budget of $3 million dollars. The money will be allotted as rebates in the form of tax incentives for private solar installations. The project enactment still needs approval from Mayor Newsom, who has been supporting this program. It’s expected that the solar energy incentive program will be in effect in the coming weeks.

The agenda is designed to lessen the cost of solar initiatives for city residents and influence private dollars to get more solar on San Franciscans’ roofs. Local solar installers, including Sun Run, Akeena Solar and SolarCity, all showed up throughout the long six-month proceedings to express their approval of the program, explaining it would provide jobs and clean power for the foggy city.

The program grants a $3,000 to $6,000 rebate to individuals and a $10,000 rebate to businesses on solar installations. The board also passed a introductory program of $1.5 million, (one year trial program), aimed specifically at helping low-income San Franciscans and nonprofits. This submission still needs to be approved on a final read by the board, but may mean San Fran will be paying $4.5 million for solar roofs by the end of the year. Way to go San Fran!

This company is by far the coolest solar light company I’ve come across. Solar Cynergy is a creative leader in the field of sustainable solar energy. They’ve been around three decades, starting in Japan and now with a base in the U.S. as well.

This is not your average lighting that you purchase at your local store. These are designed to be fixed into pavement, but can also be set into stonework, gravel, or even soil to accentuate any area. They come in different shapes, such as circles, squares or rectangles and several colors such as red, blue and white.

The multifaceted solar LED pavers will add a whimsical accent to pathways, around pools, or driveways. The use of basic LED and ultracapacitors store the sun’s energy in their capacitors, without having to use batteries. They last a very long time, (reported to run for 15 hours after charging for 8), and the power is free. Just put them in the sun and they work! The solar unit charges during the day and turns on automatically at sunset.

Solar Cynergy’s mixture of pragmatic aesthetics and purposeful efficiency will highlight your home for a lifetime with their weather resiliency, durability and 10 year warranty.

An eco-friendly, reliable and smart alternative to traditional lights for your home using simple, dynamic, durable design!

Blue solar light:

Square solar light:

Circle light:

www.solarcynergy.com