For all you Bluetooth users or soon-to-be Bluetooth converts, LG has a greener solution: the Solar Bluetooth Car Kit. Mount this light-weight box to your windshield and you’re good to go…and talk. Holding enough charge for 16 hours of talk time, the kit can get 1 hour of talk time for every 2 hours of exposure. Plastic clasps keep the box angled at the sun so you can careen around corners without losing light. And say you do have to sit through a storm and need some juice, there is the old-fashioned cigarette lighter charger option. Plus, with it only weighing 72 oz, you can move it from car to car.

From: Ecogeek

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a boat that your family could take out to nearby pristine sandy beaches with crystal clear blue water and billions of tropical fishes? And wouldn’t it be nice if, somehow, that boat didn’t disrupt the fishes, or the environment, in any way? And while we’re dreaming (here in Montana we haven’t escaped from the 40s yet, and it’s raining), let’s throw in some solar panels as well. 

 Now it is possible with the new half-boat half-bike.  This is perfect for the local lake or pond that does not have too large of waves or current to overturn the boat.  This boat has two ways of operating; the first is by someone pedaling the boat, similar to riding a bike.  The other option is to crank on the solar-powered electric motor.  Either way you choose to power the bicycle-boat it is sure to help the environment.   

 From: Gizmodo

The EcoPower faucet recharges itself every time it is used. The flowing water causes a turbine to spin, creating a current that’s stored in the rechargeable batteries. The faucet will stay charged with as few as five uses per day.

From Cleantechnica

The one I really find interesting is the environment report, which mentioned they’ve increased energy efficiency 28% in the last 5 years and emissions an estimated 15% over the same period. In addition, they are “committed to reduce [their] greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent on an absolute basis from 2007 to 2010.” They are also investing in envrionment education.

Go Staples! Reduced emissions and reduced energy usage.

From What’s the Diff.

A little-noticed provision of the energy bill, which is expected to become law, phases out the 125-year-old bulb in the next four to 12 years in favor of a new generation of energy-efficient lights that will cost consumers more but return their investment in a few months.

General Electric (GE) says it’ll develop an incandescent that’s 30% stingier than today’s bulbs by 2010. Earl Jones, a GE senior counsel, says it likely will cost more than current bulbs but less than a fluorescent.

Where does your candidate of choice stand?

Let’s assume that you’re using a 23w compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) to replace a 75w incandescent bulb and that the CFL has an 8,000 hour lifespan. 75-23= 52w saved per bulb replaced. 52x *8(kw)*.1(kw/h cost)= $41.6 saved in energy costs over the life of the CFL. Not bad.

But wait, there’s more! We now need to figure in the savings of not having to replace the incandescent bulb. Assuming the bulb has a life of 1,000 hours, we saved replacing 8 bulbs and at a cost of $.5 each, that’s an extra $4 saved. $41.6+4 = $45.6 saved by using the CFL.

$45.6 - $3 (for the cost of the CF)L is a total savings of $42.6.

Average payback period is:
$45.6/8000 = .0057

3/.0057 = 526 hours of lamp usage. That’s 132 days if the lamp is on for 4 hours per day. Nice.

Writers note: Math doesn’t tend to be one of my strong points, so feel free to comment and correct any errors. Image form Grey Wind.

It’s won numerous awards, but here are some of the highlighted ones:

• Creative Child Magazine Game of the Year
• National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval
• GreatDad Recommendation
• The Toy Man Award of Excellence

I love it when companies actually practice what they preach and Xeko does just that. In addition to attempting to raise awareness using the game itself, Xeko: offers a program to recycle booster pack wrappers, donates a portion of sales to Conservation International, and even manufactures cards from recycled paper.

Disclosure: I do contract work for Xeko.

• the world’s first printed thin-film solar cell in a commercial panel product;
• the world’s first thin-film solar cell with a low-cost back-contact capability;
• the world’s lowest-cost solar panel – which we believe will make us the first solar manufacturer capable of profitably selling solar panels at as little as $.99/Watt;
• the world’s highest-current thin-film solar panel – delivering five times the current of any other thin-film panel on the market today and thus simplifying system deployment;

Their blog also went on to announce that that first panels will be used for freefield deployment in Eastern Germany and that the first Megawatt of the panels will go into a power plant installation there.

As far as the first three of our commercial panels are concerned:

Panel #1 will remain at Nanosolar for exhibit.
Panel #2 can be purchased by you in an auction on eBay starting today.
Panel #3 has been donated to the Tech Museum in San Jose.

Thanks Metaefficient.