Solar Power
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Lightyear One is a long and expensive solar-powered statement car
The Lightyear One is long. Really long. The length and sloping roof make sense, though, once you realize the entire vehicle is powered by the sun. Together, the roof and hood offer a staggering five square meters of integrated solar cells underneath a safety glass which, the company promises, is strong enough for a clumsy adult to walk on without making dents. I wasn't able to test this claim at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, unfortunately. But early in the morning, before the car-loving masses had shown up, I was able to sit and truly admire its unusual profile for a while.
UAE debuts the world's largest individual solar power project
The United Arab Emirates might still be associated with oil money, but it just set a record for reducing its dependence on oil. The Emirate Water and Electricity Company has started running Noor Abu Dhabi, the largest individual solar power project in the world. At 1.18 gigawatts of peak capacity, it's only eclipsed by solar parks (where multiple projects share space) -- it makes the US' biggest facility, the 569MW Solar Star, seem modest by comparison.
Recommended Reading: Algorithms and school surveillance
Aggression Detectors: The unproven, invasive surveillance technology schools are using to monitor students Jack Gillum and Jeff Kao, ProPublica Following the rise in mass shootings, schools, hospitals and other public places are installing tech to monitor people. Part of this effort includes using algorithm-equipped microphones to capture audio, with the goal of detecting stress or anger before bad things happen. The problem? They aren't reliable and their mere existence is a massive invasion of privacy.
Nissan's zero-emission ice cream truck uses recycled EV batteries
For some, chasing the neighborhood ice cream truck is a favorite summer tradition. But many ice cream trucks have diesel engines, and older models keep those engines running to power the freezers. That means you get a hefty side of CO2 emissions with your cone. Nissan thinks it can change that. To celebrate the UK's Clean Air Day, Nissan unveiled a zero-emission ice cream van concept, called "Sky to Scoop."
Facebook is financing a massive solar farm in Texas
Facebook is investing heavily in a massive solar farm in Texas as it rumbles towards its goal of running entirely on renewable energy by the end of next year. Renewables company Longroad Energy has started building the Prospero Solar project in Andrews County, Texas.
Amtrak's next-gen high-speed trains, and more in the week that was
When it comes to high-speed rail, the US lags behind many other nations - but that's set to change, as the government just gave Amtrak a $2.45 billion loan to launch a new generation of high-speed trains within the next five years. Magnetic levitation technology is often associated with trains, but one engineer came up with a wild concept for a self-driving mag-lev vehicle that doubles as a living room. In other transportation news, a technology group 3D printed a cutting-edge bicycle from scratch, and a group of Gaza students built a sun-powered car to battle the region's fuel crisis.
The best portable solar battery charger
By Mark Smirniotis This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. After considering 70 models and testing portable solar battery chargers for over 30 hours, we think the Anker PowerPort Solar Lite is the one to get if you need to power a small device in an emergency or off the grid. It can fully charge most phones at nearly full speed with less than a day's worth of sunlight.
Scientists make strides in beaming solar power from space
The idea of powering humanity by gathering an endless supply of solar energy from space has taken a huge step towards becoming a reality. Scientists working for JAXA, Japan's space administration, have announced a major breakthrough in wireless power transmission ... in that they've actually been able to do it with a high degree of accuracy for once. The team reportedly beamed 1.8 kilowatts, enough juice to power an electric tea kettle, more than 50 meters to a small receiver without any wires. Up next: scaling the technology for use in tomorrow's orbital solar farms.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Solar-powered yachts, windmills and Apple car rumors
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Tesla has owned the electric car space in recent years, but another major Silicon Valley company could be nipping at its heels -- rumor has it that Apple is developing an electric "minivan-like vehicle" of its own. It's not clear if the rumors are true, but this week electric vehicle battery manufacturer A123 Systems sued Apple for poaching its employees. Porsche is also taking aim at Tesla with plans to launch an all-electric rival to the Model S by 2019. In other green transportation news, Volkswagen has announced plan to build 100 fast electric car-charging stations in the US, and it will invest $10 million to support electric vehicle infrastructure by 2016.
Solar Impulse 2 starts historic round-the-world flight in March
The Solar Impulse 2 team has revealed the route and schedule for its audacious attempt to cross the world powered only by the sun. It'll launch from Abu Dhabi around early March and stop in spots like Chongqing, New York City and Southern Europe before returning to Abu Dhabi. If solar-powered-anything doesn't sound thrilling, let's put things in scale: the 72m (236 foot) aircraft is wider than a Boeing 747, but at 2,300 kilograms (5,000 pounds) weighs less than an SUV. Suffice to say, an aircraft that light won't be terribly comfortable for pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, who will often fly for days at a time in an unheated, unpressurized cockpit.
IKEA's taking its low-cost solar panels to eight more countries
Remember when IKEA started selling solar panels in the UK despite its famous lack of sunshine? It must have been successful, because company CEO Peter Agnefjäll has just pledged that eight more nations will get the service in the next 18 months. First up is the Netherlands, which will begin offering the gear on October 28th, while Swiss stores will launch just before Christmas. The company's remaining tight-lipped on the other six locations, but we'd imagine the bulk of them will be in neighboring European countries. At the same time, Agnefjäll also pledged that, by 2020, all of IKEA's plastic products will be sourced from recycled plastic or renewable materials as part of a pledge to save 700,000 tons of CO2 each year. Clearly someone's been listening to those clever folks down at the UN.
Germany's green energy boom is leaving a 'trail of blood' on coal companies
Since the beginning, the commercial growth of renewable energy has been a laborious, often painful matter of government pushes, tax incentives and campaigning for greater awareness. In Germany, however, the energy market is on the cusp of evolving to the next step: An era in which the sun and the wind replace fossil fuels through the sheer, unstoppable force of the market.
Engadget Daily: Apple buys Beats, LG's G3 inspiration and more!
Today we watched Apple purchase Beats Electronics for $3 billion, investigated the benefits of solar energy, learned about LG's inspiration for the G3 and uncovered a few tricks to help you find new life in your old Wii. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
The Solar Impulse 2 could fly around the world without a drop of fuel
The first time we flew around the world, it was 1924 and it took four pilots 175 days to do it. Flash forward some 90 years, and an ambitious crew in Switzerland is planning to take a stab at it themselves next year. The difference? They're aiming to do it in a plane that's powered solely by the sun.
Gigaom checks out Apple NC data center's renewable-energy infrastructure
Images by Katie Fehrenbacher, Gigaom Apple's huge Maiden, NC, data center has recently become something else -- a net power provider of clean energy to Duke Energy. Gigaom's Katie Fehrenbacher took a look at Apple's new power-production facilities, which generate a total of 50 MW (megawatts) of electricity for a data center that uses about 40 MW of power. There's a 100-acre, 20 MW photovoltaic solar farm right next to Apple's data center, a second 20 MW solar farm about 15 miles away from the center, and a 10 MW fuel cell farm that's also adjacent to the data center. The solar farms use huge arrays of photovoltaic cells that tilt to follow the sun during the day. Grass was planted underneath the arrays, and Apple contracts with a local company to have sheep keep the grass neatly clipped (and presumably to fertilize it...). The fuel-cell farm is rather compact, and uses biogas to fuel the big cells. The fuel cells are manufactured and operated by Bloom Energy of Sunnyvale, Calif., and use a chemical reaction to convert the methane in biogas and oxygen in the air to create electricity, heat, water and CO2 as side products. All in all, Fehrenbacher's investigative report is a fascinating look at how Apple has chosen to dive into the world of clean energy production with enthusiasm.
Daily Update for November 18, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Insert Coin: OnBeat headphones are powered by rock, the sun
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Granted, they're lacking that ever-important rapper endorsement, but the OnBeats do have one important thing on their side: that giant atom-smashing ball in the sky. The black and orange prototypes feature a solar panel on the headphone band, with a battery in each ear cup. The panel feeds the batteries, which charge your phone via USB. For those times when solar charging isn't an option -- or you just need a full backup battery for a long day -- you can also refill the battery by plugging it directly into the wall. The headphones' Scotland-based creator Andrew Anderson is asking the Kickstarter community for a lofty £200,000, with a little over a month to make up the £197,000 and change. If you want in, a £69 pledge will get you a discounted pair (in the Kickstarter-only black and green), with expected delivery around February of next year. Check out Anderson's video plea after the break, along with some early OnBeat prototypes -- and a sunshiney Spotify playlist to get you started.
America's most sustainable city: A green dream deferred
It sounds like the future. Whirring electric skateboards, the joyous chatter of children in a distant playground and an unusual absence of petrol-powered machinery. It looks like the future, too. Glistening lakes dotting the background, lawns so lush they're mistaken for artwork and an unmistakable reflection from a vast solar farm that doubles as a beacon of unending hope. The reality, however, is starkly different. The depictions here are mere conceptualizations, and the chore of concocting the most Jetsonized habitat this side of Orbit City is daunting in every sense of the word. %Gallery-192890%
Inhabitat's Week in Green: flying electric car, 3D-printed livers and a two-story-tall bike
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. The Northern Hemisphere is finally beginning to wake up from a long, cold winter, and green vehicles are taking to the skies. This week Korean automaker Hyundai unveiled a multi-rotor flying electric car for congested cities and SolarWorld and PC-Aero announced plans to launch two new solar-powered electric airplanes at an air show in Germany. Speaking of sun-powered planes, the Solar Impulse just made its final test flight around the San Francisco Bay Area before embarking on a cross-country voyage next week. Even cycling is reaching new heights -- bike hacker Richie Trimble recently built a two-story-tall bike that soars above car traffic.
Goal Zero's Sherpa 50 Solar Recharging Kit powers your tech off the grid
A month after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the eastern seaboard of the United States, there are still thousands of people without power to their homes. Fortunately for many of those people, they've been able to charge smartphones and tablets or run appliances temporarily thanks to Goal Zero, a Utah-based company that produces solar generator kits that can energize anything from a single phone to critical medical units depending on the size. A number of Goal Zero's kits have been donated to the relief effort. Goal Zero provided TUAW with a prototype Sherpa 50 Solar Recharging Kit (US$449.99) that can provide you with off-the-grid energy for your tech equipment. Let's take a look. Design The Sherpa 50 Solar Recharging Kit provides all three parts of a workable solar power system -- a solar panel, a battery to store the electrical energy created by the panel and a way to get the power from the battery to your device. There are actually three pieces to the kit that give you the functionality you need: the Nomad 13 Solar Panel, which charges the Sherpa 50 Recharger that then distributes the power to your devices. An inverter is also available to power AC devices. The Nomad 13 isn't all that large, but will recharge the Sherpa 50's battery in about five hours. That battery will give your laptop two hours of life or an iPad up to 15 hours of happy computing. The Sherpa 50's battery pack can also be charged from a normal AC wall outlet in about two to three hours or from a car power outlet in four to six hours. This is useful if you plan on using the Sherpa 50 for emergency situations; you'll always be able to have a fully charged battery. Then when the power goes out or you're away from the grid, you can simply use the Nomad 13 solar panel to recharge the battery in about five hours. The Sherpa 50 provides 50 Watt-hours of power. Just as a comparison, Mophie's largest battery pack, the Powerstation PRO, provides only about 6 Watt-hours of power in a pinch. In addition, that Powerstation PRO needs a wall outlet in order to be recharged. Not so with the Sherpa 50, since you can be anywhere there's sunlight and recharge the battery pack. You might think that with all of this available power that the kit is huge. Not so; the Nomad 13 solar panel has an area of 10.5 inches x 9 inches when folded, and with the Recharger put into the net pocket on the back, it's only about 1.5 inches thick. Weight-wise, the entire package (without the AC adapter for recharging) is only three pounds, seven ounces. Functionality The Sherpa 50 is nicely constructed and feels very robust. The case that the Nomad solar panel comes in has hanging loops all the way around, perfect for making sure that the panel gets full sunlight for fast charging. There was a plastic covering over the solar cells that I did not remove since the unit had to be returned at the end of the review. The case has a magnetic closure that holds the folding panel closed when in a backpack. Unzipping the net pocket on the back of the panel reveals a junction box that includes a USB port if you wish to try to charge or run a device directly from the sun without using the Sherpa's battery. A color-coded 12V cable plugs into a port on the back of the Sherpa 50 to charge its battery -- that cable is quite long so that the Sherpa 50 can be placed in the shade while the panels are in full sunlight. There's also a "chain" cable for daisy-chaining up to three more panels for ultra-fast charging. Finally, a fourth cable is used to charge up rechargeable AA batteries in one of Goal Zero's Guide 10 power packs. The Sherpa 50 uses a Lithium-Ion NMC battery pack, and can hold its charge for several months. Goal Zero recommends recharging the pack every three to four months or keeping the pack plugged in between uses. On the back is a bright LED bulb that can be used as a flashlight, as well as a bunch of output ports for various purposes -- 12V, USB and a 19V laptop port. Touching the on/off switch turns the battery pack on and displays the state of charge on a small backlit LCD. That LCD also becomes visible when you plug the Nomad panel into the Sherpa 50 for recharging. The final piece of the kit is the Sherpa's inverter "sidecar" (sold separately), which attaches to the battery pack with one bolt and takes the 12 volt input and produces 110 Volt AC power at up to 65 watts. My first test of the Sherpa 50 was to see if I could run my MacBook Air off of the device for a while. To do this, I plugged the MacBook Air's AC adapter into the outlet on the inverter, flipped the switch to "on" and a few seconds later the charging light came on. Success! Unlike some inverters I've used in the past that make an annoying buzz, the Sherpa was virtually silent. Conclusion The Sherpa 50 Solar Recharging Kit is the complete deal for keeping your technology up and running off the grid. Whether you're planning an adventure to a part of the world where power is unavailable or want to be prepared for situations where the power might be out for extended periods of time, it's a reasonably priced solution that can keep your devices going. Unfortunately, Goal Zero has had to push out availability of the Sherpa 50 kit, and at this time it's not available for order from the company's Web site. If you're interested specifically in the Sherpa 50 kit, I suggest that you visit the company's site on a regular basis to see when it is finally available to the public. I'm seriously considering getting one of these units, although I live in a part of the country where the power company does a great job of keeping the lights on. But I do some volunteer work where I need the ability to charge or power devices -- an iPad, a camera and a low-power amateur radio transceiver -- and may not always have access to reliable power. The Sherpa 50 Solar Recharging Kit would be perfect for that use case. Pros Lightweight and compact Ability to charge just about any consumer electronic device Even works (although not as fast) in cloudy conditions Battery pack can hold a charge for several months Additional solar panels can be daisy-chained for faster charging Cons Not available for sale at this time Who is it for? Anyone looking for reliable power for consumer electronics devices in remote locations or emergency situations
