OffGrid
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Nissan is using recycled Leaf batteries to power street lights
Nissan is using old Leaf batteries in a very meta way: To power streetlights that will make roads safer for vehicles and pedestrians. Called "The Light Reborn," it uses a solar panel that charges up a battery, which can then power the LED at night with no external connection required. Nissan is testing the product today in Namie, Japan -- a city that was abandoned after the Fukushima nuclear disaster -- and plans to do a full-scale installation in the town later this year.
Incipio's offGRID 4,000 mAh Capacity backup battery is a life-saving travel companion
In the last decade, cellphones and tablets have gone from important, but simple communication devices to replacing computers, cameras, radios and more. As this winter's unpredictable weather has shown us, we never know when the ability to charge our phones will be stolen cruelly by God or poor city planning. As part of being a prepared adult individual, it's important to consider having a backup charging option for your communication devices when the power goes out, and the Incipio offGRID 4,000 mAh backup battery is a great low-cost solution. Utilizing a 2.1 A output USB port for charging devices, the offGRID's powerful energy supply is robust enough to provide two and a half full charges to a completely dead iPhone 4s or 5c. To test this function, we fully charged the offGRID, and then tested how long it would take to bring a fully dead iPhone 4s battery back to life. We then repeated the test again with the iPhone 5c. In each case, the battery was able to fully charge the phones in a little more than two hours. We then drained the offGRID of power completely and let it sit for a week completely dead. Once the backup battery was recharged, and the charging experiment was run again. The offGRID ran perfectly with no issues, and still held the exact same amount of charge after a week of sitting dead. Obviously after a few months of usage, battery life will go down, but it's nice to know if you screw up and forget to fully charge it for a while, your battery is still going to provide a solid backup. The battery charges via an included micro-USB cable, which was a nice surprise to find inside the box. Since switching to iOS devices, I have fewer micro-USB cables around, and the one that comes with the offGRID is three feet long. Including a high-quality cable of a reasonable length is a big selling point for travelers who pick one up on the road and might have access to oddly located plugs. Best of all, the device is small enough to easily slide into a backpack pocket without taking up much-needed traveling space. The device can be charged while still charging your phone, allowing you to kill two birds with one highly charged electrical wire. If you have any issues, you can look forward to a one-year warranty from the manufacturer. The offGRID 4,000mAh is incredibly affordable, setting you back US$49.99. Given its year-long warranty, ability to keep you going an extra two to three charges when you're away from an outlet and light, easily transportable build, it comes highly recommended. Don't find yourself without power when you need it. If you end up off the grid, the offGRID is a great backup plan.
Inhabitat Earth Day special: how to go off-grid with your gadgets
The Week in Green is a new item from our friends at Inhabitat, recapping the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. Today is Earth Day, so we're happy to have Inhabitat contributing this How-to guide for us. Earth Day isn't just a time for Birkenstock-clad hippies to preach about living off the land. It's also an opportunity to stop and think about some of the easy ways we can lighten our load on the planet, and disconnect from the tether of the electrical outlet and the office cubicle and enjoy the great outdoors. For gadget lovers, that means going off the grid -- whether with mobile solar, wind, hand crank chargers, or hydroelectric power. Below, take a look at some of our favorite off-the-grid gadgets.
Palm Pre finds fan off the grid
Alright, so you've no doubt seen plenty of Palm Pre reviews by this point (even if there's only one you really need), but we're guessing you haven't seen one quite like this one from PreCentral forum user Michael Bunker, who has been using the phone completely off the grid for the past three weeks (if you don't count the cell service, that is). Among other things, Bunker found that the Pre was particularly helpful for selling cows over the internet, keeping watch on any oncoming tornadoes, checking for the cheapest gas prices in the nearby towns, and catching up on the odd TV show (since he doesn't have an actual TV). Of course, he does also have a few complaints about the phone, including the familiar refrain of hoping to "see some more apps." Hit up the link below for the full review.[Via PreCentral.net]
