This really is nothing beyond a symbolic way of saying that France intends to go green and that the French government is ready to embrace eco-friendly technology. But the good thing about cutting the sizzle off of the Eiffel Tower is that it is actually being acknowledged as just a ‘symbolic gesture’ and no one is trying to make a big deal out of it in terms of energy saving. While many might welcome the move, one could surely save plenty of power somewhere else rather than dim the lights on Paris’ most striking monuments.

Since January 1, 2000, every hour after dusk, the 20,000 bulbs twinkle brilliantly for ten minutes in what has become a tourist hit. But starting next month, Sete, the company subcontracted by Paris to run the tower, has decided to half the time the bulbs are on, cutting illumination from 400 to 200 hours per year. The decision is part of a plan to make the Eiffel tower and other monuments more environmentally friendly.

Tickets and documents in the tower are made of recycled paper, and management claims that all the electricity used comes from renewable sources. It is currently studying a plan to put solar panels on the roof of its restaurants. This latest green initiative comes just after the “city of light” completed a massive five-year energy saving plan to replace the standard incandescent light bulbs with metal iodide light bulbs on 125 of its monuments.

Now you could still use solar power of even tiny windmills to power the lights on the Eiffel rather than cut the time in half. The tourists are surely not going to take to it all too well and while it is for a wonderful green cause, there are surely other ways of awareness than taking the sheen of France’s eternal symbol of lights and love.

Via Telegraph

‘Green is in’ and it seems to be growing ‘in’ to a way of life that is becoming a part of our homes more and more with each passing day. There was a time when people perceived green gadgets as ungainly stuff that would appear out of place in their sophisticated and stylish homes. But today perception has been radically altered by modern designers who are capable of weaving magic via their production of revolutionary gadgets. Eco-friendly gadgets and alternate sources of energy are now more popular than ever before thanks to their innovative designs.

Photosynthesis is a device by designer Vivien Muller, which is a solar-cell bonsai lookalike, tree charger. You can charge your cell, your Mp3 player or a number of other electronic gadgets by plugging in to the tree. With its’ 57 photovoltaic panels, the sun can power your tree during the day. Obviously you need to place it close to a window with plenty of sunshine and it will just go about doing its job quietly.

While the entire concept looks great and the ‘Metallic’ look is really futuristic, it would have been nice if it had little dots of LED that would be powered up at night to create a more spectacular visual display. Since LEDs consume little power, it would still be ideal for charging up your gadgets. Irrespective of all that, Photosynthesis lives up to its name for sure.

Via Yankodesign

This is the irony of the eco-world portrayed at its very best as we use the red hot sun to make ice as and when we need it. This is probably why we call the Sun as the ultimate source of energy. It pretty much can do everything- from melting huge glaciers to now creating ice with its heat energy. Of course, it is not without a little helping hand from science and the creative brilliance of some folk at San Jose State University, but that is something we would gladly take any day.

This zero-emission solar powered icemaker is not just a revolution because of the touch of irony that it brings in but it paves way for future technology that could provide emission-free cooling solutions. In simple terms, all refrigerators and even air conditioners could very well be solar powered very soon and at an affordable price. Considering how the air conditioning part of home devices consumes tons of energy across the planet, this is indeed a welcome change.

It works like this: the solar icemaker uses a refrigerant liquid that evaporates when exposed to the sun. The vapor travels through pipes that come into contact an absorbent material, which cools when the sun goes down. Once the slow-cooling absorbent hits 104°F, the refrigerant turns back into a liquid and its temperature drops like a rock to below freezing because of pressure differences. Now water exposed to these vapors turns instantly to ice. The icemaker makes about 14 pounds of ice per day and that should be pretty much enough for you to have pet Penguins!

Via: Dvice

Ever wondered if your handbag could carry more than it usually does? Do you have to choose between your cell phone charger and lip-gloss to have space in your bag? You are listening to you favourite song during a road block and your i-pod conchs off…and you don’t know what to do?
Well, for all those who have faced this and other power issues, there’s a good news. A handbag that can charge your electric gadgets while on move. Don’t believe me?

Solar bags are not a new but so far have proved to be an expensive option. From $1500 for a briefcase, to $300-$400 for a carry-on style bag, to $250 for a beach bag. All of which are fairly ugly. They grasp desperately onto some appeal factor by looking like anything you can pick up at a designer store, but end up utterly unspectacular except for the sore-thumb solar cells on the sides. Luckily, women - or men exceedingly comfortable with their sexuality - will be able to have their style and solar power too.
Cost competitive for other bags we’ve seen (though still pretty pricy), is the new Solarjo Power Purse. Coming in at $285, it’s about what someone with extra cash would spend on a fancy purse. And this one looks like something you might find at a nicer department store – in fact, it looks really stylish. The handbag, which is the brainchild of mechanical engineering student Joe Hynek, has already been well-received by eco-conscious fashion websites.

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The purse is covered in solar cells that can soak up enough sun in two hours to charge a cell phone battery. The PV cells are laminated for protection from scratches, and two batteries held in the lining of the purse hold a full charge that can last for up to a month. A USB port inside the purse can be used for charging most any small device, from phones to cameras, palm pilots to iPods. Basically, someone can just plop it on a window sill at work or some sunny location, wait for a charge, and plug in their doo-dads, all with the purse functioning exactly as a purse should – no obtrusive wires or obnoxiously geeky give-aways.

It’ll be available by the end of 2008 for people who want to flash their attachment to the green movement with something that won’t clash with their outfit. It definitely has the potential to get picked up by some hip celebrity and then they’ll go flying off shelves.

Considering it’ll cost no more than a designer bag already costs, it looks great, and you’ll get free solar power, I think this is a pretty big breakthrough in solar power fashion. Simply plug in your mobile phone, camera or iPod - and begin praying the sun will come out.

Via DailyMail

Now-a-days one and all are on the go to explore spanking new green stuff in each facet of life. Accordingly, the world is seeking out ecofriendly means to preserve energy and exploit renewable solar power. An exemplar of this is latest teeny weeny solar fan. Encompassing a diameter of 7.3 cm this mini clip fan would certainly placates you while you are away from home in a scorching heat. Furthermore there is no tension to change batteries since it is charged merely by sunlight. This inimitable creation is accessible to us at a nominal price of $10 at GadgetBrando.

Via GeekAlerts

As a substitute to renting out solar power set ups, PSE&G is committed to help people possess their own solar power systems in New Jersey. PSE&G agenda is to outline utterly green ambiance by financing public who aspires to mount solar panels at their dwelling. Under this line up, up to 6 MW competence solar system installations are entitled for mortgage. At any point in time, production of 1MWH solar energy would dig up one solar renewable energy credit which is worth $475 or market value, either is more. With an interest rate of 6.5% for a decade plan, this loan scheme offered by PSE&G seems to be moving and rational since loan amount could also be compensated back effortlessly based on the SREC received.

Via TreeHugger

The Sun is rising in political spheres! Valuing the sun as renewable source of clean solar power, the EU supergrid gets a crucial political backing from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It is jointly decided now that the vast desert of Sahara would be the land where dozens of solar farms will be constructed as a part of the $71 Billion EU supergrid infrastructure. The latter is an initiative taken by the European Commission to meet the continent’s electricity demands in future. The clean power generated by this supergrid will be shared by all the EU countries.
It is projected that each farm of the supergrid will generate upto 200 Megawatts of power. This would then be transferred to EU states via high voltage DC transmission, which is a better option over AC lines. The energy loss incurred over long distances is much lesser when DC lines are used. The decision to build solar panels in Sahara originates from the simple fact that the desert receives intense sunlight throughout year which can be effectively harnessed.

 According to an estimate PhotoVoltaic panels installed in Sahara will be 3 times more energy efficient (in terms of electricity generation) than those fitted in the European countries.
The project’s success will effectively reconfirm that solar power will be the most potent among renewable energy sources which also include wind and geothermal powers.

Via: treehugger

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What kills roughly 2 million people but is not AIDS? Answer: indoor cooking related diseases. Shocked? This fact is found and recorded in a World Health Organization report. The problem aggravates in villages where modern gas burners are rarely available and the smoke chullas (stoves) are vicious enough to choke your lungs!
In an attempt to alleviate this situation, students from MIT have designed a clean solar cooker out of yak-wool canvas panels, for villagers of the Himalayan region. The panels are stretched over bamboo ribs and faced with reflective Mylar in a manner that in first look you might think it to be some sort of an umbrella!

But this unique light weight cooking device comes for only $17 and for an extra $26 one can attach a metal coil for heating one’s house. This solar cooker helps in cutting down carbon emission as opposed to the traditional yak dung or wood fuel the cooker uses solar power to make yummy food! Its design has won a prize and loads of public attention at the MIT IDEAS competition and in near future one may happen to find it in markets for sale. This means clean and green cooking at an affordable price and no more choking or coughing over horrible gas stoves!

Via: wiredscience

Don’t you some times wish that the air you breathe inside your house should be more pure? Atleast that’s what the latest AC models backed with ion technology try to get your attention to. But how many of us can really afford these high-end air conditioners?

Now, there’s a cheaper and greener solution, which promises to revitalize you by refreshing your space indoor in a completely non-polluting, non-toxic manner! That’s Extend for you. A green gadget which exploits the much talked about ion technology and purifies the indoors of your sweet home.

Designed by Matteo Ragni, Extend comes from the house of industrial designer Sander Brouwer. The green gadget (as per its creators) purifies the air with negatively charged ions, which are released from its body. Extend is a sleek looking no-fuss gadget. Its flexibility allows itself to be used as both a fit in panel and a single-fit anywhere inside the house. It operates on solar power and very nicely compliments the little green corner within the four walls of your dwelling place. I guess it won’t be too much on your part then to extend yourself to newer possibilities and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Via SanderBrouwer

Solar energy undoubtedly is one of the cleaner and greener power sources. But currently, the solar cells which harness the sun’s radiation and convert them into electricity aren’t cheap enough to be utilized at mass scale. Thus, the true potential of this renewable energy still remains to be channeled for the larger benefits of society.

But now, scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a new devise which they say is an efficient and practical solar power device. The latter acts as a solar concentrator and is considered to be a key in making solar energy more affordable in the near future. Scientists at MIT used several glass sheets and coated them with organic dyes to concentrate the sunlight hitting on the solar panes. The organic dyes upon absorption of sunlight emit it onto the glass sheet which in turn carries the light to the edges of the pane following the example of transport of light through fiber-optics. In this solar concentrator, small solar cells are located at the edges of the glass sheets.These cells convert sun’s photons into electricity.

Researches hope that this technology can bring down the cost of running a solar power unit down and much closer to that used by conventional methods of power generation (fossil fuel burning). The current type of solar concentrators available in the market use either lenses or mirrors to concentrate sunlight. However, in this new solar power device, glass sheets used are light weight and flat shaped. These can be used on roofs or as windows that could generate power for the entire house/ building. This new device is under testing and the final product ready for the market will become available in a couple of years. So far the news itself promises a sustainable tomorrow. I’m waiting when it actually becomes a reality!

Via Enn