Solar power is everywhere, just waiting to be utilized. But how do we use it? How do we take full advantage? Check out the video above, then read on, for some tips on using solar power while camping.
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Unless you’re a homeless person or an old guy with a bagged lunch, park benches are pretty unappealing. The Solar Inside concept, by Boston-based Owen Song, makes these respites a point of interest by fitting them with solar panels and Wi-Fi. At night, the bench uses its spare juice to light up. The electronics are tucked into the bench frame itself and covered with solar panel. The whole thing is wrapped with a party-transparent cover to give that eco-friendly look. For more green points, the bench is constructed of aluminum and recycled plastic. I’m wondering where the Internet signal itself will come from, but for now, just enjoy the concept of basking in the sun and the Web together. [Coroflot via Wired]
Okay, so the Segway didn’t exactly change the way cities are built, as inventor Dean Kamen once suggested. After all, how many people need and can afford a $5,000 gyroscope scooter that you still have to stand in to ride? Now, GM and Segway are working on a reinvention, dubbed the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project, or P.U.M.A., for now. With help from a lithium battery, the self-balancing two-wheeler nearly triples the speed of the original Segway at 35 miles per hour and seats two for a luxurious tours of the city — smells and all. Worried about accidents? The P.U.M.A. can apparently talk to surrounding vehicles to avoid collisions. There’s no street date in sight, but the vehicle is set to debut at the New York Auto Show this week. It’ll probably cost about a quarter of what you’d spend on a typical car. Video after the jump…
As if Twitter didn’t already focus on the most excruciating details of daily life, the Tweet-a-Watt is here to broadcast your power consumption to the world. Plus, each device only reads one outlet, so you can really get down to the nitty-gritty. Modified from a Kill-a-Watt energy reader, the Tweet-a-Watt slowly charges up just enough power to communicate with a nearby computer via an XBee receiver, then uses a predefined Twitter account to automatically publish the stats. After purchasing a $20 Kill-a-Watt, the package of DIY components cost $90. You can also buy additional kits for monitoring multiple outlets and coordinate with a single tweet for $40 each. You’ll be the pride of all your random followers. [Adafruit via Cnet]
Every kw/h counts when you’re trying to go green or save money on bills. The Efergy Elite helps the cause by reading household energy use and displaying the data on a wireless device. Because it can instantly show how much power is being drawn, it’s possible to determine which individual gadgets are the biggest drains by turning them on and off. As Dvice points out, it would be cool if the Elite could import data to a PC for graphing, but if you really get obsessed, you could certainly get a little creative with Word or Excel. The Efergy Elite is available in the U.K. for £44.95, but it’s not clear if the device will reach the U.S. [Gizoo via Dvice]
We’ve previously written about the Brammo Enertia electric motorcycle, which rides for 45 minutes on a single charge at up to 53 mph. Come May, you’ll actually be able to get one for just $12,000 if you’re near any of the five selected Best Buy locations to carry it. Eventually, the bike will come to all of Best Buy’s U.S. stores, plus some in Europe and China. Interestingly enough, Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher believes his company is selling a product that’s “a lot closer to consumer electronics than to transportation.” Best Buy’s Geek Squad will reportedly do smaller repairs — simultaneously a cool and terrifying concept — using the store’s garage bays that Bramscher says are “underutilized.” Bigger jobs will have to go to a distribution center. It’s not clear whether the Geek Squad will first slap on a $200 diagnostic fee and then decide the bike needs virus cleaning (and then use 2 hours of labor looking for homemade porn on your machine). [Greentech Media via Engadget]
If you’ve got a Nintendo DS and about $20 bucks to spare, this could be a mod worth doing. With four 60 mm x 60 mm solar panels, each providing a maximum of 3 volts at 40 ma power output, modder “dark sponge” made his DS self-sustaining. There’s a bit soldering and wiring required, but nothing that demands a master electrician. The trickle charger completely does away with the need for a charger, sponge claims, but that obviously depends on how frequently you game and how much sunlight is around. At least you’ll look a little bit cooler playing video games in the park. [Instructables via SlashGear]
Samsung appeases the treehugger set with the Blue Earth mobile phone. The first thing you’ll notice is its solar panel that provides enough charge to make a phone call in sunlight, but that’s not all. An “eco-mode” cuts down on unnecessary backlighting, brightness and bluetooth. The body is made of PCM — a plastic extracted from water bottles — and there are no harmful substances, such as Brominated Flame Retardants, Beryllium and Phthalatein, in the handset or charger. If all this doesn’t make you feel earthy enough, an “eco walk” app tells you how much CO2 you didn’t emit by walking instead of driving. There’s little else in the way of specs, but who cares? It’s green! Look for it in the UK during the second half of the year, price TBD. [Pocket-lint via Engadget]
Despite the glaring need for a more creative, interesting name, the Solar Tree is a great solution for all you casual green enthusiasts that aren’t keen on fully converting your home to solar power. Throw it in your backyard, unfold it to get a little r & r in the shade, and harness the power of the sun to provide electricity to your home. The Solar Tree was designed by Gurdeep Sandhu. No word on power specs or price yet, but the device does provide 16 square meters of shade–much more than the traditional “solar” tree. Looks like a promising product in a green-crazy world. And just wait until you’re trendy green friend comes over and tries to show off her recycled sweater. Check and mate. [slippery brick]
