Interesting ways to be „green”.
Being “Green” is sometimes complicated, inconvenient and just an extra hassle?
I would like to present some chosen products of the “green” technology that themselves may actually be proofs of the contrary.
Let's start with a solar powered keyboard. Have you ever thought "well, it'd be cool having a cordless keyboard because I dislike cords, but more so I dislike all of these weaknesses of cordless devices, like having to replace batteries or plug multiple usb receivers so it's not worth it for me after all".
Here comes this and it saves the day in a very nice fashion:
Source: http://cdn.ubergizmo.com/photos/2010/10/logitech-k750-solar.jpg
A 7mm thin, solar powered wireless keyboard with a battery that lasts for 3 months in total darkness - though your monitor's light is enough to start charging it so technically the batteries never die unless you live in a cave with no light and no monitor.
It also comes with an unifying usb receiver that connects all of your logitech wireless devices like mice, webcams etc to one usb slot. If you have more of these receivers you can plug them into your PS3 or Xbox360 and use your keyboard with multiple devices at the same time.
Awesome isn't it? To add to the niceness of this device, it's probably the coolest-looking keyboard (by far the slimmest, it's only 33% as thick as the Apple keyboard to put it in a better perspective) and very comfortable to type on.
Some reviews:
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/12/09/logitech-wireless-solar-keyboard-k750-review/
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1475/3/
Another nice idea turned real thanks to Kickstarter is the Ginkgo Solar Tree (and many other similar solar trees and stand-alone current-gen solar chargers).
It is a product resembling a tree, but instead of leaves, it contains solar panels. It also contains a built in 4000mAh battery and a USB port with which you can charge any mobile device like your phone, mp3 player, secondary battery etc.
You can see it on this video:
Similar, nice products from the same company include the solar sunflower:
http://candydish.typepad.com/.a/6a00e551a95fd08833017ee9861a17970d-800wi
And a solar tree:
http://www.totalmerchandise.co.uk/uploads/product-images/solar_tree_a.jpg
Want to go camping or hiking just with your backpack and scared you might run out of battery in your phone, knowing you will be far from civilization?
The solar-charged backpack can help you.
“The six-watt solar panel powers a 2,400mAh battery, and one hour of sunlight is able to generate roughly a 25 percent charge for smartphones, connected via a range of USB connectors."
http://cdn-static.zdnet.com/i/story/70/00/026382/bag.jpg
Currently there are so many “green”, “solar powered” gadgets that might get you discouraged, however, that it is understandable it might be hard to find a gem like those above. One of the great examples of such poor ideas is the range of tiny solar panels attached to low quality batteries often known as the mobile smartphone charger. Usually it takes a very long time to charge using the very small and old-generation solar power, and the included battery is not well protected from the heat which kills the battery quickly. Such devices currently are not recommended, since they can only make solar energy look less than appealing, but in reality it’s only bad implementation of it. Let it not bother you though, since searching and review reading will get you to really amazing devices that are green, actually make your life simpler and easier and make you feel nice and warm inside about using them.
I also encourage you to Google for solar or otherwise green energy gadgets. You might find something that you will actually like a lot, and find out that green energy can be very helpful and cool, even now, knowing it is not perfected yet.
More links:
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/clean-energy-gadgets/
http://www.pinterest.com/abcosolar/renewable-energy-gadgets/
http://cleantechnica.com/2008/05/05/top-10-renewable-tech-gadgets/
Also, as a bonus about the “cost” issue of solar energy, there is an interesting article about it here:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/306468-the-real-issue-with-solar-energy-isnt-its-cost
While you can view some interesting graphs, you have to be registered to see further contents of the article, but the point it makes is that the cost of energy from solar power near the Equator has reached grid parity. Also, there's no "cost" per se for solar energy as you don't pay for energy, because it's actually free and at the same time 'environment' savings are uncountable. You pay only for the utility to collect that energy.
I think solar energy is cool and I was always a little concerned that people don't really feel like investing in it. It would make the green technology prices lower and the world a much better place where solar panels would be a viable option, and we would have more of such gadgets, they would be more affordable and better. The market is growing - because it's one of the fastest growing markets these days but.. people are still unconvinced or don't care or don't even consider that as an option, and legal issues with self-generating energy in Poland don’t seem to help.
Anyway, the problem for solar energy that this article also pointed out is energy surplus during peak sunlight which would make energy prices.. negative which is a problem for companies providing solar power plants. Personally I think the fossil fuel companies might be the part of the issue, but the reason why people don't use solar energy is initial investment costs and lack of government approval, not to even mention support.
Being “Green” is sometimes complicated, inconvenient and just an extra hassle?
I would like to present some chosen products of the “green” technology that themselves may actually be proofs of the contrary.
Let's start with a solar powered keyboard. Have you ever thought "well, it'd be cool having a cordless keyboard because I dislike cords, but more so I dislike all of these weaknesses of cordless devices, like having to replace batteries or plug multiple usb receivers so it's not worth it for me after all".
Here comes this and it saves the day in a very nice fashion:
Source: http://cdn.ubergizmo.com/photos/2010/10/logitech-k750-solar.jpg
A 7mm thin, solar powered wireless keyboard with a battery that lasts for 3 months in total darkness - though your monitor's light is enough to start charging it so technically the batteries never die unless you live in a cave with no light and no monitor.
It also comes with an unifying usb receiver that connects all of your logitech wireless devices like mice, webcams etc to one usb slot. If you have more of these receivers you can plug them into your PS3 or Xbox360 and use your keyboard with multiple devices at the same time.
Awesome isn't it? To add to the niceness of this device, it's probably the coolest-looking keyboard (by far the slimmest, it's only 33% as thick as the Apple keyboard to put it in a better perspective) and very comfortable to type on.
Some reviews:
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/12/09/logitech-wireless-solar-keyboard-k750-review/
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1475/3/
Another nice idea turned real thanks to Kickstarter is the Ginkgo Solar Tree (and many other similar solar trees and stand-alone current-gen solar chargers).
It is a product resembling a tree, but instead of leaves, it contains solar panels. It also contains a built in 4000mAh battery and a USB port with which you can charge any mobile device like your phone, mp3 player, secondary battery etc.
You can see it on this video:
Similar, nice products from the same company include the solar sunflower:
http://candydish.typepad.com/.a/6a00e551a95fd08833017ee9861a17970d-800wi
And a solar tree:
http://www.totalmerchandise.co.uk/uploads/product-images/solar_tree_a.jpg
Want to go camping or hiking just with your backpack and scared you might run out of battery in your phone, knowing you will be far from civilization?
The solar-charged backpack can help you.
“The six-watt solar panel powers a 2,400mAh battery, and one hour of sunlight is able to generate roughly a 25 percent charge for smartphones, connected via a range of USB connectors."
http://cdn-static.zdnet.com/i/story/70/00/026382/bag.jpg
Currently there are so many “green”, “solar powered” gadgets that might get you discouraged, however, that it is understandable it might be hard to find a gem like those above. One of the great examples of such poor ideas is the range of tiny solar panels attached to low quality batteries often known as the mobile smartphone charger. Usually it takes a very long time to charge using the very small and old-generation solar power, and the included battery is not well protected from the heat which kills the battery quickly. Such devices currently are not recommended, since they can only make solar energy look less than appealing, but in reality it’s only bad implementation of it. Let it not bother you though, since searching and review reading will get you to really amazing devices that are green, actually make your life simpler and easier and make you feel nice and warm inside about using them.
I also encourage you to Google for solar or otherwise green energy gadgets. You might find something that you will actually like a lot, and find out that green energy can be very helpful and cool, even now, knowing it is not perfected yet.
More links:
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/clean-energy-gadgets/
http://www.pinterest.com/abcosolar/renewable-energy-gadgets/
http://cleantechnica.com/2008/05/05/top-10-renewable-tech-gadgets/
Also, as a bonus about the “cost” issue of solar energy, there is an interesting article about it here:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/306468-the-real-issue-with-solar-energy-isnt-its-cost
While you can view some interesting graphs, you have to be registered to see further contents of the article, but the point it makes is that the cost of energy from solar power near the Equator has reached grid parity. Also, there's no "cost" per se for solar energy as you don't pay for energy, because it's actually free and at the same time 'environment' savings are uncountable. You pay only for the utility to collect that energy.
I think solar energy is cool and I was always a little concerned that people don't really feel like investing in it. It would make the green technology prices lower and the world a much better place where solar panels would be a viable option, and we would have more of such gadgets, they would be more affordable and better. The market is growing - because it's one of the fastest growing markets these days but.. people are still unconvinced or don't care or don't even consider that as an option, and legal issues with self-generating energy in Poland don’t seem to help.
Anyway, the problem for solar energy that this article also pointed out is energy surplus during peak sunlight which would make energy prices.. negative which is a problem for companies providing solar power plants. Personally I think the fossil fuel companies might be the part of the issue, but the reason why people don't use solar energy is initial investment costs and lack of government approval, not to even mention support.
Comments
I agree with you, that by lowering prices of these kind of gadgets we could change the way we produce energy nowadays. But I guess to many money and too big corporations are involved in this process, so it is rather impossible to let the green energy get them over.
I think the price is not low, but that is because it's a niche market, and big part of the asking price covers development costs. If everyone purchased one, the price would get extremely affordable, speed up the development of efficient solar cells and save a lot of resources.
Also, it is not only a charger, but also a neatly looking object ;-)
Solar systems are not efficient enough. Those things you've showed are theoretically great, the trees especially(great design).
I would like to point out the other side of the coin. There is enormous amount of green propaganda around us. For instance very old example of Toyota Prius which wasteful production process overweights its greenness.
Next example, the triplets: Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Peugeot iOn, Citroën C-ZERO; BMW i3. You can now buy them for 1/3 of their original price because replacement battery costs 90 grand and you'll have to replace it again after next 3 years. Old batteries must be disposed properly.
Another example, EU forces lower CO2 limits on car manufacturers. They produce smaller engines with more horsepower which are breaking much faster. Manufacturers install many filters like DPF which are expensive and have to be disposed after its short life. It goes on and on.
Also, there are huge areas of empty space in the deserts and in my opinion they should be used as a place for some giant solar panels.
I've heard about an interesting project to put solar panels into space and on the moon. Solar power is the largest potential energy source available now and this way we would be able to get a lot more energy then what we are getting through our atmosphere right now. Part of the moon would always be able to gather energy and it would be nearly enough for all the electrical needs of our whole planet.
Articles about this project and a video about how the energy could be transmitted back to Earth:
- http://news.discovery.com/space/private-spaceflight/turning-the-moon-into-a-giant-space-solar-power-hub-131203.htm
- http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNqEyfVrEug#t=107
I agree with you, but there are many people that are not insterested in solution which will be obsolete in near future.
There are also customers like me who will never buy electric car unless forced to. I just like petrol and real cars too much.
Green energy still developing and it is good opportunity to consider to ourselfs do we personally need it or is it just another unnecessary thing, however, taking in to consideration rising prices on oil, it is just a question of time when alternative power resources (and we are speaking not only about small green devicess, but more about things that could influence the whole society future) would become vital necessity.
I know that someone want to make money
the is no green energy every new technology need energy to create invent it. Often is much less useful.
If we would buy some smart something that is eco improve. It will be charging for free. Real? this need battery and other stuff to collect energy. Production process of this good need energy, a batteries are very harmful for the environment. I think the is not the real eco way of thinking, it's just business.
'green'
'gadet'
'cool"
Aaand, that's a great buisness for someone. What is really 'green' now is waste reduction, or slowing down the 'market growth'. World is all about higher PKB now while in the end it boils down to using more resources than we can afford to use (or Earth is able to reporoduce).
But yeah, having cool green gadgets is cool. And that's about it.
Moreover, I would not call devices presented in the article "eco". They are more handy than "eco" because they use sun energy as the source.
http://biznes.newsweek.pl/samochody-na-prad-zamiast-na-benzyne,41513,1,1.html
http://samochodyelektryczne.org/lohner-porsche.htm
I love all the ideas with "green" energy but im not sure if it's possible to win with lobby. At least now. Maybe in the future...
Some of mentioned gadgets beeing "green" are also very practical.
Another buzz-word created by marketers not by market just to grow sales.
-It cannot be very efficient because it's just a gadget.
-It cost energy and materials to produce and ship it.
-It would probably be used only few times and then become electronic junk, that also cost energy to recycle(if it is possible in the first place).
-It is surely more "eco" to have specialized solar or wind farms to deliver electricity to everyone, not to mention nuclear power plants.
I believe that this makes the greens technologies better and more reasonable for casual people, since the more people buy solar panels, the more money goes on researching them and making them even better and more affordable.