Remember Solar Roadways?  They’ve finally completed their first USDOT prototype.  In addition to providing carbon free energy (aside from the manufacturing process), the Solar Roadway can display traffic info using the built-in LEDs and perhaps even melt snow and ice from its surface.

For now we’ll have to settle with some pics, but they say they’ll have video up sometime later this month.

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Remember Novothink’s Surge, the first ever Apple certified solar charging battery pack?  It’s now available.  You can score one for in black or white (other colors are coming soon) for $80 for the iPhone or $70 for the iPod Touch.  Surprisingly the iPhone version has a smaller battery (1320mAH) compared to the iPod Touch version (1500mAH), but costs more.

Novothink, in their infinite amount of wisdom, also launched a free Solar Planner App that provides you with an estimate of how much sun exposure you’ll need per day for a full charge based on weather conditions and your everyday usage.

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Ugh.  This thing is lame looking.  While Tommy Hilfiger might have been the first designer to boldly display his name on his clothing, this Solar Vest might as well be the last.  Perhaps if I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name this Solar Vest’s visual flair wouldn’t come to mind, but until that happens I can never wear this.

At any rate, the Solar Vest easily makes up for its lack of style with effective charge-a-bility.  Using the four very visible solar panels to charge the hefty 8.8Ah battery pack stored in the left hand pocket,  you can use the 8 power adapter tips and 7 connectors to charge your gear at 5V, 6V, 9V and 12-20V.

Very versatile indeed.  Drop $126 and this beacon of awesome can be all yours.  From the masterminds at ChinaVision.

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I think it’s more than fair to say that most solar devices on the market today are “woefully inadequate”.  At least that’s the opinion of Solar Components, who is ready to crush the competition this June by launching the Joos Orange, a personal solar device that can produce up to 20 times the energy of any personal solar product.

So what does that mean in terms of gadget charging?  One hour of direct sunlight can capture enough power to deliver more than 2.5 hours of talk time to a cell phone.  Most solar devices produce 5-10 minutes, tops, after 1 hour of solar exposure. If need be, it can also be charged via USB and has a set of LED status lights to indicate dead battery and power production.

Even better the Joos Orange is waterproof, rugged thanks to its polycarbonate build, and has a replaceable 5400 mAh lithium-ion battery.  It measure 5.8 x 8.6 x 0.8-inch and weighs 24oz, so it’s not out of the question if you want to toss it in a bag with your laptop.

So how much you ask?  They’re aiming for a retail cost of $100.  Not bad in the grand scheme, not bad at all.

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In what might soon become a reality, Solar Ivy is an innovative design to help get solar collecting devices into more homes.  Designed by SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology), the Solar Ivy is in the running to receive the Pepsi Refresh grant of $50,000 which will help give the technology a much needed boost.

SMIT is currently finalizing a consumer grade version and are also looking for investors.  Solar Ivy will be completely modular and capable of adapting to trees, chimneys, and whatever else moss and ivy are prone to clinging to.

What do you think?  Good idea?

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The jury is still out on the whole solar bag thing.  Generally speaking photovoltaic technology is still not advanced enough, or efficient, to produce any real usable power, unless of course you’re in a pinch and need some juice to make an emergency phone.

Pessimism aside, Neon Green’s Soular Power Packs are shaping up to be some nice looking kit.  As of now the deets are few and far between, but the Capsoul looks pretty badass.  Aside from the giant, removable solar panel it can be converted from a back pack to a shoulder bag or carrying case (whatever that means).

There’s no word on a release, but we’re hearing ’soon’.

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Horizon is set to turn the RC car world on its head with the introduction of the H-Cell 2.0 hydrogen fuel system, an add-on hydrogen fuel cell for hobbyists and high end RC car systems, and promises to increase run times 2-4 times over a standard battery charge.  Horizon has been working on the tech for the last few years and has managed to also cook up a to scale hydrogen fueling station that extracts hydrogen from water, lets you charge your RC car an endless amount of times and can draw all the necessary power from a set of solar panels.  They haven’t come clean about price, but we’re expecting an announcement sometime between Feb 3 and 9th at the Nuremberg Toy & Hobby Fair.

Full release after the ‘leap’

Hobby RC Industry Leaps into the Future with Hydrogen Power

SINGAPORE – February 3, 2010. Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies are about to turn science fiction into reality for millions of hobby RC enthusiasts by introducing the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell power system for hobby-grade radio controlled vehicles, which can also be refueled using model-scale hydrogen refueling stations.

The new add-on kit replicates the function of real-scale zero emission hydrogen cars currently being developed by the world’s leading automotive manufacturers.

Radio controlled vehicles are a global phenomenon with its own clubs, racing events, competitions, magazines, and a great variety of models and spare parts that can be purchased at thousands of hobby stores. Built to look like real cars, boats or planes, these fast and technically sophisticated machines are built from the ground up by hobby RC enthusiasts of all ages, and are typically powered by high performance batteries, miniature combustion engines or even miniature jet engines.

Named H-cell 2.0, the new hydrogen fuel cell power kit was designed for high performance radio controlled touring cars, but is also adaptable to other electric RC vehicles, robots or boats. Besides being a real-working technology demonstrator for vehicles of the future, the system extends the runtime of today’s battery-operated RC vehicles by a factor of three to four.

Horizon spent 2 years developing the solution which now also has a unique refueling system that automatically extracts hydrogen from water, and stores it as a solid form in the vehicle’s on-board hydrogen storage. The miniature storage tanks contain metallic alloys that adsorb hydrogen into their crystalline structure and release it back at low pressures, enabling the highest volumetric energy density of any form of hydrogen storage – including liquid hydrogen.

The model scale hydrogen refueling system is adaptable to solar panels or wind turbines to produce a completely carbon-free and futuristic experience, effectively demonstrating an energy cycle that completely eliminates greenhouse gas emissions.
“In my 30+ years of experience in electronics for consumer, aerospace, and automobile industries, I always look for the most innovative products to either use or modify and redesign for my applications” said Dr. Akis Doganis, a Silicon Valley veteran and currently Technical Director at TSMC. Dr. Doganis is also a passionate hobby RC enthusiast. “Speed, handling and longer time between pit stops are the desirable criteria for winning in hobby racing. I used the H-cell 2.0 hydrogen fuel cell power system to build a winning R/C car with great performance, an extraordinary look, and never before observed endurance. My plan is now to develop an optimized hydrogen powered R/C car that will outperform any others in its class, perhaps even start a new class of high performance competition R/C cars” concluded Dr. Doganis.

While the scientists and engineers at Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies continue to develop zero emissions solutions targeting real-scale transport and residential applications, they are starting to commercialize a variety of products for today’s smaller-scale applications, such as hand held electronics, portable generators, and recreational power devices. The company’s high energy density power systems capability is also being applied towards the development of new generations of silent electric reconnaissance aircraft that can fly several hours on a single charge.

The new fuel cell power kit for model scale RC racing will be unveiled to hobby professionals and enthusiasts at the upcoming Feb 3-9 Nuremberg Toy & Hobby Fair, by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies (Hall 11.1 / Booth C-34).

About Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Pte. Ltd.
Thinking big, yet starting small, Horizon pioneered the sales of next-generation fuel cell power products in small consumer products, while developing larger-scale clean power solutions for practical applications in portable remote power, light-duty transportation and aerospace-defense. With comprehensive technological developments focused on enabling the commercialization of fuel cells Horizon is the first company to bring advanced fuel cell technology out of the laboratories and into the mainstream market.  For more information, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.horizonfuelcell.com/”http://www.horizonfuelcell.com

Lexon’s line of aesthetically pleasing bamboo and bio-plastic gadgets is easy on the environment and cool on the eyes.  These solar powered and renewable energy mini-appliances will look positively earth awesome in your place.  No word on pricing or availability.  The LED solar flashlight is pictured above.

Crank-Powered Radio

Solar Powered Calculator

Solar-Powered Clock

It’s a luggage tag!  No, it’s a solar powered battery charger!

No…unbelievably enough, it’s BOTH.

It’s the Keystone Eco Tag, and it attaches to your attache–or any other piece of luggage–just like any other luggage tag.  It’s got a space for you to pencil in your name and address and such in case the bag gets lost.  But it also comes with a couple extra slots to plug in AAA batteries, or any device that has a USB connection.

Four hours of direct sunlight–or eight hours of indirect sunlight–will have those batteries charged in a thrice.

It’s not exactly the kind of thing you expect to see together–forget chocolate and peanut butter, this is chocolate and vodka.  But the combination is actually pretty palatable, and considering they want thirty five bucks a pop, the price isn’t terrible.  But if you’re interested, I’ve got a bit of bad news–these don’t ship until February.  I know, that’s only a couple weeks away, basically, but still.  It’s a bit of a wait.

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I’m all for going green, but at a cost of $700-$1200 no thank you.   QuickerTek’s Appe Juicz is a foldable solar mat that is available in a 27 and 55 watt output, and as you’ve probably determined respectively costs the aforementioned amounts.

Its operation is very straight forward: unfold it, lay it out in the sun, plug it into your Mac and within hours you’ll have a full loaded battery.  The 27 watts version can accomplish this feat in about 8 hour , while the 55 watt version can do it in about 5.  As you can see the solar mat is pretty large in size but when folded it should be as portable as a Macbook and a hell of a lot lighter.  This is the first solar option we’ve seen that can truly power a laptop in less than a days time, but at this cost you’re best off buying another laptop, or an external battery pack which costs far less, unless you’re located at the base of Mount Everest (see the video after the ‘leap’).

Cost gripes aside I do applaud QuickerTek.  It’s companies like this that will eventually drive the costs of solar panels down.

[via Wired]

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So sometimes, you’re out in the middle of nowhere, your car is dead and so is your cell phone.  At times like that you start to wish you were carrying a little lightning in your pocket.  But the next best thing just might be the Power HotSpot from Solis.

The Power HotSpot is, basically, what it says it is, like a WiFi hotspot, only for power.  It’s a portable solar panel attached to a base unit that comprises a twelve volt power supply.  Anything with a car cigarette lighter–from a cell phone charger to a portable car fridge–can draw power from the unit.

Anyone calling this a portable unit is clearly stretching the definition of the term “portable”–it’s portable in the same way a car’s spare tire is.  That is, it fits in your trunk and can actually be carried for a while, but I wouldn’t try a mile walk with one.

Anything that generates solar power is pricey, of course, but this one isn’t too bad at $375.

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Even though winter isn’t generally known for sun, a beefy array of Christmas lights will always run up your electricity bill.  These solar powered lights might be a great alternative for those on a budget but not willing to cut out the holiday cheer.  However, the cost of this expensive item may really  outweigh the potential savings on your electric bill.  On sale now for $65 per 102 light strand.

Unlike standard outdoor holiday lights that must be tethered to an electric source, these solar powered lights can be strung anywhere in your yard. A small solar panel stakes into the ground up to 7′ away from the light strand and powers 102 bright LEDs for up to nine hours after an eight-hour charge. Seven different light patterns dance along the strand in succession, or you can select your favorite sequence to flash continuously or have the lights provide steady illumination with the touch of a button. The solar panel gathers moderate or direct sunlight during the daytime and automatically turns the lights on at dusk and off at dawn. The 32′ 9″-long strand provides enough slack to adorn trees, railings, or lampposts. The LEDs are rated for 10,000 hours of operation.

[via RandomGoodStuff]

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With Solar Power being about the greenest energy around, it still takes way too long.  These new bags from Mascotte Industrial Associates of Hong Kong use DSSC (Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells) technology to effectively store and convert solar power so your can charge your gadgets on your own time.

I really like the utilitarian approach to these bags but can’t help but think about the restless anxiety of waiting around for this bag to fully charge.  No word yet on pricing or availability but if your looking for a new bag anyway you may want to wait on these.

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If the ReNu solar powered iPhone docking system piqued your interest then listen up, because Regen is at it again.   The REVERB is a giant speaker that stands 35-inches high and can be powered by, you guessed it, the sun’s solar rays.  Up top is an Apple 30-pin dock, 2x USB ports, 1x USB input for charging the unit and a 4-inch LCD to display all the track info your eco heart desires.  Speaker wise were looking at a set of stereo drivers and a 6-inch subwoofer.  A full charge in direct sunlight outdoors takes 20 hours, while inside takes 40, which produces 4.5 hours of play time at full volume or 12 hours at ‘normal’ volume.

The REVERB will be available this coming April for a mere $2,299, but you can preorder one now for $500 down.

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The folks out at Dell have given us a pretty sweet gadget to check out.  Now, chances are, you’ve heard about a LOT of solar powered whatnot, especially right here.  And some of it is pretty strange.  Solar powered jackets, solar powered cars…well, now Dell’s going to bring you what may be the strangest solar powered device of all.

The solar powered parking lot.

I kid you not, ladies and gentlemen–Dell has put together a series of solar panel-laden paviliions in its parking lot designed to provide not only shade to the cars beneath in the hot sun, but also to take that sun and convert it into electrical energy by which employees can charge, at no cost to them, their plug-in hybrids and full-on electric vehicles.

The equivalent of free gas is a pretty nifty perk, and the crew out at Dell has to be feeling some love off of this one.

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If you’ve ever found yourself out hiking in the back end of beyond and come up against an emergency–a broken leg, a lost map, a witch chasing you and your friends, a family of inbred mountain people who think your girlfriend looks tastier than a twelve-course buffet, you know what I’m getting at–without a charged cell phone, then you’re going to love what I’ve got here.

It’s called the Solio Emergency Charger, and for $60, it’ll give you a little extra punch of power that fits in a backpack.  It’s a slightly downsized for travel version of the Solio charger, and though it takes twenty hours in direct sunlight to achieve maximum charge, it still offers that little extra spark of juice when you need it most.  It comes with USB adapter, charging cable, 12v adapter and universal tip cable to make sure all your gadgets get their bump.

It’s a pretty smart idea, even if twenty hours is a pretty long time and represents almost two full days you’d have to spend in the woods waiting for it to get full charge.  By then, the inbred mountain people will have already finished your girlfriend and have started wondering if you served with mint would make a better dessert or appetizer.

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Hey ladies–got a question specifically for you today.  How do you feel about the thought of a solar powered purse?

This isn’t some weird environmentalist joke–this is actually a purse that generates electricity from a layer of dye-sensitized solar cells.  Dye-sensitized solar cells are thin, cheap solar cells that can be built into most any article of clothing relatively inexpensively.

It’s not that they work really well, though–you’ll have to leave your handbag in the sun for four to five hours before you can generate juice sufficient to recharge your cell phone, but this is one of those cases where you can just sort of shrug and say, hey, free power.

The bags are a little on the pricey side, though.  They’re looking to bow in the $100-300 range, which is only slightly more expensive than your typical handbag. Plus it offers the whole solar-power option, which is awesome no matter how you slice it.

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Solar powered house, anyone?

Anyone looking for the house of the future should take note of the Solar Decathalon currently taking place at the National Mall in Washington DC.  This event brings together college students from around the world to build a house, no larger than eight hundred square feet, that runs entirely on solar power.  Everything from hot water heaters to power had to come from the sun, and the resulting houses are downright impressive.

Team Ontario, for instance, built what amounts to a giant glass cube that produces fully double its own power needs, allowing the homeowner to make a little extra cash selling the power back to the grid.  And frankly, they’ll need that little extra cash; these houses have an approximate street value of between $300,000 and $500,000.

If you’re out in the area, check it out.  The show runs through Saturday.

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LG is coming out with an amazing new gadget that’ll quite possibly change the way you think about summer: the solar-powered e-reader.

This is actually a whole lot of amazing in one sentence, so I’ll try and break it down into more manageable chunklets for you.  One, an e-reader that runs entirely on solar power is an exciting development.  Reading a book outside in the spring–or in some cases, summer–sun has long been a popular activity, but now you can take a library outside with you and have your choice when you finally settle in under that tree and set out to read.

Two, this is one of the first e-readers to be powered by the sun, thus every other e-reader is now going to have a significant bit of competition on its hands.  None of the other e-readers are powered by free sunlight, you know.  And buying batteries over and over, or paying the power company to recharge batteries, will always lose out to free recharge.  Every time.

Three, a solar panel capable of powering a gadget by itself, and still be portable?  This might be the start of something new and different in the whole solar panel industry.  It might take an entire roof’s worth of solar panels to make a five thousand watt generator, but one panel running an e-reader?  That’s interesting.

The LG solar e-reader represents several significant strides forward, and hopefully, we can get our hands on them fairly soon.

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Brando has made a “why didn’t I think of that” gadget in the form of their solar powered bluetooth headset.  Providing infinite standby time under direct sunlight, you can also charge it via USB through your computer or AC wall plug.  You can even buy two of them and use them simultaneously thanks to their stereo matching capabilities.  Why would you want to do that I wonder?  It would definitely look weird, but you’d at least have sides of your head displaying a bluetooth headset so you don’t look like you’re talking to yourself.  On sale now for $67 a piece.

[via Ubergizmo]

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