TAG RESULTS FOR: solar

If you had the chance to build a contraption that would provide you with green internet access almost anywhere, wouldn’t you take it? This DIY WiFi Repeater needs absolutely no electricity to function, yet extends your reach into the cloud by a significant amount. Solar panels power a Linksys WRT54G v8 router with 7.5 volts at 500 milliamps in direct sunlight. On cloudy days, 5 AA batteries of reserved solar power provide the bit of juice the device needs to... Continue reading

Resembling some sort of Steve Jobs’ approved sunflower, Mac Funamizu’s iPetals is an elegant and fun method of charging your iPhone through the dasterdly power of the sun. Harness those UVs! Yeah! Dig, dig, dig! Excuse me for that outburst. I knew I shouldn’t workout right before I post.

Al Gore, Barack Obama and now, there’s you. Trying to save the planet isn’t always an easy job, but somebody’s gotta do it. Well, these Christmas lights actually are pretty easy. The solar panels do all of the work. All you have to do is hang the lights and enjoy. Not only do you get to save a butt load of money on your electricity bill, but you get to save the planet at the same time. It’s really win-win.... Continue reading

Everyday, thousands of street lights are orphaned, sent to the junk yard to rot, with no one to maintain their slowly rusting bodies, their LED and solar brethren slowly taking their place. Please, help save these helpless street lights and adopt one for your own personal use. These Street Light Floor Lamps use re-appropriated street lights to create a unique lamp for your home while saving the life of a helpless public servant. Every time you ignore a street light... Continue reading

Cellphones are a great convenience for us, but not so great for Mother Earth. See, cellphones pack lots of toxic, non-biodegradable chemicals and components. That’s why Samsung created Blue Earth, a cellie made from recycled plastic bottles that can be charged via solar panels on the back of the device. It’ll text, it’ll call, it’ll even tell you how many trees you’ve saved in a day; just don’t call it a phone. Wait, what? The best part? The Blue Earth... Continue reading

So this isn’t really anything extravagant, but sometimes the best gadgets are the ones that operate in a simple fashion. This AM/FM radio has a bit of a DIY look with the old-school silver button on the top and the solar panel feeding it energy. There’s also a hand crank in case you live in Seattle or Alaska. It can’t do anything special, it just cranks out some classic tunes from the radio. Perfect for listening to WHYY whilst working... Continue reading

This adorable solar toy is bound to entertain you for — an hour, tops. Still, it’s a neat little gizmo you purchase for 20 dollars and build yourself. It’s a solar powered monkey which climbs to its plastic heart’s content. When the monkey is placed in sunlight it’ll derive power from the sun enabling it to climb the rope, hand over hand! It’s also another cheap and easy way out of a science fair project with your kid. Link [via]

Here’s an idea I seriously can’t believe hasn’t been implemented yet: generating electricity through solar cells on sunglasses. It makes sense. When it’s very sunny out, you pop on shades and you’re good to go. Why can’t we mount panels to them to generate small bits of energy? You could then use said energy to power an MP3 player or recharge a cellphone. That’s the idea with these Self-Energy Converting Glasses from designers Hyun-Joong Jim and Kwang-Seok Jeong. The dye... Continue reading

When one thinks of a submarine, solar energy is the furthest thing from their mind. After all, submarines dive down deep below the ocean’s surface where the sun does not shine. The Swiss energy company, BKW is a little more optimistic than myself. It’s unveiled the GOLDFISH project, which will feature the world’s first solar powered submarine. How will they do it? How could they possibly get the sun to energize solar panels underneath the sea? The answer is quite... Continue reading

Anyone interested in DIY, energy or our ecosystem should most definitely check out the Alternative Energy Gift Guide from MAKE. They cover some key issues that we as Americans must confront head on, such as our dependence on foreign energy and oil. There’s a bunch of a kits you can browse through that will have you using the Sun as your new battery pack in no time. Link