Environmental News, Eco-Friendly Gadgets - FreshAirTimes.eu

Eco Factor: Solar-powered air conditioning systems.

The best way to get rid of blackouts during heat waves is to use the energy from the sun to cool your home. Researchers at the Australian National University have done just that by developing solar air-conditioning systems. The systems, which are currently in the testing phase, will be able to reduce energy load, especially during the peak hours of the day.

Apart from the use in air conditioning during summers, the same solar modules can also be used to heat your home in winter and provide you with solar-heated water as well. The reduction of load on the grid during peak hours will enable the grids to perform better and provide uninterrupted power for more important processes that require less but a consistent supply of electricity.

The Dark Side:

The use of solar air conditioning will definitely be a boon for the masses and the grid as well. However, depending on just solar energy, which is highly inconsistent, won’t have that much of an impact. If solar energy is coupled with some other forms of renewable energy like the wind, it can cater to a broader market.

Via: ABC  

Eco Factor: Foot-powered Laptop charger.

Earlier today we wrote about a golf club powered cellphone charger concept, and here we are again with yet another innovation in alternative energy sources. Easy Energy has announced a foot-powered laptop charger called the Yogen Max, which not only powers a laptop but is just as good for other devices such as PMPs, cellphones and digital cameras. The details on how long one needs to pump for a full charge are currently not available, but the device is scheduled to release sometime next year.

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Gone are the days when you had to sulk in hot desiccating summer or spend a good sum on buying room coolers and air conditioners that used to take a lot out of your bag. Coming are the days when you can experiment with science and apply a masterwork of a journalist who built his own air conditioner, home-based, that too at a much lesser cost than you can expect. Moreover, this home-based air conditioner or cooler doesn’t need a bustling electric supply to work on, this way shedding the burden on energy and environment.

Local products are usually ignored by us citing reasons beyond imagination. However, when sizzling hot summers stand tall on your head and the need of the hour is a cooling temptation, and the burden on your pocket drags you two steps back, why not try home-based air conditioner that would help reduce the burden on you, your pocket, environment, and energy. Snowbreeze, as its progenitor has nicknamed the indigenous air conditioner, needs tons of ice, a rotating 23-watt fan, a container bucket, an ice drum to keep pounds of ice, an aluminum foil, and two wheels to move the gadget on. The safer part is that the gadget can be made in two days with least expenses. All you need is two carpenters and the above-mentioned products that are easily available everywhere without burdening your pocket much.

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Cellphones have become a part and parcel of our everyday routine and living without this device is completely not possible for anyone today. But do we really think about the environment when we purchase a new phone? The answer is a simple no and even some cellphone designers know about this. So when customers don’t think about the environment, designers have taken it into their own hands and have developed concepts such as the LINC which is much more than a simple phone.

In first look LINC seems to be a typical touch screen smart phone with all the connectivity and features that you expect in your smart phone. It has a media player, a web browser, GPS, downloadable content, Bluetooth, Wifi and the latest 3G network. Still we say that it’s much more than a simple phone, because the phone is leased to the user as a service not a product. The user makes use of the device for about an year or so and when the next generation technology hits the market, the user receives a new LINC in the mail. The phone informs the user of the hardware upgrade, transfers the digital account wirelessly and before being shipped back to the manufacturer the phone also informs the user of the next part of its journey.

When the manufacturer receives the device, it removes valuable components such as aluminum, glass and electronic chips from the phone for re-use. This step ensures that hazardous chemicals don’t reach the landfill. Disassembling the LINC is also automated as a directed radiant heat beam targets its internal memory latch, releasing the assembly. In just one step the phone disassembles into its components. From here parts such as glass and aluminum are sent for re-use where are the outdated graphics cards are used in devices such as gaming systems.

Via: The Greener Grass

Every day you see that companies are launching new cellphone models and each of them comes with a new type of battery and a new charger. So what about all those chargers and batteries you have collected in earlier years. Simple, you just throw it into the landfill where hazardous chemicals present in the batteries reach the water channels and come back to your home. Have you ever thought of a safer alternative to all this pollution? This problem would not have been as great as it is today had cellphone manufacturers developed similar batteries and chargers for all the models.

However, that is something we wish and for now we have to think about some other alternative. The Green Cell Battery is one such alternative. It’s a safe, ecofriendly battery that is made without any toxic chemicals and the best part is that whenever it runs out of charge, it can easily be exchanged for a fresh battery at a local vending machine.

Designed by Theo Richardson with Charles Brill and Alex Williams of RBW for the Greener Gadgets Competition, this battery ensures that used batteries don’t enter the landfill, but are efficiently recycled in the best possible way. Another good feature is that the battery has been designed to operate with all the electronic gadgets that are presently in the market so that users don’t have to change the cell when a new model comes in the market.

Via: Inhabitat

Overheating laptops will do more than just burning your legs if this amazing mouse makes it to the stores. No, I am not joking but am saying this because the designers of this mouse believes that they can make use of the heat generated in your notebook computer to power this trendy looking mouse dubbed the DORmino.

Actually the whole mechanism does not rest in the mouse but in the giant mousepad that extends from under the notebook to the right hand side where the mouse rests. The mouse pad absorbs all the heat that is expelled from the notebook to power the mouse. This amazing concept comes from Cheong Yian Ling and his team from Singapore, who have submitted the design to the Greener Gadgets Design Competition 2008. If this amazing concept ever becomes a reality it will surely give a different meaning to your burnt legs!

Via: TrendHunter / Core77

It may be just a concept as yet, but the solar-powered notebook promises to revolutionize the way we utilize energy resources. The concept is developed around attaching a wide solar-panel to the laptop making it totally independent. The detachable panel is to be put away in the sun for recharging while the notebook functions on a smaller battery that charges itself when DC power is plugged into the system. The laptop is also equipped with satellite link GPS, internet access, and satellite telephone services making it the world’s first fully independent and universal communication tool that can be operated from literally any spot on the planet making it an ideal research and travel companion for scientists and explorer who often have to live in places that have no access to electricity.

Source: Tuvie

Hate running out of batteries on your overnight survival camp-out? Well then this solar-powered digital survival kit ought to be a must-have in your backpack for your next trip in the woods. Its 3800mAh rechargeable solar battery can power your phone’s charger and is compatible with 12 kinds of adapters. Also included in the kit are a compass, a watch and a LED flashlight in case you never previously thought of bringing that along with you!
Price: $33.26

Source: Techna Bob

I recently came across this modern-day gadget, which is a Solar Powered Air Purifier-cum-Disinfector. Well, can you think of any such useful and environmentally safe gadget? I can’t. So, I feel this product is indeed contemporary and distinctive. The best attribute of this product is that it can be conveniently powered either by solar energy or by charging its lithium batteries. The product is handy (can fit well within 20 square meter of available space) and consumes less than 5W of power. With all the latest technology in place, such as Advance active carbon HEPA filter technology, Space capsule plasma purification technology and Nanometer light-accelerating air purification, it can effectively purify or disinfect surrounding air. Other additional features include refreshing the air by anions, effective ozone purification capabilities and a decent input voltage of 12/24V DC.
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Keen on gardening? Keen on feeding plants a bit of your own compost? You could go about this by just letting your garbage rot in one corner until your nose has had enough (or until your neighbor reports you to authorities). But you could take a gentleman’s way out by spendin’ some bucks on NatureMill Pro.

Basically NatureMill Pro is a trash can that works as an indoor compost-maker. If you waste a lot of food, just put it in this thing and voila, every 2 weeks you’ve fresh supply of home-made manure to replenish your garden.
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