Environmental News, Eco-Friendly Gadgets - FreshAirTimes.eu

Picture this, fiery laser beams shooting to various parts of the earth. No there are no meteors expected neither is this a description of war of the worlds part 2. This is something that all the solar energy enthusiasts should have done long back; harnessing sun’s energy right from infront of the source. JAXA or the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency is actually making a Space Solar Power System that would consist of a satellite type object. This object would be installed in the orbit nearly 22,400 miles above the earth’s surface and would catch sun’s rays. These rays would then be converted into laser beams and sent to different bases on earth. Something like friendly fire beams. Testing begins on 20th February and if successful (the whole thing will be complete by 2030), it would energise over 500, 000 homes for free!

Via: DailyPicture

Gigabyte, the popular Taiwanese Company, has assembled a PC that is one of the very few ones to monitor energy consumption by slowing down the PC when not active. In other words, it provides extra power for the PC. Gigabyte endeavors to achieve this end by using a software called called Dynamic Energy Saver (DES).

The DES works fine with motherboards that are compatible with the latest Intel 45nm processors, specifically for Intel’s Hafnium-based 45nm processor technology, thanks to Intel’s VRM 11.1 specification. The VRM 11.1 spec lets the motherboard’s voltage controller (technically, it’s called the phase-width modulator, or PWM) receive a signal from the processor to drop phases during low load or idle processor states.

(more…)

The energy of the sun is really being used to a very minimal extent, considering the amount of energy the sun radiates each day. While our planet might receive a little of the total radiation, we still only convert a very minute amount of that energy in to power. So a few students from Blakewater College in Blackburn, England have decided that more of this energy needs to be harnessed & have designed solar blinds which absorb the light of the sun & convert it in to electricity.

Since we all use window blinds & they obviously are in a position where they get plenty of radiation, the idea seems pretty good. In fact, the idea was deemed to be so good that it has been short-listed among the top 5 entries out of 1000 in the Green Gadget of the Future contest. The results of this contest would be announced on Dec. 10, 2007 & the students from Blackburn obviously wish they won the £20,000 cash prize or the top honor.

(more…)