Sun Volt Solar Asks an Interesting Question

The folks at Sun Volt Solar asked an interesting question on their blog just over a week ago.

Here’s the question: Where are those guys in their garages?

The guys in garages refers to those tinkering folk among us who come up with remarkable, useful, innovations just tinkering in their garages. One of many such innovations is our modern computer.

So where are the renewable energy innovations?

Find out here: Sun Volt Solar’s blog.

Solar Panels for Apartments

Solar panels placed on individual homes have the potential to make a home its own power generator. Producing more power than your home uses is call net ZEH or Zero Energy Home.

Many home owners, myself included, are working toward such a Zero Energy Home.

But what about folks who live in apartments?

The folks at Coolest-Gadgets are talking about a possible option for apartment dwellers. Apparently these awning-type solar panels are not on the market yet but seem worth looking for.

Here’s the information from their site:

The advantage that houses in suburbia have over apartments in the City is that homeowners can install solar panels on their rooftops to save money on the every rising cost of electricity. Some can even take surplus energy produced by their solar panels and sell it back to the electric company at a tidy little profit. Most apartment dwellers don’t have that option as they don’t have a rooftop with which to install panels. But if they’re on the sunny side of the street, they may be able to install a new awning like product to do the same job.

It’s called Veranda Solar, and it promises to eventually provide solar energy to apartment and condo dwellers by hanging attractive solar panels out windows and balconies. About the size of a DirecTV dish, these Veranda solar panels hope to at least supplement the energy used by an apartment thereby lowering energy costs and helping with demand. They promise to be easy to install with a snap together design, as well as a “plug and play” setup. But to date, there isn’t any data on how effective or efficient these small solar panels will be as they’re still in development. But if they can get the idea going, it could really help those who can’t afford a solar investment in the multi thousands but who still want to do their part if getting more green.

Cost is estimated to be about $400-600 when they come to market. Something worth watching if it works.

Solar Gadgets

Here are a few links from ecofriend for the solar gadget enthusiast.

Enjoy!

How about a Solar-powered I-Slate for the classroom?

MSI touts “world’s most power efficient netbook.”

Golfers in sunny locals may enjoy this solar powered golf cart.

With summer around the corner you may be interested in these solar powered pathway lights.

Image by DeclanTM via Flickr

The Energizer Bunny Goes Solar

I am enamored with solar energy and love solar powered anything. Using the sun’s energy just makes so much sense!

According to gazette.com Energizer now offers a solar battery charger which charges two AA or AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries.

Best I can tell, the photo of the charger is copyrighted so go to the gazette page to view the charger.

This is perfect for traveling with my portable camera—and other portable gadgets that use AA or AAA batteries.

Here are some details from the gazette.com article:

•    Charges from direct sunlight or wall outlet
•    Weather-resistant
•    Auto shut-off when charge complete
•    LED display
•    USB port to power other devices

Check the Energizer site for more details.

There are two (2) separate costs to home electrical appliances.

1.    The purchase price
2.    The daily operating costs

Connect your appliances to the Kill A Watt P3 and find how efficient they really are. The appliance’s energy use is measured in kilowatt-hours, which is the measurement used by the utility company.

Appliances you can measure with the Kill A Watt P3 are:
•    Stereos and TVs
•    Room Air Conditioners and Fans
•    Toaster ovens, microwaves, and refrigerators
•    Computers and electronic games
•    Washing machines

With this information, you can determine:
•    Your appliances electrical cost by hour, day, week, month, or even a year
•    How efficient those appliances are
•    Which appliances are worth keeping
•    Which appliances need replacing

Here are the features of the Kill A Watt P3:
•    Enables cost forecasting
•    Accurate to within 0.2%
•    Cumulative killowatt-hour monitor
•    Displays Volts, Amps, Watts, Hz, VA, KWH, Power Factor
•    Operating voltage: 115 VAC
•    Max current: 15 A
•    Max power: 1875 VA
•    Dimensions: 5 1/8″ X 1 5/8″ X 2 3/8″

You can download the manual here.

Order your Kill A Watt P3 now.

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Solar Energy Find of the Week

I love solar energy gadgets. Living a life unattached to electric outlets opens up whole new ways of living!

My husband and I love travel, hiking, and camping. If we get too focused on the traveling, hiking, and camping, one or both of us finds ourselves with phones or cameras that need recharging–usually when I really NEED the camera.

Currently planning a hiking, canoing trip to Big Bend in south Texas, I’m mentally packing.

So when I came across this Solar Camera Gear Bag from Real Goods, I got a bad case of the want-me’s.

Having a perpetual charge going would insure a camera ready at all times. But I have to ask myself if it’s worth having yet another bag to carry.

Here’s the information from Real Goods:

Solar Camera Gear Bag

A roomy way to tote digital cameras and gear, while charging their batteries

Our rugged camera bag is a roomy way to tote digital cameras and gear. It’s also a versatile power source perfect for remote locations! An integrated flexible solar panel sends a 1.5W trickle charge to a 12V outlet to charge equipment. Inside, a large compartment with adjustable dividers organizes your still and/or video camera and all the extras, while side pockets with internal webbing secure memory cards, batteries and more. Features super-tough, 1680-denier nylon fabric that withstands the roughest shoots, a padded strap, and grab handle, and it will charge and protect your other electronics, too! Average charging time is approximately 5 hours for 2 AA batteries. USA.

Has anyone used one of these? Have you found something that works as well but is smaller, easier to carry?

Solar Energy Find of the Week

My aspirations for a net ZEH home—a home that creates as much energy as it uses—sends me searching for ways to reduce the electric power my home uses.

I came across this nifty SolLight LightShip Solar-Powered Light.

Although I haven’t used one yet, this small light would be handy during a power outage at home, or could go with you  on a camping trip.

Give your kids one of these for their rooms. What a great way to introduce the next generation to solar energy.

Here are the product details from the website:

•    5″ Diameter x 2″ High
•    Water-resistant case for all-weather use
•    3-way switch – white light, red light, off
•    Long-lasting 900mA NmH battery for quick charges
•    Daylight sensor automatically turns it off during the day
•    Lightweight – just 8 oz.
•    Three suction cups to attach to any smooth surface
•    Tough polycarbonate plastic housing is available in five different colors

Solar Energy Find of the Week

I want a solar powered home. Although my home is not yet ready for solar panels, it’s fun to find small, simple ways to incorporate solar energy into daily life.

Take this solar iPhone charger from Sollight, for example. If you’re hiking or traveling with your nifty little iPhone, this could come in handy.

Here’s the quick list of features from the sollight website:
•    Solar-powered!
•    Works with both original and 3G iPhone
•    Plug the SOLiCharger into your iPhone or iTouch to automatically charge your iPhone or iTouch battery
•    Built-in solar panel on the back side that will fully charge it in just four hours of sunshine
•    Weighs only 1.4 oz.
•    Charges quickly in one of four ways:
o    Directly from the SUN! Free solar power!
o    Directly from your computer via the Apple/USB cord
o    Directly from the 110v Apple® USB charging cord
o    Directly from any 12v Apple compatible car charger

Voltaic Solar Panel Backpack

While installation of solar panels on my roof will have to wait have to wait a while, here’s a great way to incorporate solar energy into the smaller, everyday living of life.

The solar panels on the pack charge a battery which stores the energy till you need it. And it charges while you’re on the go, shopping, biking, hiking, or just running those everyday errands.

This solar backpack provides you with energy to charge you cell phone, iPod, digital camera, and more…but it won’t charge your lap top.

From the Amazon site:

Product Features

* High density padding in the shoulder straps and back panel for comfort
* Nylon mesh backing material for better air flow
* The solar panels provide protection for fragile items inside the front pocket
* Wire channels throughout the bag take power to the shoulder strap and for headphones etc.
* Adjustable phone / MP3 pouch on the shoulder

Product Description

*Second lined MP3 / sunglasses pouch inside,
*Optional clip in padded laptop sleeves,
*Bladder pouch and channels to run the tube to the shoulder strap,     *Includes a 2,200mAh Li-Ion battery pack with 3 voltage settings to store solar power,
*When not in the sun, the battery can be charged using the AC travel charger or DC car charger,
*Comes with 11 standard adaptors including a car charger socket and USB adaptor so you can always use a standard charger for your device, Includes adaptor plugs in universal sizes for common cell phones, which eliminate the need to use a car charger for common devices,
*The three solar panels are tough, light weight, waterproof, and generate up to 4 watts of power.
*The Voltaic Backpack is built tough for use as a weekend hike bag or as a large daypack.
*There are pockets and wire channels for multiple electronic devices and 1,850 cubic inches of storage space.

If you have used on of these, leave a comment to let us know what you think of it. Thanks!

Solar Energy Find of the Week

This solar energy journey uncovers lots of people and companies making great strides to make solar energy an easy part of our lives. While I don’t yet have solar panels on my roof (we’re working on making if affordable so as not to upset the family bean counter), more and more smaller—affordable—solar gadgets are coming to market.

How about solar powered WIFI? This would be a great asset during hurricane season.

From the Meraki website:

Features & Benefits
Cover Hard to Reach Areas
The Solar is ideal for providing coverage to remote or hard to get to places. Whether you have just a few access points that are hard to wire, or an entire area without power (e.g., fair grounds, parks and rural areas), Meraki Solar can be deployed quickly to extend your wireless network.
Reduce Hassle and Planning
Even when existing power sources are available, the time required to plan for and secure rights to that power may be prohibitively expensive. In a business district, for example, each building rooftop or storefront is owned by a different entity, and securing permission from each owner can be time consuming and complex. With the Solar, you need time on the roof, but you do not need access to local power.
Save Time and Money
In many cases the single most expensive line item in an Outdoor network installation is the time and material required to cable and install an access point. The Solar drastically reduces this cost, requiring only 30 minutes of a trade-level installer. Since there are no electrical or network cabling runs, there are no electricians involved. This translates into a significant cost savings in many applications.
Solar is Green
The Meraki Solar runs on its own state-of-the-art solar-charged battery, and requires no connection to the local electrical grid. The Solar is incredibly energy efficient and has limited impact on the environment.