Japan to Spend $21,000,000,000 on a Power Plant in Space

via Gizmodo by Adam Frucci

Holy shit, Japan is getting prepped to drop $21 billion on a solar power station in space, one that will beam enough energy back to Earth to power 294,000 homes. With no cables.

The whole deal is being put together by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and industrial design company IGI Corp. The plan involves a gigantic solar panel floating around in space, soaking up a gigawatt of energy and beaming it to Earth without the use of cables. And they hope to have it ready to rock within four years.

Solar Forest Charging Station for Electric Vehicles

via Designboom - Weblog on 8/5/09

solar forest parking station

designer neville mars has developed an electric vehicle charging station that takes
the form of an evergreen glade of solar trees. the photovoltaic grove serves a dual function,
acting as a go to source for clean renewable energy while providing a shady spot for cars
to park as they charge.




solar forest parking station

each of the trees in the forest are composed of a set of photovoltaic leaves mounted
on a branching poll. the base of each trunk features an power outlet that can be used
to charge your electrical vehicle.

Nixon Volta Solar Powered Watch

via Designboom - Weblog on 7/30/09

'the volta'

Nixon recently introduced 'the volta' the brand's first rechargeable, solar powered watch.

The semi-transparent dial allows sunlight through to the solar panel below which charges the watch's battery.

Powerslaves and desk jockeys need not worry, any light source will suffice so your office fluorescence or tanning beds will also be good sources to recharge the watch.


'the volta'



'the volta' available with various straps

Bionamic Concept Car: solar energy & nanotube super-strength

via DVICE by Adario Strange on 6/24/09

In a world where our sneaker designs are outpacing our car designs in terms of futuristic style, designer Güney Kol decided to create a concept car that appears to be heavily influenced by the world of sports shoes. Dubbed the Bionamic, the car would be electrically powered and travel the streets covered in carbon/metalnanotube metal alloy.

The car would also be efficiently swathed in a blanket of tiny solar cells allowing it to charge whenever idle during the daytime. Finally, as if the concept car was geeky enough, Kol does away with a steering wheel and instead gives us joysticks to operate the vehicle. Let's hope the big boys of the auto industry are paying close attention.

World's largest solar array planned for the Sahara Desert

via DVICE by AdamFrucci on 6/22/09

The Sahara Desert gets a lot of sun. In fact, it gets so much that if a mere 0.3% of its area was used for a solar plant, it could power all of Europe. So it only makes sense that 20 German companies are looking into doing just that.

The plan would be to scatter solar collectors all across northern Africa in politically stable countries rather than putting them all in one spot. It'll take years to build everything as well as $555 billion in funds, but in the long run it'll be well worth it.

Q-Sound Solar Bluetooth Headphones Are Pleasingly Future-y

via Gizmodo by Sean Fallon on 5/21/09

I've got to give this Q-Sound headphone concept from Shepeleff Stephen top marks for its design. Not only does it look great, it is also innovative in its use of solar technology.

After all, it makes sense to power Bluetooth headphones with a small solar panel stretched across the headband—an area that could be easily exposed to the sun. Outside of that, the Q-Sound would also be able to handle calls or plug into a 3.5mm jack should the need arise. All-in-all the Q-Sound is a great idea—a concept I can definitely see transitioning into a real-world product. [Ecofriend via Gizmag via Ubergizmo]

KDDI (au) - Water-Resistant, Solar-Powered Handset

via Gizmodo by John Herrman on 4/20/09

Manufactured for KDDI (au) by Sharp, this outdoorsy phone should show up in Japan by June. Unlike the unrealistic claims made by other solar phone dabblers like Samsung, KDDI's ambitions here are modest, but practical.

KDDI has taken a pragmatic approach to the solar phone, integrating a waterproof panel onto what sounds like a very low-draw device. They claim that 10 minutes of sun absorption should grant two hours of standby, or a minute or so of talk time—an extreme ratio that suggests that battery life—not a huge feature list—is the main priority here.

The solar panel alone is enough to charge the battery to a respectable 80%, but KDDI doesn't mention how long that might take. Price and global availability are TBD. [KDDI via Impress]