Cool gadgets for eco-friendly people
October 8, 2008
Posted in Lifestyle, Renewable energy
Here’s proof that environmentally friendly gadgets don’t have to be home-made and held together with duct tape. The three below are clever, simple, look good and use renewable energy.
SAKKU SOLAR BAGS
Swiss-based company Sakku produces solar bags with an integrated ultra-light and flexible solar panel that allows you to charge your cell phone, MP3 Player or GPS tracker with solar energy. The bags come in three models: Sakku.traveller, which is made out of recycled sail cloth from boats sailing on Swiss lakes; Sakku.worker, which has a cushioned compartment for laptops and comes in black cordura with an extra-large belt; and Sakku.buddy, which uses recycled sun shutters. Best of all these bags are available in South Africa from Tashi Solar. The bags are available either with or without a battery which stores energy so you can charge your appliance when you need to. The bags start at R3,352.00. Read more
Power from above: the pope goes solar
October 7, 2008
Posted in Renewable energy
In keeping with today’s theme, renewables and icons of the establishment, we turn our attention to the pope, who has started to install photovoltaic panels on the roof of the papal audience hall at Vatican City. A total of 2,700 panels will eventually be installed. They will generate electricity for lighting, heating and cooling the 6,300-seater building and excess electricity will reportedly be used in the Vatican offices. The panels are reportedly worth $1.5-million and were donated to the German born Pope Benedict by Solar World, a German company
Sources: CBS, BBC,Cath News
Update: Solar Challenge in Cape Town
October 4, 2008
Posted in Transport
The solar-powered cars racing in the South African Solar Challenge have left Cape Town and are on their way up the garden route towards Durbs. You can see pics of some of the vehicles on Urban Sprout and Carbon Copy. They went to see the cars at Canal Walk shopping centre.
Solar cars line up in Pretoria for start of first race around SA
September 26, 2008
Posted in Transport
On Sunday, six solar cars will set off from Pretoria on an epic, two-week race around South Africa. The competitors in this Solar Challenge, which include teams from India, Japan, and South Africa, have built their own cars and designed their own engineering systems. They’re now ready to test them on some of the most demanding terrain that solar cars have ever known, say the race organisers.
The six weird yet wonderful vehicles will make their way from Pretoria to Cape Town, then drive along the coast to Durban, before climbing the steep Drakensburg Mountains on their way back to Pretoria and the finish line at the Innovation HUB on October 8.
“This event brings together the technologies students and the public need to understand when building and using electric cars and alternative energy solutions,” say the organiser. They are feats of engineering that combine technologies like electric motors, batteries, solar energy and hydrogen fuel cells. Read more
The oil crisis and the search for a new way of living
September 9, 2008
Posted in Renewable energy, Transport
Saliem Fakir looks at SA’s energy options and what can be done to improve our energy security.
We live in interesting times that promise both peril and opportunity. Things have changed so fast within the span of just a year that it’s putting a strain on our ability to adapt.
It took five years from 2002-2007 for the oil price to go up by $60/barrel; but in the last 12 months, the price of oil surged by an additional $70/barrel.
The surge in oil prices is making life for everybody uncomfortable, as its ripple effects are being felt throughout the global and South African economies. It has, however, brought home the urgency to find solutions. The whole world is in the throes of a massive cycle of innovation. There lie two possible pathways before us. Read more
SA’s first electricity feed-in system being tested
September 1, 2008
Posted in Renewable energy
Nelson Mandela Bay could be the first municipality in South Africa where homeowners will be able to produce their own renewable electricity and sell the surplus to the national utility, reports The Herald online.
The report says that a pilot project aimed at checking the feasibility of the feed-in approach began six months ago. A one kilowatt solar panel package and a one kilowatt wind turbine on a 12m mast have been installed at a test home, the report says. The system has been up and running since July 28, says the municipality on its website. Read more
Small-scale wind power blows into SA
August 28, 2008
Posted in Renewable energy
I’d always thought that to generate electricity from wind you’d need a great expanse of open space that the wind could howl across to turn giant turbines, but you don’t. Recently, in South Africa, I’ve come across two types of turbine that prove that you don’t need to live on a farm to have a wind turbine. You could, in fact, generate wind power for your home or office. How exciting is that?
The first wind turbine system was installed on a billboard in Bryanston, Johannesburg, see right. It comprises lots of little round turbines joined together. James Lech, the director of Phieco, the local company that sells and installs these turbines says they are designed for urban and rural environments and the system can be scaled to suit your needs. They can be installed on buildings to generation power for lights or air conditioning, for example. What’s more, these little turbines start turning at wind speeds of 1m/s. They also come in different colours, so you could design your system to look like the South African flag, or some other picture, if you like. Go to Phieco’s website to find out more information.
The other turbine is the hybrid wind/solar generator that’s on trial at Cape Town’s N2 Gateway low-cost housing project. It’s known as the Little Wind House (LWH), see left.
From what I can gather, Swiss company Greentecno designed it specifically for developing markets as a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to diesel generators for small-scale electricity generation in rural/off-the-grid locations. It’s described as extremely sturdy, resistant to very high winds and extreme weather conditions, it’s easy to assemble, installation and construction costs are low, and it’s said to need nearly no maintenance.
The LWH’s average generation capacity is 15kWh/day. It’s peak capacity is 4,8kW. It stands 7m high, has a small, vertical-axis wind turbine and eight photovoltaic panels with a peak capacity of 170W each and a maximum power output of the solar component is 1,4kW.
The Times reports that the Cape Town generator will provide power to 10 houses. It sells for R310,000 and the housing department is assessing its cost-effectiveness.
Update (03.09.08): The LWH’s generating capacity is now 25kWh/day. They are also manufactured locally, says Maurits Perold of Greentecno Africa.
Sources: The Times, All Business.com , Stopbigfoot.com, Greentecno
Solar-powered flight beats record
August 25, 2008
Posted in Business, Renewable energy
A solar-powered aircraft, the QinetiQ Zephyr, has reportedly broken the official world record for unmanned flight. It flew for 82 hours 37 minutes, exceeding the 30 hours 24 minutes set by Global Hawk in 2001, QinetiQ says.
The Zephyr is a fragile-looking ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre aircraft that is launched by hand. “By day it flies on solar power generated by amorphous silicon solar arrays no thicker than sheets of paper that cover the aircraft’s wings. By night it is powered by rechargeable lithium-sulphur batteries, which are recharged during the day using solar power,” QinetiQ says in a press release.
The flight trial took place at the end of July over the Sonoran Desert in the United States. It was flown via satellite communications to a maximum altitude of more than 60,000ft.
The Zephyr, which is officially known as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), was designed for military use but it looks like it could have civilian applications.
Via :: Crave
Green energy gold rush: but not in Africa
August 14, 2008
Posted in Business
Sustainable energy is attracting a rush of investment, says the UN Environment Programme. Last year, $148-billion in new funding entered the market, up 60 percent from 2006, according to a UNEP-commissioned report, “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008”. But Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world in green energy finance.
Sub-Saharan Africa, “arguably the region that has the most to gain from renewable energy,” remains largely unexploited, says the report. Though it did mention that South Africa’s renewable energy targets and the commissioning of the first wind farm were signs of change. Read more
Air conditioner works off one solar panel
August 12, 2008
Posted in Renewable energy
An air conditioner that can be powered directly by one 170-watt solar panel has been released by a California-based company called GreenCore Air. It runs on DC power and has a built-in battery bank for back-up power on not-so-sunny days or hot nights. The batteries can also be charged by normal AC power.
GreenCore Air says the air conditioner is designed for applications of about 600 square feet (about 55 square metres). There’s a fixed unit and a mobile version which is mounted on wheels.
The US Navy has reportedly ordered 10 of the solar air conditioners for use in a remote laboratory site.
sources: Metaefficient,
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