New Gadgets that Produce Electricity

June 08, 2010 12:40 PM

Gadgets Harvest Renewable Energy

By Agam Shah, IDG News

Experiments are under way to harvest free energy through motion and the environment, which could lead to devices such as mobile phones that can be recharged without electricity. One Laptop Per Child has experimented with charging XO laptops through solar power, foot pedal and pull-string. Nokia last week released a kit that draws energy from cycling to recharge phones.

Orange said it would demonstrate boots that recharge mobile phones through energy derived while walking. While Orange's contraption is experimental, Tremont Electric is already selling a device that captures energy from running or walking to recharge mobile devices.

Gumboots that charge mobile phones

Orange this week announced rain boots that can generate energy through walking to recharge mobile devices such as cell phones and MP3 players. Called "Orange Power Wellies," the boots use modified soles that generate energy with each step, which is then channeled to recharge mobile devices.

A sole includes thermoelectric modules sandwiched between two thin ceramic wafers. Stepping creates heat on the top ceramic wafer and coolness from the ground is applied to the lower wafer, which generates electricity. The hotter a foot gets, the more energy it produces. Around 12 hours of walking charges a mobile phone for one hour of use.

Orange announced the electric boots in time for the Glastonbury Festival in the U.K., where they will be on display between June 23 and 27. The festival is a vehicle for Orange to announce renewable energy prototypes -- last year the company pitched the Glastonbury Solar Concept Tent, which included photovoltaic threads for solar energy to recharge devices.

The Wellies were developed with GotWind, a company that experiments with renewable technology resources. Orange and GotWind two years ago at Glastonbury demonstrated a "Dance Charger," a small generator mounted in an armband that created kinetic energy through dancing.

Kinetic energy goes commercial

Speaking of kinetic energy, Tremont Electric is selling a portable device that can recharge smartphones through everyday activities like running or walking. The NPower PEG (personal energy generator) is small enough to be carried or placed in a backpack, according to company executives. It includes a recyclable lithium-polymer battery that stores energy and attaches to portable devices through a USB port. Tremont sells the charger for US$149.99. It works with Apple's iPhone, Research In Motion's BlackBerry and HTC smartphones.

Five minutes of walking with the NPower PEG will produce enough power for one minute of talk time, said Jessica Davis, a spokeswoman for Tremont Electric. In general terms, walking an hour translates to 12 minutes of talk time.

The device is ideal for active outdoors people, said Aaron LeMieux, founder of Tremont Electric, who is an adventurer. For example, hikers and backpackers going on treks could use the charger to power phones, as wall outlets may be hard to find. The company is still developing the technology to reach a larger audience.

The device weighs about 9 ounces (255 grams), which is more than an iPhone 3GS smartphone, which weighs 135 grams.

Chargers in small packages

Solio sells portable solar chargers that gather energy from the sun to recharge portable devices. The devices include internal batteries that store power, which can be transferred to portable devices. If there's no sunlight, the chargers also work with power outlets.

The $79.95 Solio Classic-i charger is the most expensive of the company's offerings, but also the most worthwhile. It stores power for up to one year, takes around nine hours to charge under the sun, and provides about 10 hours of talk time on a mobile device. The cheapest solar charger is the $49.95 Mono-i, which takes 17 hours to fully charge and provides six-and-a-half hours of talk time.

Eton's solar-charged products

Eton last month introduced Scorpion, a gadget designed for hikers who may not have access to power outlets. The device can be powered by multiple natural energy resources including a hand crank and solar cells. The device includes a USB port to recharge mobile devices including cell phones. It includes a flashlight and a radio to get updates on weather conditions through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather band. It also has a digital radio tuner, a flashlight, and for good effect, a bottle opener. The device is priced at $50.

The company earlier this month also shipped the Soulra, a solar-powered sound system for the iPod and iPhone. The system features a ruggedized rubber exterior with a solar panel that can be pulled out from the middle. An iPod or iPhone can be placed on the device for playback. The device comes with a lithium-ion battery pack and can be plugged into power outlets. The device is priced at $199.

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vote NO on Senator Murkowski's Dirty Air Act

Dear Scotty,

Call your Senators and ask them to vote NO on Senator Murkowski's Dirty Air Act. Senator Bond: 202-224-5721 Senator McCaskill: 202-224-6154 Report your call here.

It must be nice for the big oil companies to know they have a true friend in Senator Lisa Murkowski.

As the Deepwater Oil Disaster escalated last month, Senator Murkowski single-handedly blocked a Senate proposal to increase oil company liability in the event of a major spill.¹

Now, she's focusing her attacks on the Clean Air Act in a resolution written by oil company lobbyists² behind closed doors in back rooms. Worse still, her Dirty Air Act is coming up for a vote in the Senate tomorrow.

In other words, in the face of the unprecedented environmental catastrophe on our Gulf shore, Murkowski wants to take away one of the strongest tools we have to rein in oil companies and end our nation's addiction to fossil fuels -- on marching orders taken directly from the biggest polluters themselves. It's outrageous and we have to stop it.

Call your Senators and ask them to vote NO on Senator Murkowski's Dirty Air Act.

Your Senators can be reached at:

Senator Bond: 202-224-5721
Senator McCaskill: 202-224-6154

When you've made your call, please report it by clicking here.

Once you're connected, remember to tell the staff member you're speaking to that:

• You're a constituent.
  
• The Deepwater Oil Disaster is just further proof that we need to take action now to reduce our dangerous dependence on oil and dirty fossil fuels.
  
• Lisa Murkowski's "Dirty Air Act" is exactly the wrong approach. Your Senator must side with the American people, not the oil companies, and vote NO.

Report your call here

With oil still gushing into the Gulf, it takes a whole lot of gall to side with the oil companies and undermine the Clean Air Act -- which plays a crucial role in keeping our air and water clean and reducing the harmful effects of fossil fuels.

Murkowski has been trying to introduce her proposal for almost a year now -- and every time she's gotten close, our flood of phone calls, letters to the editor and more have stopped her. But under Senate rules, next week is her last chance -- and right now the vote count is too close to call, with dozens of Senators on the fence.

We need to shut down this big oil bailout once and for all. Please call your Senators and tell them to vote NO on Murkowski's Dirty Air Act. Then report your call here.

Thanks,

Dave Boundy
Campaign Manager
The Climate Protection Action Fund's Repower America campaign

___________
1. Jake Sherman, "Murkowski blocks oil liability bill," Politico, May 13, 2010. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37207.html

2. Juliet Eilperin, "Murkowski and her lobbyist allies," The Washington Post, January 11, 2010. http://views.washingtonpost.com/climate-change/post-carbon/2010/01/murkowski_and_her_lobbyist_allies.html


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Survey: Electricity costs up, ability to pay down

Survey: Electricity costs up, ability to pay down When Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 GMT-05:00 Where http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com Who • Scott's Contracting • scottscontracting.renewableenergy@blogger.com

--> Washington, D.C., June 7, 2010 — About 85 percent of state energy regulators responding to an annual survey expect the cost of residential electricity to increase next year, according to the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions.
The survey, which Deloitte conducted earlier in the spring, also found a growing number of surveyed regulators fear rate increases will be financially onerous on the public.

More than a third (34.3 percent) felt that consumers would not accept any rate increase at all — up from 23.3 percent one year ago. Moreover, while 53.3 percent of surveyed regulators last year said that the public would accept a five percent rate increase, this year that number dropped almost 20 percentage points to 34.3 percent.

"Our survey demonstrates that state utility regulators are increasingly cognizant of electricity costs and the burden they represent on the average consumer," says Branko Terzic, energy and resources regulatory policy leader for Deloitte.
Terzic, previously a state regulator and a former commissioner with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), explains that most surveyed regulators (65.7 percent) expect rate increases because of rising environmental costs, while many (48.6 percent) also believe they will be linked to capital costs.

He goes on to point out that surveyed regulators see the high costs associated with renewable energy sources as an impediment to their adoption. "The vast majority of commissioners (68.6 percent) this year listed 'high prices to consumers' as the leading barrier to more renewable energy. This is a 10 point increase over last year's 58.3 percent number."

Exploring another issue that could have a dramatic impact on the consumer's pocketbook, Deloitte's survey looked at the regulatory preferences for 'time-of-day rates,' a concept that would allow utilities to adjust the rates they charge consumers throughout the day depending on demand peaks and dips.
Of the regulators responding to the survey, 60 percent reported that they were considering 'time-of-day' rates for their rate payers. And, when asked 'whether they believed that time-of-day should be considered,' 82.9 percent responded by saying 'yes.'

"Clearly," commented Terzic, "regulators are interested in time-of-day rates as way for the public to benefit from cheaper access to energy, especially in light of the current economic downturn."

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