Solar Chargers: The Way of the Future

A great way to stay green while still using the worlds amazing technology is by using solar chargers. If you have priced one out before you may know that they are pricey items and may not be at the top of your shopping list every month because of this. If this is something that interests you but you have money issues, check out a homemade solar charger recipe.

Instructables has step-by-step instructions on how to make your very own solar charger. There is also ways of extending your battery life that you can combine with solar charging to get the most of this experience.  There are other ways to stay green and still charge your phone. Wind-powered, kinetic fuel cell and other chargers are great alternatives if you are looking outside the solar field.

If you are one of those people that are ready to move into the solar field, check out the number of options from these amazing companies.

SolarGorilla From PowerTraveller

Power: 10 Watts

Where: EarthTech Products

How Much: $250

Solio Charger From Solio

Power: 0.6 Watts

Where: Solio

How Much: $50

SolarRoll 4.5 From Brunton

Power: 4.5 to 14 Watts depending on the size of the roll

Where: Brunton

How Much: 4.5 Watt roll (all you’ll need for hand-held devices) is $295

Solaris 26 From Brunton

Power: 26 Watts

Where: Brunton

How Much: $620

Voltaic Backpack From Voltaic Systems

Power: 4 Watts

Where: Voltaic Systems

How much: $250

Home Heating Made Green, Made Easy

Many people just getting on board in the green movement are looking at heating green and thinking that it is just too expensive. For instance, some houses use solar to heat their water. In order to have this you must have an entire system installed that can be expensive. Also, there is Geothermal heating systems which heats your house from an underground trench where the earth is naturally heating the water used. Both of these methods are proven to be amazing heating alternatives to gas or electric, however expensive. For those of you who still want to help the environment, but are in a situation where they are not able to change much, can still help both on your bills, and with C02 emissions.

When looking around your house, look at your windows. These can be a friend to heating your house and also a foe. Whichever windows face the sun for a majority of the daytime leave the drapes open for heat. Letting the sunlight flood in can greatly increase your homes heat by the time you get home. For those windows that do not face the sun keep drawn, as most of the heat that is lost from your home occurs through and around your windows.  Also, install storm windows. This can cut heat loss anywhere from 25-50%. It creates a dead air space inside the window that will keep the heat and cut the cold. Also, check your doors and windows for leaks. Caulking or insulating your windows can greatly help your heating problems. Other helpful energy and money savers include a ceiling fan and an Energy Star thermostat.

Although this system may not seem as effective as geothermal or solar, keeping your home at a nice comfortable temperature will help your pocket book and will concurrently help the environment.

I’m on a Boat…A Solar Boat

You can get a tan, brew tea and power your boat by being on board Raphaël Domjan’s latest creation. The world’s largest solar boat was revealed this past Thursday, created at the Knierim Yacht Club in Kiel in northern Germany; costing $24.4 million to produce. The 31-meter-long and 15-meter-wide craft named PlanetSolar will hit waters next month and start sea trials between June and September. This solar beast is expected to be able to capture 103.4 kW of solar energy to drive its engine which evidently only needs 20kW, to achieve an average speed of eight knots (15kph or 9mph).

The PlanetSolar team is not intending on replacing conventional watercrafts, however they did note that it was boats that allowed the first great explorations of our world. With the first boat dating back more than 10,000 years it is easy to forget how clean such transportation can be. “Today,” the PlanetSolar team suggests, “the boat is the most used means of transport of goods. It represents single-handedly almost 1.4 billions of tons of carbon dioxide (in 2008), that is 6% of the total carbon dioxide emissions and twice more than the air transport.”

To learn more about the boat that will hopefully set standards for future development, click here.