Solar Energy Viewpoint
Solar Santa says get a solar-powered instrument tuner
Got a wandering bard in your family? Then consider the TC-1S solar-powered instrument tuner.
The lil’ gadget is small enough to clip onto a belt-loop or guitar strap. The device has a microphone but also features a 1/4-inch input for bass, guitars and other electronic instruments, according to TASCAM, which makes the device.
The solar tuner can fully charge in light in about 25 minutes, and its battery lasts for up to seven years. So even if your traveling troubadour is actually a denizen of the dark, the tuner should last for a long time between charges.
If for some reason they need to tune their instrument for more than six hours straight in the dark, they can also charge the tuner up via a USB port. And it doesn’t cost an arm and leg—it’s under $40.
Solar Energy Viewpoint
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Solar Santa says: Get a solar-powered keyboard
Dec 19, 2011
Solar Santa’s clacking away on a wireless keyboard that he never needs to get up and replace the batteries in, thanks to his solar-powered Logitech keyboard. And that’s good, because he’s got a lot of lists to check. Logitech introduced the world’s first full-sized solar-powered, wireless keyboard for PC’s last year and it’s still tres-chic. It’s sleek, unique and now comes in two flavors, PC and Mac. The device wirelessly connects to your computer via a nano receiver that plugs into one of your computer’s USB ports. Despite being cutting edge, it’s...
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Solar Santa says: get a solar-powered fuel-cell RC for a hobbyist
Dec 16, 2011
So it’d be cool to have a remote-controlled, solar-powered RC, right? Well Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies has one-upped that pretty heftily. The company created H-Cell 2.0, what it calls a hobby-grade model RC 30-watt fuel-cell power-train that can reach speeds of about 50 miles and run for an hour on one charge. The fuel cell is powered by hydrogen via the company’s Hydrostik, which stores hydrogen in a solid-state metal alloy—so it can’t you know, blow up. The fuel cell is refilled via the company’s Hydrofill station, which electrolyzes water, converting it into...
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Solar Santa says: Consider a portable PV charger for hikers
Dec 15, 2011
Today’s hikers could have five or more electric gadgets with them on a long-distance hike—tools like a global positioning system (GPS) unit, a cellphone, camera, flashlight and a SteriPEN. Each of which needs batteries or charging. Hikers don’t like weight they don’t need to carry. But a solar charger like Goal Zero’s Guide 10 Plus or the Solio Bolt Solar Charger might be the perfect gift for your favorite hiker. Goal Zero’s PV module is encased in a nylon canvass with loops that are easily attachable to a backpack, which means on the pack, it could charge spare...
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Guest Editorial: The solar industry benefits from the U.S. and China
Dec 15, 2011
The trade case brought against Chinese solar manufacturers by U.S. solar-panel producer SolarWorld and six other domestic equipment makers could undermine the solar industry’s significant progress at the very moment it is poised for success. With a largely jobless recovery here at home and a Chinese economy that is “cooling down,” a trade war over solar module production threatens both nations’ economies and the global viability of the solar industry overall. Currently, the U.S. Department of Commerce is investigating whether or not it should impose preliminary tariffs in...
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Solar Santa says: Get a solar case for your iPad
Dec 14, 2011
Last year you got them an iPad for Christmas—they sure were lucky. But how about giving them the power of even more go-anywhere convenience with a solar iPad case? A growing number of companies offer cases that double as chargers for your minicomputer. They’re a great compliment to a great device, and designs like LilyPad ’s case are pretty sleek and attractive. Just about anyone would be stoked to see it or Voltaic System’s Spark Tablet case under the Christmas tree—unless of course they don’t have an iPad or tablet to go with it. If you’re considering...
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Republican presidential candidates throw mud on the sun, economy
Nov 18, 2011
Recently presidential candidate and presumable frontrunner, Mitt Romney spoke out against federal support for renewable energy, instead pushing to produce more coal, oil and natural gas domestically. His sentiment is echoed by the other candidates vying to unseat President Barak Obama. They’ve glommed on to the failure of DOE backed Solyndra, a move supported by the Bush Administration, as proof that the green economy is a failure, and the country should put it’s fossil fuel blinders back on. They’re ignoring a lot of what’s been driving the country’s recovery—anemic...
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The changing face of solar owners from ecofreaks of the 70s to your neighbor
Nov 03, 2011
When the cost of photovoltaics fell from $100 a watt to $20 a watt in the early 1970s it opened photovoltaics up to entirely new markets, from the ecofreak neighbor that didn’t much like baths to remote ocean buoys or to the off-grid cabin dweller. Since then the technology, in fits and starts, has been gaining traction with homeowners across the world. But now solar is reaching a point where enough average people are adopting it that today you’re likely to know a friend, neighbor or colleague down the street that’s either installed or planning to install solar on their roof....
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Solar photo caption challenge
Oct 03, 2011
Are you baffled? Well, we are. Every once in a while, in our quest to report on issues regarding the solar industry , we run across something that begs the question: Why? This little gem came by way of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory , one of the country's foremost authorities on solar technologies , and our favorite solar geekery because its in our home state of Colorado. Your eyes do not deceive you. That is a giant spaceman, holding a rather phallic spaceship, while he rides atop a solar vehicle . We'll give you a moment to take that in. There. So here's what we want you to do: Write...
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What happened to our generation’s “Sputnik moment”?
Sep 28, 2011
On Sept. 27, President Barak Obama returned to Denver, Colo., to deliver a speech about creating jobs in the stagnating economy. It’s his third big appearance in Denver. He was nominated as the Democratic candidate for presidency in Denver, and he signed the stimulus bill in Denver, shortly a month after taking action. And on the 27th, under a sunny fall sky, he delivered a speech at Denver’s Abraham Lincoln High School urging Congress to pass his American Jobs Act, a bill designed both to bring down the deficit while increasing employment throughout the country. “Everything in...
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Dec 20, 2011
Long after Solar Santa’s done delivering solar-powered toys to good girls and boys, he’ll be lounging on the deck at an undisclosed location on an equatorial island. While there he’ll have limited access to electricity. But that won’t be too big a deal thanks to his SunTable. The table’s surface is a PV panel that can be positioned to get the best sunlight. It features a battery that charges in about four hours and that can power a laptop, TV or other device for about four hours. Santa will use his to listen to tunes on his boombox while in between dips in the ocean...
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