Solar photovoltaic cells and solar thermal collectors both capture the sun’s rays. The first one turns the light into electricity, while the other turns it into hot water for heating. They usually battle for rooftop real estate, but Naked Energy has found a way to merge them both into a single solar solution.
In many parts of the world it’s acceptable to drink in public, so this simple plastic ring provides a clean temporary place to store empty containers until they’re claimed by someone who wants to recycle them.
Like any piece of machinery, wind turbines eventually wear out and need to be replaced. And in Europe, instead of just salvaging them for scrap when dismantled, they often find better uses like turning them into playground equipment.
The cathode is often one of the most expensive components of a battery — especially if it’s made of cobalt or precious metal. A Swedish scientist may have discovered a way to replace pricey metal cathodes with a goopy byproduct of paper processing known as “brown liquor”.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a new way to recycle printed documents by simply vaporising the toner off the page using laser pulses. The process can erase an entire page leaving the paper ready to be printed on again.
There’s still no sign of that paperless office we’ve been promised. So Toshiba is striving for a less-paper office instead with a copier that uses special toner that can be completely erased, letting the paper be re-used.
While they might seem primitive, woven thatch roofs are an effective way to keep out rain while ventilating a home. But in Ecuador, where grass lands are being reclaimed for farming, discarded plastic bottles might just be a better alternative.
Taking the re-use over recycle approach, a couple of craftsman from Buenos Aires are turning wood and discarded film stock into these Filmantes hanging shelves that look like a must-have accessory for movie nuts or home theatre enthusiasts.
Current solar cell designs need to be aimed directly at the sun to be most efficient. But a Japanese company has come up with a clever new approach using spherical micro cells that can harness the sun’s rays from any direction.
Instead of an electricity generating solar panel, a motorised sun-bouncing mirror known as a heliostat is another approach to solar-powered lighting. And for just $US400 the SunFlower will redirect up to 50,000 lumens of sunlight directly into your home.
