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Rock Port, Missouri, is First US City to Generate All Its Electricity From Wind Turbines
Posted by Adrian Covert at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2008
(Photo by Steve Morse)
Not to be outdone by those crazy Danish bastards out on the isle of Samso, Science Daily reports an equally crazy group of Missourian bastards in Rock Port now generate all their electricity using wind turbines. Rock Port went completely wind-powered last week, making use of the 75 wind turbines spread out across three Missouri counties, and local experts are excited about the potential for wind power throughout the state. However, PopSci thinks it won't be so easy to make this a widespread trend in the US.
For some reason or other, we've shown you a 
Famous designer Philippe Starck recently revealed he felt a certain shame that all the things he'd designed were not essential for living. This turbine which he designed with the help of generator company Pramac, can theoretically provide a single home with 20-60% of all the electricity it needs. The name, which needs work, or at least the prefix "turbo" in front of it, is "Democratic Ecology." If the performance is indeed true, at US$633, it's actually a steal and I'd order one right now. [
The city of Sakai in Japan is going to have a glittering new "green" addition in 2010, when Sharp and Kansai Electric Power build two massive solar-electric power plants there. In a bid to make Sharp's factories more eco-friendly, the two plants will generate 10 megawatts and 28 megawatts of electricity and reduce CO2 emissions by 10 kilotons yearly. Apparently the "Sakai City Waterfront Mega Solar Power Generation Plan" will be among the biggest like it in the world, and is part of a bid by Sakai to become a leading eco-friendly city. Smashing, and means Sharp gadgets can be bought with a clearer conscience. [
Dallas' Southern Methodist University is now recycling energy with one of the first commercial electricity generators that use thermoelectricity—the act of drawing power from waste heat. The machine operates by using heat given off by other processes (such as manufacturing) to boil liquids, which then turn into steam, which then turns an electricity-generating turbine.
The Cost Controller power strip lets you hook up eight gizmos, protects them against voltage spikes, and also shows you how much power they're drawing so you can worry about your electricity bill well ahead of time. It actually shows consumption in kilowatt hours along with the frequency and voltage characteristics of your power line, if you're into that sort of data. At least watching those usage digits mount up on its LCD display might prompt you into eco-friendly behaviour, like not leaving stuff on standby. Available now for US$99.99. [
Oasis were right, she is electric, or at least she would be with the Piezing dress concept, designed by Amanda Parkes. The concept was shown off at the 2nd Skin: Imaginative Designs in Digital & Analogue Clothing event in San Francisco, and it uses piezoelectric material around the joints to generate electricity when motion is detected. Unfortunately, the current isn't used instantaneously as some sort of nipple stimulator, instead it is stored in a small, removable battery, which can then be discharged when required. 
Why get drunk on cheap booze when you can get drunk on cheap booze that actually tastes good? That is the question Jon Sarriugarte asked himself when he and a buddy set out to solve the problem of how to artificially age brandy. Inspired by a single sentence in a book from the 1930s, they decided that electric current would do the trick. Fortunately, John already had a luminous transformer in his basement (don't we all), and he proceeded to pump 15,000 volts into a glass of bitter brandy. To his surprise, the taste had mellowed considerably.
There's a new Instructables page up that shows you how to mod your regular motorbike into an 
