EcoTech | Sighenz

Solar charger that lets you earn points as you use it

More and more gadgets are coming that lets you power your devices with solar energy, and now you can even earn points while doing so. A charger from the new German startup called Changers, doesn’t just give you a great power source in the sun, but it also earns you credits that you can use to both compete in green credentials with your friends, and also buy items with.

The charger consists of a solar panel and a battery. It takes about four hours to reach a full charge, and this gives you enough juice to charge an iPhone, twice. It also comes with an array of adapters for devices from the most common manufacturers like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Sony PSP or Nintendo. Anything that charges over USB will basically work.

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European Commission wants to help develop environmental technologies

The 15 December 2011, the European Commission announced on their webpage that they’re launching a new instrument to help companies that are developing innovative environmental technologies. The Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) pilot program will provide independent verification of the performance of new environmental technologies, and this is intended to help manufacturers prove the reliability of performance claims, and help technology purchasers identify innovations that suit their needs.

“The Environmental Technology Verification pilot programme is the first, practical fruit of the Eco-Innovation Action Plan. Investors need objective and credible information about the performance of new technologies, so this initiative will have an important role to play. It should help companies at the cutting edge of environmental technologies make the most of the opportunities in the European Single Market.” said Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik

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PaveGen – Creating electricity, one footstep at a time

PaveGen London trials — PaveGen trials in East London

Recycled rubber paving slabs from PaveGen are set to help power Europe’s largest urban mall at the 2012 London Olympics site. The paving slabs harvest the kinetic energy that occur when people step on them, and converts it into electricity. This will be PaveGen first commercial application, where 20 tiles will be placed along the central crossing between London’s Olympic stadium and the recently opened Westfield Stratford City mall. The mall expects an estimated 30 million visitors in its first year.

“That should be enough feet to power about half its (the mall’s) outdoor lighting needs” said Laurence Kemball-Cook, the 25-year-old engineering graduate who developed the prototype during his final year of university in 2009.

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Lufthansa first to use biofuel in commercial flights

Lufthansa has become the first airline to run regular commercial flights using a mix of biofuel and kerosene in daily transfers between Hamburg and Frankfurt.

The six month trial will cover eight of its 28 daily flights of less than an hour between the two cities, which will according to Lufthansa reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1,500 tonnes during that period. As part of the burnFAIR project, a Lufthansa Airbus A321 (D-AIDG) will fly regularly between Hamburg and Frankfurt, using fuel that contains a 50-percent share of biosynthetic kerosene in one engine.

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Dean Kamen files patent application for inflatable turbine that can move with the wind

Dean Kamen the inventor of the Segway scooter have dreamed up an inflatable mobile wind turbine that also can provide an eye-catching advertising platform.

The concept of an inflatable wind turbines may not be an entirely new idea, but the prolific inventor Dean Kamen has detailed one of a slightly different sort. Not only is it mobile and can generate electrical energy for general use, but it can also provide a platform for advertising, and provide public information announcements.

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