It's Friday, so I decided to keep the material light and show you another Unusual Solar Photo.
This time, we have unique set of solar panels. I found this on Gemma Grace's Flickr Photostream. Here's the description:
The Region of Peel, Ontario, Canada recently installed a unique aesthetic photovoltaic project at the Clarkson Water Treatment Plant in Mississauga. "Comprised of nine 1.2 kW pole mounted Solar Flares, the project encompasses structural, electrical, photovoltaic and monitoring aspects. This photovoltaic initiative is intended as a demonstration project in synergy with forthcoming neighbouring green energy projects."
Flowers.
The bottom line is... Solar panels don't always have to be the ugly squares and rectangles that we're accustomed to. Some people are able to produce some visually stunning creations.
I made a routine stop at YouTube and found a video pertaining to solar energy. It features a guy playing a handmade Solar Theremin. Have a look:
This is a pretty cool video, but if you're like me, you're probably asking yourself, "What on earth is theremin?" According to the Wiktionary, a theremin is
An electronic musical instrument that generates sound of varying pitch and volume depending on the proximity of the musician's hands to two antennae mounted on the instrument.
At the top of the post, you'll see a modern version of a theremin.
The bottom line is... You learn something new everyday.
There's some big news coming from the good folks in Cupertino, CA. There appears to be a special Apple event scheduled for September 9, 2008 in San Francisco.
This can only mean one thing... Apple is planning on releasing something new. If the rumors are correct, it'll probably be a new iPod. Apple's iPod Touch has yet to be updated, so this is probably the product of choice.
Only time will tell. We'll revisit this story in about a week.
The bottom line is... This will be yet another gadget that can be powered by our solar chargers.
We'll take a break from all the solar facts and information to give you some startling statistics regarding global warming.
Worldwide, 1995 was the warmest year since global temperatures were first kept in 1856. This supports the near consensus among climatologists that emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases are causing global warming. (Chivilan and Epstein, Boston Globe)
The United States is the world's largest single emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for 23 percent of energy-related carbon emissions worldwide. (U.S. Department of Energy)
An average of 23,000 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted annually in each American home. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Carbon emissions in North America reached 1,760 million metric tons in 1998, a 38 percent increase since 1970. They are expected to grow another 31 percent, to 2,314 million metric tons, by the year 2020. (U.S. Department of Energy)
On average, 16 million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere every 24 hours by human use worldwide. (U.S. Department of Energy)
The bottom line is... We Americans need to do a better job.
Gizmodo is officially a friend of us at Solar Arcadia. As I was browsing their site, I found the photo you see above. It was designed by Vivien Muller, and looks to be a device for charging gadgets.
The bottom line is... More and more cool things can be done.
I just found a cool article on Gizmodo. Apparently, the apparatus pictured above, known as the Zephyr Glider, just broke a world record. Jack Loftus reports:
Last we heard from the U.K.'s high altitude Zephyr glider, it was unofficially breaking the record for longest unmanned flight. That was back in 2007, when the record was a paltry 30 hours, and the Zephyr was able to manage a 54 hour flight, thanks to its solar powered batteries. On Friday, the Zephyr flew that and then some when it completed an 84-hour flight without issue.
The bottom line is... It was all made possible by the power of the sun.
I've heard different things about opinions about the battery life of Apple's 3G iPhone. If you're one of those people who's having trouble keeping your iPhone charged during the day, you might find this video helpful:
The bottom line is... He forgot to mention our Solar iPhone chargers, which will help as well.
Going solar is usually a great thing... Just look at our website! People come up with creative products that are also environmentally friendly. Sometimes these products are useful, and sometimes they're not.
Take these two products, for example. First up, we have a solar air conditioner.
For the most part, air conditioners use too much energy to be powered by solar panels; however, a company known as Greencore has found the perfect solution...
"The company's 10200 model uses a single 170-watt solar panel during the day and electricity from the power grid during the night to charge its batteries, leading to massive energy savings even if the solution isn't 100% solar." - Elaine Chow of Gizmoda via Treehugger
Sound awesome, right? It's very practical. We could definitely use something like this in my household. The second product, on the other hand, might not be as helpful. It's a solar neck tie.
Created by a group of geniuses at North Carolina State, the invention uses a great deal of complex technology:
"The designs use a process called digital textile printing to leverage the blocky solar panels into neck ties and jackets. In the case of the tie there's even a hidden pocket to hold your device as it charges. Convenient. A five-day test found the clothing posed no significant health risk..." - Jack Loftus of Gizmodo
As cool as it might be, I don't think I'd use a solar necktie to charge my gadgets. Hopefully they can use they're creative energy and smarts to come up with something a little more useful. Or maybe it will catch on... Who knows?
The bottom line is... Keep the solar powered products coming.
Welcome to the official blog for Solar Arcadia. This is a great place to find exciting news about the solar industry and the latest information regarding iPhones and iPods.
It's Friday, so I decided to keep the material light and show you another Unusual Solar Photo.
