IKEA to Sell Solar Tech

The cleantech group is reporting, that Ikea is planning to sell affordable solar gear for everyday users. This could be a big boost for the industry which could change the cost of these normally expensive solutions. I can only applaud any such move ... lets hope it's more than just hype.

Lenovo Launch Solar Power Compliant PC

It seems that some manufacturers have been paying attention to the green movement with a very timely announcement from Lenovo which details a Solar Power compliant PC which comes with a based configuration featuring a 2GHz Sempron processor, 512MB RAM, 80GB hard drive and a read-only DVD drive. The A61e should retail for $399 this base specification. The top specification unit will retail for approximately $799 and feature a 2.1GHz dual core Athlon X2, 2GB RAM a 160GB hard drive and a DVD-RW drive. All configurations use AMD's 690G chipset and offer ATI X1200 graphics. Details will be forthcoming on how the solar power will be supplied, but I'm expecting to hear a lot more in the weeks to come. Recent announcements from HP and several other manufacturers are echoing the thinking behind this unit from Lenovo.

Solar Power - Portable Charger From Brando

Hong Kong based company Brando have released a Solar Panel/Charger which will retail for about £35UK or US$69. The unit looks like it supports a variety of output voltages and devices. Features: Intelligent voltage adjustment, meaning that it can output voltage and current at 4 different levels. Double short circuit protection Tri-coloured LED light to indicate charging or discharging Technical Parameters: Solar Panel: -Peak power: 1.54W -Operating voltage: 5.5V (Max) -Charging current: 280mA (Max) / 3.8V Solar Charger: -Battery capacity: 2500mAh / 3.8V Output voltage: 4.5V-9V (adjustable) Output current: 1A (Max) Output power: 4W (Max) Dimensions: 137x79x24mm Weight: 240g Specifications: Input interface: DC interface Output interface: USB interface Material: Fireproof plastic (ABS) Flash light as a torch: Bright white LED for lighting Control switch: ON/OFF/LED Output voltage switch: 4.5V / 5V / 6.3V / 9V Package Contents: Universal Solar Charger 100-240V AC adapter USB Cable 7 connecting charger heads User manual Visit the product page for more info.

Solar Tech - Easier Than Ever

Our environmental friends over at HUGG have posted a link to an excellent article and video on the ease with which you can now install solar panels. The Video demonstrates the installation of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) laminates. The Panels are standard metal roofing, onto which the solar film is stuck. I was quite impressed by the ease with which the panels were applied. No idea on cost though.