Green Tech

Solar laptop bag packs beefier 'generator'

Voltaic Systems on Tuesday is set to announce a bag with a 14-watt solar panel for charging laptops at the Consumer Electronics Show, a company representative said.

Currently, the company makes laptop bags that have a 4-watt panel so this "generator" model will be a significant step up in power. The company's bags also include a lithium-ion battery to store surplus charge and a set of adapters for different devices.

It's expected to be released this spring and will cost $599.

A wide variety of solar chargers are available to power up cell phones, iPods, or … Read more

GE funding five SunPower solar projects for California

SunPower and General Electric Energy Financial Services are partnering to build solar power installations generating 8 megawatts in California by the end of the year.

The five projects include what could become the nation's largest solar panel installation on one roof, capable of 2.3 megawatts, at Toyota Motor Sales' Parts Center. Construction is set to start next month.

GE Energy Financial Services is acquiring a majority equity interest in the projects for an undisclosed amount. It will own the systems built and run by SunPower, a maker of high-efficiency solar panels.

The San Jose, Calif.-based company, which … Read more

Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba launch tech recycling company

Three of the biggest makers of TVs have formed a company to help manage the wave of electronics waste set to swell with the onset of digital television. Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba have launched the Manufacturers Recycling Management Co. in Minnesota.

That state last year enacted a law making vendors responsible for their brands' discarded electronics. MRM contracts with third-party recyclers including CRT Processing and Materials Processing Corporation, which specialize in handling tired monitors and televisions.

Old televisions and monitors are laced with lead, cadmium, and toxic flame retardants, but careful recycling can recover valuable and reusable metals and plastics.… Read more

Another hybrid Porsche on the way

Porsche announced today that it's developing a hybrid version of the Panamera, a four-door GT car that will debut in a traditional combustion engine version in 2009.

The hybrid system will use a combustion engine, plus an electric motor and an additional clutch, along with a battery pack to store power. The system can switch between the combustion and electric motor, or combine power from both, depending on driving conditions. And although we haven't seen specific technical data yet, this system sounds strikingly similar to GM's "two-mode" hybrid system, which can yield anywhere from zero … Read more

Flow battery maker gets $15 million

Deeya Energy, which makes large flow batteries to provide backup power to industrial plants, raised $15 million in a second round of financing, according to Venture Wire.

The company earlier raised $7.5 million and is building manufacturing facilities in India.

What is a flow battery? It's a battery with tanks of electrolytes that effectively let the battery store more energy than normal batteries. The electrolytes flow or circulate through the system. The larger the tanks, the more electricity it can store.

Flow batteries won't appear in watches or MP3 players any day soon. They are too big, … Read more

Biodiesel firms to merge

Better Biodiesel, a Utah-based producer of biodiesel fuel, said Friday that it plans to buy GeoAlgae Technologies for an undisclosed sum. GeoAlgae Technology, or GAT, makes inexpensive feedstock for the production of biodiesel, the companies said.

The buyout is Better Biodiesel's first public news since announcing this summer that it would suspend fuel production after its manufacturing fuel processor caught fire. (Better Biodiesel produces roughly 3 million gallons of biodiesel annually, according to the company.) The company said it has developed a waterless technology that can produce biodiesel from low-grade feedstocks without expensive pre- and post-processing of materials. That … Read more

Imperium Renewables delays IPO plans

Biodiesel manufacturer Imperium Renewables has withdrawn its plans to go public, citing "unfavorable market conditions."

The Seattle-based company filed the paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. It had filed to go public in May, and had plans to raise $345 million.

The news comes a few weeks after the company replaced its then-CEO, Martin Tobias, naming President John Plaza as interim CEO and investor Nancy Floyd as chairman.

Imperium Renewables said that Tobias' departure was part of a planned transition, but company watchers noted that his leaving was abrupt and not well publicized. (The company … Read more

BigBelly Solar trash compactor gets sleeker and smarter

The BigBelly solar-powered trash can has gotten a makeover.

The latest version of the BigBelly Solar garbage compactor will fit in better on city streets, all while flaunting its green credentials. Future versions will even have the ability to phone home.

The BigBelly uses a 30-watt solar panel on its top to charge a battery that powers a motor to crush garbage.

By compacting trash, city workers need to make fewer trips to empty bins, which reduces congestion and diesel exhaust, according to the company.

The company claims that compacting can eliminate four out of five trips. The savings from … Read more

Dutch tap solar heat from asphalt roads

A Dutch civil engineering company has designed a heat-absorbing road that bridges winter and summer.

The Road Energy System, from Ooms Avenhorn Holding, is essentially an asphalt road with tubes placed underneath. Water circulates to siphon off the heat from the road and it is stored underground for several months.

The heated road, sort of like radiant floor heating in a home, was originally conceived as a way to melt ice from roads without heavy salting.

Now, with growing interest in renewable forms of energy, the system can also be used to heat and cool homes while reducing greenhouse gas … Read more