Category — Green Energy

iSol Plus is an ideal solar solution for all of your portable devices. Buy iSol Plus and say goodbye to dead cell phone, iPod, PDA or PSP batteries. You can charge your gadgets wherever you are under the sun (10-20 hours). And if it rains, you can charge it with your laptop via a USB cable (2-4 hours).

Source: Silicon Solar - iSol Plus - $ 43.95

Specifications:
- Solar Panel: 5.5V 100mA
- Rechargeable Lithium Battery: 3.7V
- Dimensions: 4.5 in x 2.5 in x .6 in
- USB charging cable: 5V 500mA
- DC Outputs: 5.5V 500mA / 7.5V 350mA / 9.5V 300mA

Features:
- Charge using the Sun or USB connector
- Major brand mobile phone adaptors
- Comes with suction cups
- Charging and discharging indicators:
Charging in the sun
Charging with USB cable
Charging portable device

I’d like to dedicate this week to solar solutions for your home. Did you know that enough sunlight falls on the earth’s surface each minute to meet world energy demand for an entire year ? I didn’t either, but it makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is that it’s not being used. The biggest obstacle is that solar power installation costs are not affordable by most. The other day I saw a white van parked on my street with a solar biz logo, so I went up to the driver and asked him how much it costs to solar power an apartment or a house. He quoted me a $30,000 starting price. Even with utility companies’ incentives and tax breaks, it’s still not a solution for everyone. In the meantime, there are some less expensive solar products for your home.

Second runner up to the Centennial Bulb is “The Eternal Light”, located in Fort Worth, Texas. First turned on in 1908 at the Byers Opera House where it spent most of its life. The opera house became a movie theater in 1920 until it was torn down in 1977. The bulb still burns to this day at Stockyards Museum in a glass case.

In third place is “The Bulb” from Mangum, Oklahoma. Turned on sometime between 1926 and 1929 and housed in a fire station built in 1912. “Mangum feels no need to measure itself against others, and has been content to keep its bulb to itself. There are no webcams here, no glass display cases. The bulb doesn’t even have a name. Locals refer to it simply as “the bulb“.

Source: Roadside America

One. And it’s still burning.

This bulb has a pretty impressive history. It’s been illuminating a firehouse in Livermore, CA since 1901. The greenest bulb in the world was made by Shelby Electric Co. who went out of business in 1914. It has become quite a celebrity in its old age, attracting tourists since the 70’s… It even claims an online presence with a website draws about a million visitors a year and features a bulb-cam set up to film it continuously. Livermore firefighters used to swipe it for good luck before leaving on duty and now they don’t dust it for the same reasons. The secret to the bulb’s longevity lies in the fact that it has almost never been turned off in its 107 years and the air-tight seal never let any oxygen in, creating a cold-burning vacuum.

For a full story and facts, check out these links:

LA Times: At 107, Livermore centennial lightbulb is still a real live wire

Official site: Livermore’s Centennial Light

2007 Record: Guinness Book of World Records

Print: Ripley’s Believe it or Not

Wikipedia: Centennial Light

This month’s Vanity Fair annual green issue features HL23 - Neil Denari’s new project at 23 Street in New York’s West Chelsea Arts district. Above is only a digital rendering of the avant-garde structure that is set to be completed in 2009. The futuristic 14 floor luxury green condominium tower is built for lower power use and Denari is striving for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certificate by the US Green Building Council. Various building and zoning challenges put aside, the architect designed a building with one condo per floor and three unique facades, “a rarity in Manhattan’s block structure”.

Enjoy a laugh with this hilarious message from Greenpeace on energy efficient light bulbs, found on Green Energy TV.