Called “Juice Bags,” these designs all feature a flexible 7 watt solar panel, complete with 52 cells, fitted to the widest side of the bag. These cells captures light while you walk/jog/hike/run. There’s even a beach tote for lazier days in the outdoors.

What the bag is meant to do is power smaller 12 volt electronics, such as a cell phone or MP3 player, using a Car Light Adaptor (CLA), which comes built in to every bag. Other options for solar-energy capture include SolarReady Batteries, which can be purchased separately, plugged into the CLA, and used later on other electronics such as digital cameras.

The actual solar panels are highly flexible, about the thickness of a school folder, waterproof and removable for cleaning or storage.The rest of the bag is compromised of the usual pack features, with divided pockets and comfort straps, but as an added bonus of environmentalism, all Juice Bags are manufactured with plastic recycled from 2-liter soda bottles. Approximately 8 bottles go into the marking of every bag. In addition, each bag is also made to mach US military seaming and stitching regulations for added durability.

The real novelty of the Juice Bag comes in, not just when you realize that even on longer outdoor excursions you can keep GPS navigators or cell phones charged, but also when you factor in the knowledge that you’re using clean energy to do so. No more getting stuck with a dead battery.

You will be paying for the novelty though, with prices like $399.99 for the Juice Bag Portfolio. Other models include the Daypack, Backpack, Messenger, Beach Tote and Classic.

While there are other, cheaper and still friendly bags out there, the Juice Bag is still a smart idea, now given its time to shine. While for now the manufacturers are supporting Juice Bag use only with smaller devices, they still hold out hope with the promise that they “have a solution brewing for use with laptops and other larger devices!”

Hybrid solar lighting (HSL) is comparative to solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity, except these instruments simply channel sunlight directly into a room. No middleman needed. Normal photovoltaic cells used in solar panels only covert about 15 percent of the sunlight collected, while HSL is able to use up to 50 percent of the sunlight collected thanks to direct conversion. In addition, HSL bulbs produce less heat than conventional bulbs thanks to collectors that remove infrared light, which is the main heat-producing spectrum. This not only produces a higher quality of light, but lowers energy costs (not to mention room temperature.)

HSL does not use the usual solar panels, but instead features a four-foot wide dish, which reflects the sunlight into a cluster of 127 optical fibers nestled at the base of the dish. One of these dishes powers up to eight fixtures, each of which can light about 1,250 square feet.

But HSL does utilize artificial light as well, which comes into play at night or during poorly lit days. About 20 percent of the light produced on a sunny day is artificial, while on cloudy days the system’s photosensors can boost that number to 95 percent.

But perhaps a more surprising side effect of HSL is the light’s reddish tint during sunrise and sunset. At first researchers thought this would be a problem, but many people enjoy it since it mimics the sun’s natural colour during morning and evening, helping set our internal rhythm, which is all too thrown-off thanks to conventional lighting.

Unfortunately, distance is also a problem since the fiberoptic wires loose light the longer they are. Therefore, direct roof access is recommended, meaning HSL works best in one-story buildings, or on the top floor.

Currently HSL is being marketed to commercial centers thanks to studies showing more natural light helps boost sales. But not only this, the system is still very expensive making retailers a prime target for something with a price up to $40,000 for a system with glass optical wires. Thankfully, by using plastics instead of glass, the target price is currently $3,000 for an 8-fixture unit.

HSL is just another choice is a growing range of eco-friendly lighting ideas, from CFL bulbs to solar panels. Hopefully the price will soon drop, making it a must have for residential homes as well.

As evidenced by the Solio Mg, oftentimes solar power requires additional space; be that a separate unit, a chunk of the screen size, or simply general clunkyness in the final product. The bottom line: solar power forces handheld devices away from their dream of compact size and maximum usability. And that’s what makes this patent filing by Apple so interesting as the patent calls for the integration of solar cells within the screen itself. Not only does this eliminate any of the drawbacks of solar power, it poises the idea itself as the next must-have feature. It’s practical, efficient, convenient, and it’s green.

That being said, I have my reservation about seeing this patent materializing into iPods and iPhones any time soon. Patent filings can be merely claims to an idea and often times reveal little regarding intention of use. Motorola filed a similar patent back in 2001 and we have yet to see the technology in the mainstream market. And while the notion is green in principal it would amount to a small offset in power consumption as newer 3G devices ramp up power consumption.

(However, I’m of the belief that energy (and therefore environmental) conservation needs to rapidly evolve beyond gimmickry and become an accepted reality. Rather than being a lifestyle choice, it needs to simply be part of living. And that starts with an exodus on the manufacturing end, shifting as many devices from the power grid to more viable, renewable resources. If Apple makes a move, many may in fact follow. End rant.)

Source

The Solio Hybrid 1000 is a unique, universal, solar powered, compact electronic charger. With only one hour of direct sunlight it can give up to fifteen minutes of talk time for your cell phone or around forty minutes of play time for a music player, such as your M3P Player or iPod.

The Solio Hybrid comes equipped with all of the adaptors and tips you should need to connect it to your electronic devices. It has a USB Port Replicator tip for the things such as iPods and iPhones. It has the mini USB tip for things such as a Blackberry or Garmin to name a few. The internal battery is able to store power for up to one entire year. It is very easy to use. You just have to plug it in and let it charge the device.

It is important to note that the exact charge time can vary depending on how intense the direct sunlight was at the time of the charge and also on the type of device you are using. Regardless, this green gadget is a great investment and is sold for around seventy dollars and comes with most everything you need to charge nearly every electronic handheld device you have.