The Parasolar concept by Oded Shorer serves two purposes - it keeps you cool by providing shade on those hot, sunny days while generating power from the very sunlight it is blocking.

It folds up into a case that can be used to carry it with ease. When in use, Parasolar plugs into the carrying case, which houses the battery and energy transformer, to keep it steady on the ground. The battery starts getting charged up as soon as the parasol is connected to the base. It can also be taken out and used as a regular umbrella if any rain decides to interrupt a sunny day.

Energy is generated from the photovoltaic laminated panels integrated in the synthetic cloth that serves as the “umbrella” portion of the device. Parasolar’s carrying case sports a 12 volt output as well as two USB ports for connecting your gadgets.

This looks like a perfect way to power gadgets and maybe even a laptop when camping or at a picnic. Change the strange green design of the umbrella and you’ve got us hooked. Check out a few more pictures after the jump. Read more »

Emanuel Sachs, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, has found a way to improve the efficiency of a type of silicon solar cells while keeping manufacturing costs about the same.

1366 Technologies, founded in part by Sachs, claims that it has improved the efficiency of its new multicrystalline silicon solar cells by 27 percent, putting them on par with today’s standard cells made from single-crystal silicon. Read more »

Designers Shane Ellis and Terry Brown have come up with an interesting way to remind us when we’re not being green - a power outlet that glows red when plugged-in appliances are consuming power.

Many appliances and electronics continue to use power even when they are off, and this power outlet would be a great way of reminding us of that. The higher the power usage is, the brighter the built-in LED will glow, reminding you to unplug that toaster you won’t be using for another week.

Of course, if you get tired of the nagging simply press a little button on the outlet and it’ll stay white until you turn it back on.

This is a great idea that could help us all save a little power here and there. It would be interesting to see if this product would take off if someone began mass-manufacturing it. Another picture after the jump. Read more »

Researchers at GE have found a way to print OLEDs (Organic Light-Emitting Diodes) “roll-to-roll,” much like printing newspapers. The breakthrough, coming as a result of four years of work, will allow manufacturers to create OLEDs at a fraction of the cost.

OLED technology is behind the flexible and e-ink displays popping up daily now, but price has always been a barrier. Now, with some tuning and polishing, the researchers hope they’ll have a working “printing press” set up to manufacture OLEDs at a much cheaper price.

OLEDs are much more energy efficient than traditional lights or displays. As soon as the printing method is perfected, we will see OLED displays quickly taking over current technologies. Just one of the benefits of OLEDs is better battery life for our gadgets, meaning less frequent recharging.

There is now just one major hurdle to jump - improving the lifetime of OLEDs. Since they are made of organic materials, they are very sensitive to outside elements, especially water. As soon as scientists figure out a way to overcome that, expect to see OLEDs everywhere.

Scientists at England’s Swansea University are working to develop a paint which can be quickly applied to large steels sheets to generate power from the sun beaming down on them.

This paint would be suited to warehouses and other buildings that are commonly covered with steel sheets.  It is based on dye-sensitised solar cells. Although less efficient than conventional solar cells, dye-based cells are cheaper as they don’t require solicon and can be applied as a liquid paste.

The solar cells are built up in several layers. First is a layer of regular paint directly on the steel. Then, the electrolyte and dye layers are applied, and the cell is finished off with a clear protective film to guard against the elements.

Researchers expect a commercial cell within two and a half years. Although these cells probably won’t make a huge impact, every little bit helps with the switch to renewable energy.

Sustainable design group SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology) has a new project called GROW that is capable of harnessing both solar and wind power.

GROW uses leafy, fluttering solar shingles that draw power from both the wind and the sun. The leaves are made from 100% recyclable polyethylene and come in a variety of colors and opacities. The project got its inspiration from ivy growing on the side of a building.

The creator of the tiles, Teresita Cochraine, hopes to have GROW available via the Moma store or Design Within Reach instead of more commercial system. However, it would probably be priced accordingly - much more expensive than traditional solar systems.

We think that the idea is great. It combines aesthetics and green tech to create a truly unique supply of power. The only thing holding GROW back would be its price. We hope to see some of these hanging on a building sometime soon, though, as it would look very cool. Another picture after the jump. Read more »

Sony’s in-house “odo” team, based in California and with some help from Japan, was put together to design devices that tap into the “creativity, curiosity, and energy” of children in developing nations and that are capable of operating in extreme temperatures without the need for power supplies. Their latest imagining is a self-charging digital camera.

The camera resembles a white, plastic pizza cutter, and it is charged by rolling the wheel at the top on any surface. 15 seconds of rolling should generate enough power to take one picture - not a bad tradeoff considering that the thing never needs to be plugged in. Read more »

Designers from Singapore have come up with a concept mouse that can use the heat generated by a laptop to power itself.

The DORmino mouse works by placing an oversize mousepad under a laptop which then collects the extra heat and turns it into electricity using silicon nanowires. The electricity is then sent to the mouse, resting on a different part of the pad, via an induction coil. This mousepad can be rolled up when not in use for easy transportation.

The mouse itself is an ordinary wireless mouse with the exception that it doesn’t ever need to be recharged. One of the more interesting features is a “touch screen scroller” which lets you scroll by moving your finger up and down a sensor on the mouse where an ordinary scroll wheel might be.

DORmino is pretty far-fetched, but is certainly feasible with today’s technology. However, it would probably be a bit expensive as all of this technology isn’t cheap. Either way, we love to see new eco-friendly innovations such as this. Diagram of how the DORmino works after the jump. Read more »