THE WIND AND THE LIGHT: The new LED streetlights PingQuan, China are interesting. Rather than being connected to the grid via underground wires each one has its own HoYi! wind turbine, two 280 watt solar panels and a storage battery, allowing it to function completely off-grid. I guess maintenance costs could be quite a bit higher than regular streetlights though.
BUILD ON AIR: Many cities are full of tall towers. The wind often funnels between them, so why not make use of it as it does?
PowerWINDows can be installed on the sides or roofs of buildings to generate electricity. The turbines don't have huge swooping blades, but rather look like windows with a sparse venetian blind. The blades move vertically up and down. The new kind of turbine is quieter, cheaper to run and safer than current wind turbines. Presumably they suck some of the energy out of the flow of air between buildings which could also make for a better environment for pedestrians and cyclists.
CO2 FARM: There's a lot of CO2 in the air — more than most would like, in fact. But how about if that CO2 could be used as a source of energy? Scientists at the University of Georgia can transform the carbon dioxide trapped in the atmosphere into useful industrial products, and maybe soon into biofuels. While plants can easily process atmospheric CO2, it's been hard for us. The new technique involves genetically modifying a microorganism called Pyrococcus furiosus. The organism usually feeds in the ocean near geothermal vents where it's very hot. By modifying the organism they can make it do its work at much lower temperatures, using it to convert CO2 into fuel. That's the story: eat waste and create fuel.
COOL TORCH: Looking for something down behind the stereo? You may reach for a torch and hope the batteries haven't gone flat since the last time you used it. But how about if just holding a torch in your hand could generate enough electricity to power the light? 15 year old Ann Makosinski from Canada has invented just such a thermoelectric torch. The key to her success was to use a hollow tube that allows air to flow freely and cool one side of the Peltier tiles that make the system work. Peltier tiles produce electricity when heated on one side and cooled on the other. Because the flashlight relies on temperature differences it works best when the ambient air is cooler. Which leaves you wondering what other devices could exploit this principle.
LIGHT UP THE WORLD: The Luci collapsible solar lantern sheds a diffused light so it benefits several people at once. It charges in sunlight, on cloudy days or even from an incandescent light. The waterproof light has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, 10 white LEDs and weighs only around 100 grams. 6 hours of charging yields 6 to 12 hours of light. The lantern's intended for the developing world where many people have no access to power or can't afford it, but would be a handy item in any emergency kit.
