Tag: renewable energy

Categories
Aquatics Chargers/Batteries

Estream uses running water to keep your devices running

Reconnecting with the great outdoors is a wonderful thing, but sharing those experiences with family and friends makes it even more memorable. But keeping the devices used to document these adventures can be pretty difficult without access to electricity. That’s why Enomad developed its Estream portable hydroelectric generator.

Small and compact enough for a backpack, the Estream sports a modular design that lets users easily ready it for power generation. Users need only to snap off its cover, unfold its turbines and lock them, hook it in with its base, then throw into the water. There, a run ning current will spin its turbines, powering the 6400 mAh battery in its base.

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Categories
Camping

The Nomad Shadow Leaf leaves you made in the shade

The importance of proper protection from the sun at the beach cannot be understated. While it’s easy to have a good time and lose sight of protecting the body, most people usually apply some sun tan lotion once or twice, and call it a day. Others keep themselves under large, unstable umbrellas that are too small for the entire family and prone to being knocked over or blown away by strong winds.

Thanks to the magic of crowdfunding, even the beachside umbrella is due for a complete overhaul. Leaf for Life’s Nomad Shadow Leaf is that overhaul — a lightweight, portable sun shade with a wide variety of clever features for more beachside comfort. One of the parasol’s defining features is its anti-fungal, water-repellent canopy that uses a tensioning system to instantly open by simply unravelling it. When fully opened, the canopy seems small but is designed to sit at an angle that produces a larger area of shade.

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Categories
Features

Out There: Watburn turns salt water into energetic flame

Out There is a feature where we highlight wildly ambitious or dubious projects that have little chance of coming to fruition in the foreseeable future.

The quest for renewable energy sources that can replace oil and gas is underway, albeit with little luck. But wouldn’t it be nice if the world ran on a resource that’s so abundant that it makes up 2/3 of the Earth?

Now introducing Watburn. This world-changing product takes saltwater and converts it into a 5,000°C flame that can be used for welding and cutting. According to the product’s campaign, cathodes, magnets, generators and salt water all work together to turn the water into usable energy. The creator claims that this product will be the source of a new kind of clean energy. In the future, it has the potential to work with other objects and eliminate the need for fossil fuels altogether.

For a donation of $250, backers can have their own Watburn by August 2015. This Bulgarian product is looking for $25,000 on Indiegogo. While the Bulgarian product’s creator’s claims aren’t as egregious as other Out There features, his reasoning still leaves something to be desired. It’s apparent that backers who purchase this product will likely receive a clunky thing that either won’t work or will burn their hands off.

Categories
Chargers/Batteries Lighting

H2Only Battery recharges with liquid, pours on the light

The Premise. Batteries can die in the most inconvenient of times. During a power outage, car breakdown, or accident are the worst times to discover that your flashlight has run out of juice.

The Product. The H2Only Battery is a rechargeable battery that literally runs on juice, water or any other liquid. Currently, the H2Only Battery is being sold either as a flashlight or standard light. When it runs out, one simply needs to pour water or any other liquid over it and it will recharge again. Both the flashlight and light look like little more than regular LED flashlights or lights.with the exception of a ventilated exterior. If more power is needed, simply clip another battery onto the existing one. If less power is needed, take the extra battery away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u897H5Tf0ns

The Pitch. The H2Only Battery’s Indiegogo campaign features a refreshingly high-end video that shows the flashlight and light in action in various situations. The remainder of the campaign talks about when and where H2Only Battery would be helpful, the durability of the battery and which other products are will soon be manufactured with the H2Only Battery. The creators hope to raise $87,500 in order to fund the H2Only Battery. More information can be found on their Web site.

 The Perks. For only $29, the early bird gets one H2Only Battery flashlight. The standard price for both the flashlight and light costs backers $69. From there, reward tiers go all the way up to $5,000 with a heavy emphasis on donations that will fund philanthropic projects in Africa. Current availability is set at June 2014.

The Potential. The H2Only Battery is a truly cool concept that demonstrates how simple innovation can produce sustainable products. Unfortunately, H2Only Battery isn’t the first liquid rechargeable battery to the watering hole. The NoPoPo Water Battery looks like a AA battery, but can be recharged with water and several other liquids, but the H2Only team notes that its approach is patented and that the other product peters out after only two or three recharges.

The H2Only Battery’s main claim to fame is that it is the only open type rechargeable battery out there. This means that it doesn’t need to be disassembled in order to recharge with water and that it can take advantage of oxygen as a catalyst. The H2Only Battery’s creators have big dreams for their product, including powering every house in the world with just water. Still, the H2Only Battery creators will have to start by coming out with some more versatile products than lights in order to compete with other water-fueled battery systems, especially if they plan on taking over the world.