Tag: solar power

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Connected Objects Imaging

Enlaps Tikee enables endless time lapse photography

Time-lapse photography is a popular film and video shooting technique that allows viewers to see a long event completed in just a few seconds, such as the full blooming of a flower or the construction of a building from start to finish. But there are three common obstacles to shooting over an extended period of time with a digital camera: battery space, storage capacity and processing.

patent-claimedEnlaps Tikee is a plug-and-play device that removes all of those constraints and allows unlimited time-lapse photography, according to its Kickstarter campaign. It’s powered by an integrated adjustable photovoltaïc solar cell that allows for long-term time-lapse capability. Once captured, photos are wirelessly transmitted to the cloud, which provides a theoretically endless amount of storage space.

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Cooking

GoSun Grill captures sun’s rays to char your burger even at night

Grilling is one of the preferred ways to cook, especially in the summertime. Most require propane or charcoal to work, however, making them less than convenient at times.

patent-claimedThe GoSun Grill changes all of that with its solar technology. Fold out the reflectors in the sunshine for two hours and enjoy hours of cooking time. The thermal battery stores the solar charge and lets the grill be used at any time, even at night. This grill can roast, boil, steam, or bake anything you want. It doesn’t require any dirty fuel and is completely portable. The grill cooks anything evenly from 360 degrees for delicious, cleanly-made food.

The GoSun Grill certainly changes the game of grilling. Not only does it display awesome potential for cooking, but also demonstrates the power of developing solar technology. For one, backers will need to fork over $399 with delivery in September 2015. GoSun hopes to raise $140,000 with the help of Kickstarter.

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Technology

Baseload Buster uses PV panels to lower electric bills

Who doesn’t want to reduce their electric bills? But shifting one’s house entirely over to a solar panel energy system from a fossil fuel-based energy system can be costly.

The Baseload Buster from Amsterdam company Sun Invention offers a third solution that uses photovoltaics (PV) to convert solar energy into direct current electricity. The system includes four solar PV panels of 250 watts each that collect sun during the day to create a maximum of 1,000 watts of pure energy during daytime harvesting. Excess energy is then stored in Lithium batteries to deliver energy during the night or during especially cloudy weather. The PV panels run with an extra cell optimizer to avoid large losses during energy production.

Users can adjust the storage setting on their own based on factors including the region it is being used in, what season it is, and personal consumption level. Sun Invention is looking to raise €20,000 (~$24,200). Backers who spend €2,950 (~$3,600) will get the four panels including a new solar cell optimizer, and a 20-meter connection cable that connects the Baseload Buster connection box to the user’s existing home grid energy system. Country-specific AC connectors are ready to order also and versions for both 50 Hz and 60 Hz grids can be offered by the company.

The system sounds promising. But while the Baseload Buster is clearly less expensive than switching over entirely to a solar energy system, it is still too costly to attract mass consumer adoption. It is also hard to gauge just how much savings the user can expect to see each month.

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Camping

Cinch tents shed light on those dark campsite nights

One of the most relaxing ways to destress and recharge is to spend some time in the great outdoors. And having the right tent is highly important. Cinch is a pop-up tent that sets up and folds down quickly. It comes in two, three, and four person capacity, and is double-skinned to protect from wet weather.

The convenience of two entrances and storage areas are a nice touch, but the one feature that really sets it apart is that each tent comes with a solar pack so that gadgets can remain charged, and tents can provide LED light at night. There are charging ports for up to two mobile devices. The dimensions for the two person tent are 2.8m long x 2.2m wide x 1.3m high. Though this doesn’t really provide much room for an adult to stand upright, the solar power capacity certainly makes this tent worth some serious consideration.

Backers may also be interested in POD tents and CampCaddy. This campaign seeks to raise £50,000 (~$77,800). For £110 (~$170), backers get one tent with an expected delivery of April 2015.

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Home

Ecopad is a smart, affordable housing unit

EcopadEvery year, Americans buy homes that they cannot afford. These homes tend to be larger than they need and not all of them are environmentally friendly. Ecopad is a small home of 384 sq. ft that is built to be eco-friendly. It comes with all of the traditional amenities of a typical home and uses solar and wind power for energy. Ecopad’s creators will help Ecopad buyers build the house. Best of all, the Ecopad is extremely affordable, costing only around $45,000. The Indiegogo campaign offers no reward tier featuring the actual Ecopad, but hopes to raise $45,000 with a stretch goal of $100,000.