Wagan Tech inc has come out with a range of very conveniently sized (pocket-able) solar chargers for consumer electronics. They will charge batteries, iPods, digital cameras etc, all from the sun. The units themselves are very lightweight and come in two distinct types.

Wagan Solar e Power Charger

The Solar e Power unit will also charge 4 AA or AAA batteries, which could be handy as it can also use those same batteries to power or charge anything you plug into it.

There is a selector switch on the back that allows you to switch between three modes:

• Power from car (12V) or solar
• Power from battery (the 4 AA’s or AAA’s that you charged up)
• Charge Battery (Charge the aforementioned AA’s or AAA’s)

Also the charger will handle either NiCD or NiMH. Power from the device is delivered through either a 5V plug on the side (there are multiple connectors included) or via a USB outlet. Wagan Techs’ Solar e Power Charger sells for $49.95.

Wagan Solar e Power II Charger

The next model up is the creatively named Solar e Power II, which has a little more solar surface area (each solar panel measures about 7” across). The Solar e Power II also comes with its own 2000 mAh Li-ion internal battery. This allows you to charge the unit up in the sun and then close it up and use it as a normal external power source.

It comes with 5 adapters for your phones and devices, the standard USB sizes (micro, mini) as well as more specialized ones for iPods and the like. Also included in the pack is a car and AC power supply for non solar charging.

The unit itself has a couple of USB outputs and the 5v phone charging port. Also it has a small LED flashlight on one end.

As a whole the Solar e Power II seems to be fairly sturdily constructed and fairly functional, it pays to read the instructions as there are a few different indicators that you need to be familiar with.
The Solar e Power II from Wagan Tech sells for $89.95

The Address regarding Renewable Energy

Thoughts on the issue

After watching the Address on Wednesday 27, 2010 Streamed live on my iPhone via a handy official app called The White House I had better sense of where the country was heading. The majority of the issues had a positive overtone and reasonable solutions; all though, the company present at the Address seemed to have mixed emotions.

One particular issue struck a accord with BatteriesInAFlash. The comprehensive Energy and Climate Bill which would essentially reward people and companies for switching to alternative energies. Passed in 2009 by the House, The Energy and Climate Bill would give incentives that will make clean energy the profitable path of energy. It not only goes on to reward for the use of Renewable Energy but will also create jobs in America for the expansion and production of own resource at home.

This is the movement that we are long over due for The United States. Many countries are already ahead of us by creating, using and implementing clean and renewable energy in there everyday lives. To clarify my statement, yes The United States is ranked #1 for Renewable Energy; however, there are countries like Germany and Finland that are including solar, wind and geothermal into there buildings architecture to make a seamless integration of Renewable Energy. I hope, that although the speech was energetic and inspiring, that he holds true to his convictions.

Americans use around 2 Billion disposable batteries a year, one of those numbers that’s big enough for most of us to have no actual concept of it, but it’s a lot.  If you find yourself being a larger than normal part of this statistic the obvious solution would be to use a rechargeable battery.

Generally speaking a rechargeable battery will save you money over the long run, you can recharge most of them up to 1000 times before you have to replace them.  The cost-saving benefits of this are clear when you compare it to disposable batteries.  Though disposables can often have a higher mAh rating they just get tossed out when you’re done with them.

Good in theory but horridly inconvenient

One of the major disadvantages of the rechargeable batteries has been that they don’t come ready to use.  Typically you would need to fully charge your batteries before you used them so you wouldn’t be able to just go to a store and pick some up and carry on.  Often we just don’t have the time or forethought to have some spare charged batteries lying around.

Another issue with rechargeables is that they never really stay charged. After a year or so they’d be generally useless to you and need to be recharged, now however there is a new type of battery that has a much lower self discharge characteristic than previously.

Your standard NiMH rechargeable is below 60% capacity after about 2-3 months and essentially dead after a year.  The Graph above shows the discharge rate for the eneloop battery vs one of Sanyo’s other Nickel Metal rechargeables.

Ready to go rechargeables

Hybrid NiMh cells offer the best of both worlds, you can use them out of the pack but you also get to do the environmentally friendly thing and re-use them.  If polar bears had the capacity to vocalize their appreciation they no doubt would.

Three of the more popular types of these batteries are the Rayovac Hybrid, Ultralast Hybrio and the Sanyo Eneloop series.  Each has essentially the same characteristics, with Eneloop being the forerunner and probably the best marketed.

The hybrids are marketed as being a viable replacement for digital camera batteries, for instance the energizer ultimate lithium (a disposable) makes claims to somewhere around 640 photos worth of battery life.  The Rayovac Hybrid battery states that it will do 400 photos.  Your general use alkaline would struggle to do more than 100.

Also there are the cost savings to be considered. For 8 of the Rayovac Hybrids and a charger you’d pay $23.95.  Four Energizer photo lithium batteries would be around $17.95, and you can only use them for those 630 photos before throwing them away.

The bottom line being that while no rechargeable can hold the power of their high end disposable counterparts, the pre charged rechargeables at the least make going the greener route a more convenient prospect.

The applications for this range from RFID tags for Identification and tracking through to clothing with circuitry embedded in it. But as the ability to print the circuitry comes ever closer, what will be powering your socks in the coming years?

Blue Spark – Ultra Thin Printed Batteries

Blue Spark Technologies produce printed carbon-zinc batteries, which are small, environmentally friendly and most importantly cheap enough to produce to make them viable. These batteries are also incredibly thin; their standard battery is 750 microns thick (that’s 0.75 of a mm), while their Ultra-Thin series of batteries can go as slim as 500 microns.

The applications for a power source of this nature are boundless, at the moment they’re being used in a lot of RF applications, including one card being used by Sealed Air Corp that monitors and stores temperature data to ensure that food has been produced and stored properly.

As he says in this CNBC Interview Blue Spark Technologies CEO Gary Johnson can see applications for this such as hi tech patient bracelets with stored records, subway or bus passes that display their credit remaining and loyalty cards that track customer information painlessly.

Along with the potential for manifold uses there is the point that these batteries are fairly harmless in the environment. They contain none of the chemicals normally associated with batteries, no mercury or lithium etc. The carbon-zinc chemistry meets all the EU restrictions on hazardous substances and can be safely disposed of.

Konarka – Portable Solar Charging

Ever wanted to have your laptop bag charge your laptop while you went to work? Konarka is working on just such a thing, they produce light weight flexible “Power Plastic” that they hope will become popular as a way to charge up and power personal devices from sunlight.

They envision applications such as a shade umbrella that will power a cooler or a mat that you unroll to charge your cell phones or laptops. Already Neuber a German company is planning to make use of the technology to produce their Energy Sun-bag.

Check out this show on The Discovery Channel called The Colony. It’s about what it would be like to recolonize the world after a apocalyptic event occurred and left the world abandoned. Watch as they discover how to use batteries to capture power. This is a simple configuration that takes all the energy from the battery bank and pass it into the inverter to convert it to a usable 120V for standard lights and appliances.

The funny thing is that something so simple, generally abundant and accessible becomes a dire need and can soon cause panic when without it. As individuals, we take for granite what we have and forget that it all could be gone one day when we don’t respect our environments. The colonist soon learn to take there resources serious and use them sparingly.

Check out the website at The Colony on Discovery.com

Go Green, Save Green

With rising fuel prices, the cost of energy skyrocketing, and our current economic crisis, more and more people are turning to alternative sources of affordable energy. Solar energy is quickly becoming the country’s most prevalent source of power, not only for its efficiency, but also because it is eco-friendly. Through the use of solar panels, the sun’s energy can be harnessed to provide power for a variety of applications – everything from powering your television while camping to powering an entire home.

Ok….So How’s It Work?

The process of how solar panels work can be quite technical, but basically, solar panels capture and store energy produced by sunlight through the use of Photovoltaic cells (photo = light, voltaic = electricity). Depending on your needs, the energy collected from sunlight can be used to charge a lead acid battery for later usage, as a backup source of electrical power, or the energy can be transferred directly into a home for immediate use through an inverter. The inverter converts the direct current (DC) produced by the sun’s energy to alternating current (AC), which is the type of electrical power used by power companies. The AC current travels from the inverter to the breaker box and can then be used as needed throughout the home.

What Can I Power With It?

There is a wide array of users who can benefit from implementing a solar power kit. Owners of RVs, boats, and electric scooters, for example, can connect solar panel kits to any rechargeable lead acid battery, which allows for continuous recharging of the battery during daylight hours. This provides greater security in knowing that there will always be a source of power available. Businesses can benefit tremendously as well by using solar panels to collect and store energy during the day and using that power at night. Depending on how large the solar power system, businesses can use that energy to power up their entire building or simply to light up their signs.

I Bet It’s Expensive, huh?

For those looking to invest in a complete home solar power system, the average cost of installation is between $40,000 and $50,000 before any tax incentives or rebates from power companies are applied. Although many people may be turned off by the upfront cost of installing solar power systems, the government has taken great strides in making solar power more affordable for consumers. For instance, new federal tax credits go into effect January 1, 2009, raising the cap of residential rebates from $2,000 to $10,800. In addition, a typical residential solar electric system can pay for itself in just 8-12 years, not to mention, having a solar power system adds value to the home. Other incentives for installing solar power kits are offered by state governments and vary by state. For more information, please visit www.dsireusa.org.

It’s Getting Easier Bein’ Green

Powering your home and applications with solar energy is a fantastic way to contribute to the reduction of pollution and save money at the same time! For those who live in remote areas or participate in outdoor recreational activities, like camping or boating, solar power kits also provide a secure electricity supply. With increased fiscal support from the federal government and local power companies through tax credits and rebates, investing in a solar power kit is becoming much more affordable for everyone from the simple hobbyist to huge corporations who want to save on their electricity bills.

Do your part without trying

The buzz is definitely in the air and everyone is little by little becoming more eco-friendly and environmentally consiousness. I have been looking into what makes a difference and what will have a large impact in a short amount of time. We obviously know that electric cars are going to make an impact; the news, internet and every other commercial has told us that. Avel’s Law: Solve one problem, gain another(why not Murphy’s got one)! They still require large amounts of energy to recharge their batteries. Energy is a commodity believe it our not. Ask any Californian who has experienced rolling brownouts.

What do you mean: Power is a Commodity?

First of all New York, California, Michigan, Illinois and the list goes on, electricity isnt always the easiest to come by because of the brownouts and blackouts they experience regularly. Secondly, California’s electrical rates are going to take a 30% rate hike as well as the increasing rates in Arizona and Nevada. That is just listing the known problems off the top of my head. Hopefully you can see the pattern that is developing.

So whats the Scooter about?

An Electric Scooter requires minimal power comparatively to its distant cousin, the electric car. The scooters are street legal, require no registration, insurance or driver license to operate. They go about 30 mph depending on terrain and driving conditions. You can travel up to 40 miles on a single charge. They are safe for young kids with proper supervisions obviously.

The effects of reducing the use of a gas powered vehicle without buying a new hybrid or electric car is phenomenal. An electric scooter is an easy way to help with the environment. They come in all different sizes, colors, and styles; even the classic vespa.

There is a large misconception of what happens once something is placed in the
trash. Most people think that you are able to put anything that you want into the
trash can and never think about it again. The truth is that almost anything you
can put into the trash can can be recycled, including batteries.

Fortunately a movement has began and public awareness is increasingly growing.
Recycling centers are being built and drop off centers are becoming more popular.

Is My Battery Recyclable?

All chemicals are not created equal. The 3 major pollutants are mercury, cadmium and lead. When these types of batteries are introduced into the landfills they now able to be release into our air, water and soil causing serious health problems for humans as well as harming the earth. Mercury is especially dangerous when introduced to bacteria common to landfills. The mercury and bacteria mix causing a gas called methyl mercury. Although laws have been passed stopping the production of batteries containing mercury, that still does not fix the problem, it only slows it down.

If you see any of the logos below on your battery, feel confident that your battery
is recyclable. The truth is that while Americans only account for 5% of the world
population, we account for 30% of the worlds garbage. That is accountability in
a large way.

Where's my Recycling Center

Interestingly enough, you can drop of batteries almost anywhere that sells a
form of batteries. To name a few: Radio Shack, Office Depot,
Circuit City, Lowe's, Home Depot and so on… BatteriesInAFlash.com is now proud to announce that we have joined the ranks and are able to help you recycle your rechargeable batteries. If you are not located in Las Vegas, you can find you local recycling center by using the website Call2Recycle

For other interesting facts visit Bring Recycling.

Hyundai, the world’s fifth largest manufacturer (when sales from Kia are included) recently confirmed they will release their first Hybrid car that runs on petroleum gas and lithium batteries.

The new hybrid, which will be based on the Elantra sedan (as shown above) will be powered by fuel-injection LPG Gamma engine displacing 1.6L of carbon per km.

The first car in the world to use lithium polymer rechargeable batteries will be released to the market around July 2009 to first South Korea and then to global markets.