Who says that wind turbines have to be thirty feet tall and extremely expensive? Last year Google hosted a wind turbine design contest and the winner was Clarian’s Jellyfish.

The Jellyfish is a 36 inch vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) that can be plugged in directly into your electrical sockets and can generate roughly 40kWh a month on a moderately windy day. There is no fancy setup necessary and with only one moving part, maintaining the turbine is easy enough for regular home owners. It is also comes equipped with WiFi and WiMax in order to create a point-to-grid system.

The power that these small turbines generate is not much (40kWh a month can power a room that contains CFL bulbs), but harnessed collectively and tied interactively with the local utility grid there can be significant environmental and system reliability benefits. Chad Maglaque, the creative genius behind Jellyfish, states that these turbines are the PC of renewable energy stating “We could have 10,000 of these sitting in a city, networked—it’s like a virtual utility…”

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South Korean scientists have introduced the new MetalCell, a battery that is modeled after a design created 2,000 years ago in Baghdad, now called Baghdad Batteries. The original design used terracotta jars, copper cylinders and an iron rod. When an acidic solution was added it could have generated low-level voltage.

The MetalCell is a unlike other rechargeable batteries in that it is: 1. refuelable 2. takes seconds to recharge. According to a S.E.G. Inc. report, The battery contains either magnesium or aluminum plates. Addition of salt water, creates a chemical reaction and generates electricity. Adding extra salt water will recharge the battery until the magnesium dissipates. The battery can charge anything from flashlights to night vision goggles to laptops. While saltwater creates the preferred chemical reaction, addition of urine can also help charge and power the cells.

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It’s sleek, it’s sexy, it’s…environmentally friendly. The latest Suzuki prototype, the Crosscage, is an air-cooled fuel cell motorcycle combined with a powerful secondary battery to  realize optimum power control. The fuel-cell unit is made by a British specialist company Intelligent Energy and delivers quick activation with low fuel consumption, and a lithium-ion battery that is safe with a low environmental burden. 

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Could you be loved? Or at least love Bob Marley-branded electronics?

We are used to seeing the Rastaman’s face emblazoned on T-shirts, college walls and weed paraphernalia worldwide. Now, Marley will soon grace a line of consumer products made by HoMedics.

The venture is a HoMedics/Marley family joint (no pun intended) titled The House of Marley. The initial products will include boomboxes, docking stations, ear buds and headphones, with the intent to develop other categories in the future.

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South Korea has combined their serious technological skills with environmentalism. While magnetic levitation trains are nothing new, the on-line electric vehicle (OLEV), is the first of its kind.

The OLEV is an answer to the problem of recharging electric vehicles. While the technology is currently in testing phase at the Seoul amusement park, widespread application is not far off. The city government of Seoul and KAIST signed a Memorandum of Understating (MOU) on the development of the online electric vehicle. With increasing concern about the environment, both organizations agreed to introduce eco-friendly vehicles to the city’s public transportation system, beginning with a bus route in Seoul [Source: KAIST].The OLEV system receives it’s power from non-contact magnetic transmissions from recharging strips in the road.

The vehicles receive “micro-charges” each time they pass over these strips. These micro-charges are extremely efficient, only only 20% of the total bus route would need to contain recharging strips, and only at places like bus stops, parking lots, and intersections [Source: KAIST]. This allows for smaller battery size and better range. Not only that, the no contact power transmission reduces hazards associated with electric vehicles, such as electric shock.

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I was browsing through the new IKEA products (as you do) and I came across this interesting little lamp for just $19.95.

The SUNNAN lamp, designed by Nicolas Cortolezzis, is IKEA’s first solar cell work lamp and it has a built-in rechargeable solar panel embedded in the base. What I want to know though is how do you go about charging a desk lamp via solar power? Do you move your desk over to the window? Do you set the lamp outside on your lunch hour? Maybe you move your whole desk outside (awesome, but not very practical)?

Apparently, the charge time is about 9-12 hours in direct sunlight. When fully charged, the lamp stays lit for about 4 hours, dimming slightly after about 3 hours. This is a cool, novelty item for someone who’s into solar energy and its applications or who wants to spend a few weeks off the grid, but it’s not very practical for everyday use. Twelve hours of charging for 4 hours of use just doesn’t cut it.

[ Via Ikea ]

You have until February 20th to vote for your favorite Greener Gadget before the Greener Gadgets Conference in NYC on Feb 27th. I’m leaning towards the RITI printer (uses tea or coffee dregs instead of traditional ink and is pictured below) because it seems to be the one thing I could actually buy and get that really nice “green” feeling every time I used it. I also have a*lot* of coffee dregs.

Of course, fuzzy green feelings aside, there are definitely some other products on the short list that could have a far further-reaching impact than a coffee-powered printer.

Like a power socket that offers 5V, 16V and standard 120V to cut down on the need for power transformers and the use of disposable batteries in our electronics. Or Blink, an affordable attachment that uses a photo-sensitive cell to turn off lights when they’re not needed.

I was also intrigued by Eco-Neighbuzz, an internal telecom system that lets residents of a housing development or building exchange messages quickly. What kind of messages? Well, ones about needing to borrow a tool, giving away something, wanting to share a ride, etc. At first I was blown away by this one, but then I remembered that I’ve been a member of my neighborhood email listserv for years and it serves the same purpose, but without the need for a dedicated communications device in every home.

You can’t buy the coffee-ink printer yet, but we’ll keep you posted on the status.

Granted, solar chargers are just about everywhere these days, but how about one that doesn’t cost upwards of $100 and can still jack in to all of your mobile goodies? Get excited for the FreeLoader Solar Charger, able to soak up the power of the sun and store it for up to 3 months in a pack small enough to fit in your pocket. Whether you’re off the grid completely or just absentminded and in need of a power kick, a solar charger is one step up from an emergency battery since you’ll still not need an outlet when even that winds down — just pray for clear skies.

The lightweight aluminum FreeLoader unfolds to reveal two solar panels and comes with a USB charging cable, plus eleven standard adapters for your major cell phone, digital camera, PDA, GPS, and MP3 gadgets — and if the standard set doesn’t fit your device, there are extra accessories available to fill out your set (like an iPod adapter — now you can take long roadtrips and not worry about running out of tunes after 8 hours). Available for $49.95 from firebox.com, the FreeLoader is a great add to your power arsenal without breaking the bank.

While the world soldiers on to treat and purify our tap water, let’s face it — they’re not doing a real bang-up job. If they were, we’d all still be drinking straight from the faucet instead of mounting water filters and buying bottled H20. But you’ve noticed the difference, don’t like the way that tap water looks or tastes, and have decided to do right by your body and consume the cleanest water possible. Here’s the thing: your hair and skin are just as delicate as the rest of you and would LOVE the same level of TLC.

The Wellness Shower Filter is touting itself as an “anti-aging shower system”, but that’s not the real selling point: it’s that the same sort of system you’ve got hanging from your kitchen sink can now take out all of the harsh toxins from your shower, too — the chlorine, harsh metals and free radicals that dry out your skin and can even cause breakouts. The filter even goes one better by putting a little love back IN to the water — utilizing rare volcanic minerals, water is effectively “softened” and can help contribute to a more hydrating experience by increasing the residual moisture content of your skin and hair. Plus this purified water contributes to reducing the bacteria and fungal growth in your shower, so it may even speed up your bathroom cleaning. At $249 it’s a bit of an investment, but for healthy skin — and maybe a few less bottles of moisturizing lotion in your lifetime — it seems a decent trade off.

Ever get umbrella envy as you’re slushing through soaked sidewalks passed on either side by fully covered pedestrians while your little CVS umbrella drips all over your shoulders? Step up to the “Rolls Royce of umbrellas”, the High Function Solo. Aside from its eye catching design (a wide canopy of black nylon offset by a swipe of green), its well thought out build puts it far ahead of convenience store competitors: the Solo features an automatic open and close button (no more slicing your thumb on dinky latches) that can also be pressed to revert the umbrella if it’s blown inside out, and is built around a carbon WindFlex Frame System with a solid steel shaft and reinforced flexible carbon polymer ligaments (so maybe it can double as a self defense club?). Even the handle is built to last with it’s zinc alloy brushed in nickel to protect against corrosion, and is highly manageable with an extra wide closure strap and convenient clip to keep strapped to your wrist or bag. The Solo sells for $95 over at UncommonGoods; if the price makes you wince, do a quick assessment of how much you’ve thrown away on cheap umbrellas and you may find this one a worthwhile investment.