Research shows that companies (collectively) waste at least $2.8 billion a year on electricity charges. That’s a huge waste, which needs immediate attention from all of us. Now Microsoft Research is coming up with a new app that will help slash power wastage. Termed as the “sleep proxy system”, this application will allow access to all computers in an enterprise network, while staying switched “off” or in a “stand by” mode.

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If you think that thinner electronic devices are the future, then you are probably right. As time passes by, electronics is becoming smaller, to a scale that is now being referred as nanotechnology. But to power these devices you will probably require a similarly thin power-source. Thanks to Stanford University, researchers there identified that Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) can be printed on paper, and then treated with polyvinylidene fluoride to create ultra-thin super-capacitors, that will be able to store energy.

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This is the Firefly. As you can see, it looks like a simple glass table with an inbuilt light, but there’s something more to it. The special flower like pattern on the table isn’t just a design but are solar panels. The table, which has been designed to be an outdoor furniture for restaurants or homes, makes use of the solar panel to store energy during the day. At night the same table can be lit up with the attached lamp using power from the stored energy.

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The Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) has officially permitted the usage of Google Energy as a utility. The internet search giant can now sell energy, but unlike other electricity providers, Google wants to go carbon neutral. The company plans to focus on building numerous solar panels and fuel cells to power its own infrastructure (which partially it already does), while whatever it generates extra, can be sold to the consumers. Not bad an idea.

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Here’s a cool (ing!) solution for the car which stays in the parking lot for extended hours, under the heavy and scorching heat of the sun. Poor car, it isn’t lucky enough to tuck under a tree shade. So here’s an idea from Leon Zhu, who proposes to use a foldable film of solar cell that can actually cover up the car from top, giving it the shade it requires. Not only that, it also stores energy collected from the sun shining on the unfolded solar panel. Now that’s a double gain for the car!

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Although Amazon Kindle is still the king of the jungle, it is not confident enough to retain the title for too long. Another predator enters it’s domain, this time the world leader in consumer electronics, LG. But what you see above is not just a conventional eBook reader. The device is super-efficient when it comes to battery life. Just keep it under the sun for about 4-5 hours and you get an additional 1 day worth of power. LG’s thin-film solar cell energy conversion efficiency is about 10% which the company promises to inrease to 14% by 2012.

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With the varied complications in climatic changes and for a better environment, there have always been an eager approach towards the use of  renewable sources of energy. One such energy is the wind energy and what we see here is the world’s largest wind farm, capable of generating 209 megawatts of power which approximately is the annual electricity consumption of 200,000 homes.

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Till now we have come across ample lighting options that not only displayed different designs but also had ideas that promoted recycling[scrap lights, bottle lamps] and upcycling[cassette lamps, ink cartidge lamps]. The one discussed here brings our attention to the wonderful nature’s gift, water, as a form of energy. The design of this Light Drop wall lamp compels us to think about conserving our ‘precious’ water which is an inevitable requirement for all organisms.

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