Developer Stefano Merlo designed these Energy Buckets to collect and store energy in the same way that people in the past collected and stored rain water. After sufficient exposure to light, the Energy Buckets brighten any darkened area. Although these Energy Buckets are only a concept right now, it will be interesting to see the idea develop further (and perhaps in a more practical manner). Read more here!

These Power-Ply 380 modules will reduce the time of installation of solar panels, making said installation much more likely. These Solar Panels are essentially peel and stick solar panels; you don’t need a frame, a mounting structure, and you don’t have to drill holes in your roof either! Thus, installation cost is reduced by an impressive 70% and installation time is reduced by 30%. The secret is in the Teflon front structures, which are strong and light enough to install on roofs without any further support. At 0.31 inches thick, these Power-Ply 380 modules easily shed water, so you won’t have to worry about troublesome puddles of water forming after a rain. The only real downside is that these panels must be installed on a flat roof, thus minimizing their energy effectiveness by 5%. For more information, click here!

MPK has developed a light source that allegedly lasts for 12 years! This light source, AKA Litroenergy, acts somewhat like a glow stick, save for the fact that it never needs to be recharged, and is extremely crush resistant. “Our development/design of long-life, self-luminous micro particles called Litrospheres (non-toxic) emit light continuously for 12 plus years (half-life point) without any exposure to a light or other energy (not effected by cold or heat). This extremely low cost material offers 24/7 light, which can be injection molded or added to paint. It is 5,000lb crush resistant, stable and constant light source (gives off no U.V. rays). It is designed to give off almost any color of light desired. Our goal is to mass produce this material and supply OEM’s. Litroenergy has potential to save billions of dollars in energy costs world-wide” states MPV in their winning Create The Future contest entry.

Although MPK claims that Litroenergy is nontoxic, the main chemical in this light source is Tritium–an isotope of hydrogen banned by the US because of its radioactivity. Sadly, Litroenergy may not get off the ground in the US.  Here is the patent application for Litroenergy. Here is MPK’s webpage.

The Air Car is any environmentally friendly- or monetary conscious- individual’s dream come true. The Air Car can run 100+ Miles for every gallon of gas. How so? It uses compressed air technology. This means that at lower speeds, the Air Car emits only air and no pollutants. At higher speeds, the Air Car uses small amounts of gas and accordingly emits four times less pollutants than the average vehicle. The Air Car can be refilled at home by plugging into a normal power outlet or while it travels at high speeds. Interestingly, the Air Car seats up to 6 people in its tiny body and has 35 cubic ft of trunk room (even though it is small enough to be categorized as a motorcycle in California)! Despite its size, the Air Car is well designed for any accidents- the body is built from fiberglass and the chassis is built from impact-resistant aluminum rods. The Air Car has a 6 cylinder engine, a max speed of 96 miles per hour, and a range of 848 miles.

How long will you have to wait before you can buy an Air Car? Well, you can start pre-ordering in late 2008, and the Air Car will be delivered by late 2009 or early 2010. Even so, at a price of $17,800 for a 6 person vehicle, which doesn’t even include all the savings you’ll get from low gas usage, the Air Car is a real buy! Click here for more information.

The UK is taking giant strides in promoting green sources of energy. Recently, Britain has announced plans to power every home with the energy generated from off-shore wind plants by 2020. Yet, in order to achieve this goal, the UK must increase wind power production by 60-fold (wind generated power currently accounts for only 2% of its energy generation) and greatly alter the look of its coastlines by putting up turbines. Business secretary John Hutton stated that the UK must vastly increase the amount of space used for wind farms on Britain’s shores. Right now, the plan is hindered by a lack of turbines; the turbines are necessary to increase the amount of energy produced from half a gigawatt to the goal of 33 gigawatts. You can read more about this project here or here.

It’s nice to finally see companies commit to helping the environment–even if they may only being doing it for the PR. Behold the Vaio FZ Graphic Splash Eco Edition laptops with features like a slim design to reduce the use of fabricated materials, and packaging made of recyclables. Additionally, there are four natural case designs (ironically, this includes a leopard print, which isn’t so friendly when you think about it). Prices start at about $1400 for the VGN-FZ290EGS – Spotted Life, VGN-FZ290EGE – “Clay Earth,” VGN-FZ290EGC – “Caribbean,” and VGN-FZ290EGB – “Bloom.” The eco-friendly laptops have a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 15.4-inch display Vista Home Premium, and other normal FZ specs. The Laptop and batteries are recyclable under Sony’s recycling program, and a very small bit of profits will be donated to the charity 1% For The Planet. And since you are all just dying to buy one, you should know that they launch this November in very limited quantities.

“The ‘Power-Aware Cord’ is a re-designed electrical power strip in which the cord is designed to visualize the energy rather than hiding it. The current use of electricity is represented through glowing pulses, flow, and intensity of light. Expressing the presence of energy through light can inspire people to explore and reflect upon the energy consumption of electrical devices in their home. ” Unfortunately, this Power Aware Cord is merely a conceptual design, at this point.