Researchers at Berkeley Labs have now coated electrodes with modified M13 bacteriophage, a harmless bacteria-eating virus, to create the first ever organic piezoelectric material which can convert force to electricity.

The researchers also said that the option is a lot environment friendly as the material is non-toxic, organizes naturally into thin layers and self-regenerates, giving it a possible advantage over chemical options.

By attaching thin layers to, for example, shoes one would be able to charge devices on the go, by sending cables up to pockets. Lets hope there isn’t [...]

The Wind Cube is a modular green energy power system that has been designed by Chen Liao Hsun for urban household use. “The concept,”he says, “is to use three-dimensional wind fields to make up for the insufficiency of two-dimensional ones.” Each individual unit can produce around 100 W of electricity which translates into an estimated 21.6 KWh a month. For an average family of 4 members, a total of 15 Wind Cube units would be enough to take them off the grid.

This concept provides [...]

Solar panels have come a long way since the technology was first invented. But the major drawback of using photovoltaics on Earth is that it eventually gets dark. Researchers at MIT have developed a solution to this problem. They’ve come up with a photovoltaic cell which doesn’t need any sunlight and is built into a button sized generator that can run your smart-phone for a week.

In the image above, you have many of these generators that require a fuel, like butane, from which they generate heat. The material that the generators are made out of are pockmarked with billions of tiny (we’re taking [...]

The Sanya Skypump is a wind powered charging station for electric vehicles and it has been developed by Urban Green Energy in collaboration with General Electric. While still in the conceptual stages, the Skypump combines a GE Wattstation with a urban green wind turbine which can capture up to 4KW of wind energy.

The turbine is 13m high and can easily be installed in parking lots, rest stops and other areas. As it is attached to the grid, once the station is fully charged and a vehicle is not plugged in, the Skypump will keep pumping electricity [...]

WiFi networks, Cellphone and Radio Signals. These are just a few of the waves that are spamming the Electro Magnetic Spectrum around you most of the time. You can harvest this energy for more than its intended use. With printable antennas, you can power battery free electronics in most urban environments.

Since this technology is still in its infancy and generates only a few milliwatts, so don’t expect it to power your cellphone or laptop anytime soon. What this technology is good for is powering networks of sensors in locations that don’t have electrical outlets, batteries or access to solar power. This [...]

A flywheel battery is a system that stores electricity in the form of kinetic energy, in a mechanism that has a wheel that spins at tens of thousands of RPM. The batteries are made of carbon fiber and levitated in a vacuum using magnetic bearings. Carbon fibre is perfect for this application as it’s very strong and lightweight; it doesn’t take a lot of energy to keep it spinning.

Flywheels are better than batteries in many applications. They can absorb and release power very very quickly, they don’t need much in the way of [...]