A global renewable energy company, Helix Wind, announced this week it will begin a technology demonstration and test of two small wind turbines to power cell phone towers in Southern California.
The turbines will be installed by early 2010 and the test will run for one to three months.addition to powering the towers, the test will explore the feasibility of selling power back to the electrical grid under a Power Purchase Agreement. The test will represent one of the first grid- connected cell sites powered by renewable energy in Southern California.
This market segment is of great interest to California. There are approximately 3,500 cell phone towers in Southern California, and due to the continued expansion of broadband wireless, the data volume of which has doubled in the past three years, an additional 1,000 to 1,200 towers should be brought on line over the next five years.
Grid connected cell phone towers can benefit from renewable energy, and wind power can dramatically reduce the emissions and carbon footprint associated with them. Under the right conditions, the towers may even be able to produce surplus energy, providing an additional revenue stream to tower owners.
About Helix
Helix Wind Corp., a global renewable energy company, is engaged in the design, manufacturing and sale of small wind vertical axis turbine designed to generate 300W, 1kW, 2.0kW, 4.0kW, and 50kW of clean, renewable electricity.
Only a Very Small Percentage of Retired Phones are Recycled
While the huge number of retired phones continues to grow and the demand for refurbished phones is accelerating, only a very small percentage of displaced phones are actually making it into the recycling channels.
Nokia estimates that 74 percent of people are not even aware that their old phones can be recycled and most others don’t know how or where to recycle them. From the results of a worldwide survey done in 2008 by Nokia, only three percent of displaced phones are being returned for recycling – even less than the four percent that are being thrown in landfills. The rest remain in our respective drawers at home.
So Where Can They be Recycled?
The first thing you should attempt to do is to clear your mobile phone of all data and get it back to its original state. If you still have the manual you can easily find how to do it. If you do not , you will have to scroll through the set-up and or mechanical menus to find the option to do this. Another method that I recently did to clear my Blackberry of data before selling it on eBay, was to search the internet via your favorite browser search engine with “erase data on XXXX” where XXXX is the manufacturer and model on your phone. This popped up a number of sites to assist me through the process. While also doing a search, key in “cell phone recycling” to get a list of places to either resell, donate or eco dispose of it.
This a small listing of many you will find if you search the Internet as mentioned above. Many of the large office supply chain stores also offer drop boxes as well as many of the cellular phone providers either at their retail locations or via programs on their websites. The bottom line is to get rid of the old ones cluttering your draw to save some space, make a few bucks or to donate to the less fortunate. Don’t delay do it today!
Mobile phone users probably don’t know it, but a charger left plugged into a wall wastes electricity – enough to power 24,000 homes for a year, or brew three to four million cups of coffee each day. The new AT&T ZERO Charger, available in May, does not waste power when left plugged in, and also improves charging efficiency when powering a device.
The AT&T ZERO Charger will also make life easier for customers, with a ‘block and cable’ design for maximum interchangeability, allowing them to use the same charger for future handsets and will, over time, cut the number of chargers produced, thus reducing future landfill waste.
The charger works by automatically sensing when a mobile phone is not plugged in to the charger thus cutting the power supply from the wall socket. The charger will be sold in packaging using 100% recycled paper as AT&T recently announced a transition to smaller and more eco-friendly packaging for the wireless device accessories sold in their stores. The change will eliminate more than 60 percent of the paper and more than 30 percent of the plastic previously used for their products. A big GREEN thumbs up for doing this!
The ZERO charger will be available starting in May at AT&T retail locations nationwide or at www.wireless.att.com. For more information on the ZERO charger, visit www.att.com/ZERO.
Yogen Universal Mobile-device Charger will charge your mobile device with only a few minutes of pull/release time. They have versions for iPods, iPhones, MP3 players, Cameras, Navigation GPS and many more devices. It is really good for travel, hiking, camping, loss of power emergencies, etc. Great to keep one in your car’s glove box or emergency kit. Yogen Charger
I recently came across this article that I thought would be of interest to you. It is not only a way to create less waste but many of these new chargers do not act as vampires of energy when they are plugged in and your phone is not attached. Little steps… Little steps… add up to big advances. Enjoy the reading… more yesteryear technologies soon to be posted.
One size fits all phone chargers on the way: ITU
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -
Ever forget your phone charger and no one around has the same kind of handset?
Have a drawer full of useless old phone chargers at home?
Breathe a sigh of relief.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations’ telecom arm, said on Thursday it had given its stamp of approval “to an energy-efficient one-charger-fits-all new mobile phone solution.
“Every mobile phone user will benefit from the new Universal Charging Solution (UCS), which enables the same charger to be used for all future handsets, regardless of make and model,” the ITU said in a statement.
“Some manufacturers are already incorporating the UCS in their devices,” an ITU spokesman said.
The association hopes a universal charger will help reduce waste by cutting down on the number of chargers produced and then thrown away with the purchase of a new handset.
There are already more than 4 billion mobile phone subscriptions around the world.
In June, top mobile phone suppliers such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson and other industry majors agreed to back an EU-wide harmonization of phone chargers, which means phones compatible with standard charging devices are available in Europe from next year.
The EU estimates unwanted phone accessories account for thousands of tons of waste in Europe each year.
Now, if only they could come up with a single plug.
(Reporting by Nicola Leske, Editing by Michael Shields and Dan Lalor)
The Eton Emergency Radio is a fully functional gadget that also has a Flashlight, Solar Power and Cell Phone Charger. Now you can be ready for those storm related power outages.
It comes with a USB cell phone charger to keep your mobile devices running when the power is out , when going camping and or hiking. Power this sleek radio by simply setting it under the sun or with a few turns of the hand crank. Free yourself and ease your mind with self-powered radio broadcasts anytime anywhere.
It costs about $30 and has good reviews. It can be bought at AMAZON or other fine retailers
Petra Solar designs and manufactures the first smart grid interactive solar electric system specifically designed for installation on utility distribution poles, Utility Grade SunWave™ UP Series. The systems, which operate as individual power generation stations, combine solar power, smart grid and power management technologies to enable utilities to improve power quality and grid management. Petra Solar’s systems operate on streetlight and utility poles, connecting directly to the grid’s secondary voltage lines at the pole.
Last July the N.J. Board of Public Utilities approved a contract between Petra Solar and New Jersey’s largest utility, PSE&G, to generate 40MW of power through SunWave solar systems installed on up to 200,000 poles in New Jersey. The intelligent photovoltaic solar units are currently being installed throughout the state’s six largest cities and 300 suburban communities and will be running on the AT&T wireless network. For more information see Petra Solar.
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies recently announced the launch of a disruptive pocket-size fuel cell power plant targeting portable consumer electronics markets. Named MiniPak, this is the first of several Horizon portable fuel cell power products of varying size and fuel storage technologies to be released commercially over the next months and years.
Starting sales at $99, the MiniPak breaks the cost barrier traditionally associated to most fuel cell devices, making it the first affordable and refillable fuel cell product to enter the consumer portable electronics market. A higher production levels, prices are expected to drop to $29, with extra fuel cartridges sold at prices similar to disposable alkaline batteries, and refilling costs not exceeding a few cents.
It is a palm-size universal portable power charger and power extender for ANY electronic device requiring up to 2W of power. Devices compatible with the MiniPak include cellphones, but also smartphones, gaming devices, GPS handhelds, small lighting devices and MP3 players. The MiniPAK device integrates a passive air-breathing fuel cell and a “solid-state” hydrogen storage unit. The MiniPak DC power output is 2W (5V, 400mA), delivered through standard micro-USB port and a multi-choice cable. The device is supplied with 2 refillable and ready to use solid state hydrogen cartridge.While a cartridge replacement and filling infrastructure develops, Horizon took the extra step to develop a home refueling system called “HydroFILL” – sold as a separate accessory for added convenience. The MiniPAK is positioned to address gaps in providing energy “on the go” to power-hungry device users, as well as a low cost energy storage option for emergency and long duration off-grid power users.
