The Consumer Electronics Association has boasted that CES 2010 is its greenest conference ever. Investing more space for its Sustainable Planet section, attendees were given the opportunity to toy with gadgets for the more environmentally inclined. Although only 3,000 feet of the convention center-turned-technology-playground, this green space featured a few small devices that could prove to be high impact in terms of powering many of the featured products.
Hidden Amongst Technology, Solar, Wind and Kinetic Energy Devices to Power It
In a sea of flashing screens, Lamborghinis surrounded by top of the line sound systems and other shiny new toys, one thought constantly remained: CES better hope no one pulls the plug.
Lack of an outlet will not be a worry for those who stumbled upon the solar, wind and kinetic energy converter chargers that were featured in the Sustainable Planet zone at CES. For the technologist on the go, or perhaps the NGO worker abroad, these devices have the potential to transform how we power our personal devices.
A Quick Review
Featured here are several products that used alternative forms of energy.
MiniWiz. Yet to hit the market, the MiniWiz HYmini Biscuit is a handheld green universal charger/adaptor. This little "portable" power plant, equipped with both a solar panel and wind turbine, can juice up practically all five-volt devices, like iPhone and Blackberry. The MiniWiz gives you enough juice to recharge your phone once.
Solio. A product that can be found at your local Radio Shack, the Solio solar charger is a universal device charger. The Solio sports a sleek pinwheel design, equipped with three small solar panels. While the Solio does not have the combined solar and wind technology that the MiniWiz Biscuit does, the Solio gives you enough juice to charge your phone twice.
YoGen. Most impressive was the YoGen, which allows you to "pull" your way to power, using a kinetic generator. The compound device repowers your mobile device with a couple of tugs. Unlike the other solar products, it does not use lithium ion rechargeable batteries, which they tout as a benefit since the batteries cannot be dispensed of in an environmentally friendly way. The downside to the YoGen is that it does not hold a charge. It may take more than a few tugs of the cord to get your phone back in use. A fellow CES attendee demonstrated the utility of the pull device: when you are inside all day and need a charge, YoGen is a handy alternative to finding a plug. Below is an unedited demo:
These products are not only a green alternative for charging; they possess the potential to be game changing when it comes to political campaigns, grassroots organizing and the work of NGOs in the field. While many of the offerings at CES are certainly hi-tech, the search continues this weekend for those that will be high impact. While these solar devices do not boast the bells and whistles that one will find on other products featured, they are practical and energy efficient. Mobile phone provider Samsung presented a series of mobile devices with solar technology built right into them.
CES is about showcasing the next big thing, but it may be worth a venture over to the Sustainable Planet zone to explore alternative ways to power these innovative technologies.
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