power
-
Should I keep my laptop plugged in while I use it?
A reader wants to know how best to preserve his computer's battery. Advice columnist Umbra Fisk charges in with answers.
-
Power play: Can utilities turn energy efficiency into fun and games?
Utilities are taking a page from Angry Birds and "gamifying" power consumption with a host of software and social tools. Conserving energy now brings high scores and badges -- along with money saved for the consumer and a smarter, safer grid for everyone.
-
Power your laptop with your butt
Swedish designer Eddi Tornberg has turned the plight of modern workers — sitting like lazy larvae in front of computer screens all day — into a form of renewable energy. He uses the heat of our rear ends to create electricity. You’ll still die from sitting, but at least your energy bills will be lower!
-
Watch today’s solar flare erupt from the sun
Two solar flares burst out of the sun on March 6. NASA notes: “One of the most dramatic features is the way the entire surface of the sun seems to ripple with the force of the eruption.” Badass! The first flare was the second largest of this solar cycle (which started in 2009), and it’s […]
-
Solar grid parity 101 — and why you should care
We're rapidly approaching solar grid parity, the tipping point when installing solar power will cost less than buying electricity from the grid.
-
This electrical socket spits out your power-sucking plugs
The PumPing Tap does not like wasted power. It's an electrical socket with a spring-loaded ejector seat, which pops plugs right out if they're slowly sucking energy when not in active use.
The idea is to combat vampire power, the massive amount of energy slowly sapped by idling gizmos, like microwaves that aren’t cooking or chargers that aren’t charging anything. The PumPing Tap (which is still in the design stage, sadly) monitors the flow of energy, and if you don't use a device for 10 minutes -- ptooie! -- it's unplugged.
-
‘Going Boulder’ means voting for local energy self-reliance
Photo: Zane Selvans This post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. By a razor-thin margin, Boulder, Colo., citizens gave the city a victory for energy self-reliance on Tuesday, approving two ballot measures to let the city form a municipal utility. If the city moves […]