VOLTAIC’s Super Solar Powered Backpack

VOLTAIC’s Super Solar Powered Backpack
by Ali Kriscenski

There’s nothing quite like renewable energy on-the-go, and Voltaic makes solar power a stylish accessory with a hot lineup of solar powered bags to charge your mobile gadgets. We’ve been impressed with Voltaic’s products from the get go, and with their ongoing efforts to amp up the sustainability factor in their bags like boosting the power in their Generator laptop bag and going to 100% post-consumer recycled PET plastic based fabrics. One of our all-time favorite bags is the durable Voltaic Backpack which just may be the ultimate sustainable summertime sidekick and a must have for the eco-geek on the go.

The Voltaic Backpack has 1,850 cubic inches of storage, making it the ideal weekend or day pack. Made from a tough fabric that puts recycled PET soda bottles into good use, the backpack is built to hold up under wear and tear. Water resistant and light weight, the bag offers 4 watts of solar power to charge smaller gadgets like phones, cameras and mp3 players and lots of techy features - like 11 adaptors, pouches and wire channels - keep things organized on the go. The bag even has a padded sleeve that can hold up to a 17″ laptop making versatility part of the deal.

+ Voltaic Systems

+ Voltaic Now Using Recycled Bottles in their Solar Bags
+ NEW VOLTAIC ‘GENERATOR’ Solar Bag Charges Laptops!

Solar Harvesting Textiles Energize ‘Soft House’

Solar Harvesting Textiles Energize ‘Soft House’

by Jorge Chapa

If architect Sheila Kennedy gets her way, textiles will soon be able to take the sun’s energy and turn it into electricity. Kennedy is an expert in the integration of solar cell technology in architecture. And, her team from KVA Matx has designed the Soft House, a structure that can create close to 16,000 watt-hours of electricity by transforming household curtains into flexible, semi-transparent, solar collectors.

Textiles have been a fixture of architecture and design for their ability to define and modify a space. For Sheila Kennedy, textiles are just another material from which energy can be generated. The thin-film photovoltaic textiles are essentially solar panels created from organic photovoltaics. While not as efficient as the silicon based type, they are able to be molded and modified without any manufacturing process.

The Soft House has gone through a number of prototypes, but don’t expect to see it anytime soon. The cost of the solar textiles would, at current, make it cost prohibitive. However, Kennedy’s work on this project shows that renewable energy technologies can be easily integrated into designs in ways that had never been thought of before. Kennedy’s own words best describe our thoughts on the Soft House: “Never underestimate the power of the architectural imagination.”

+ Soft House @ KVA Matx

Water-powered Device

At the 2008 CES (Consumer Electronics show) in Las Vegas, there was a new water-powered device for charging laptops and other electronic devices! We are excited to see the power of water finally being used to its potential! The big oil companies have tried to stop the power of water from being used in the automotive industry, but they can't keep everyone's lips sealed!