Sharp Introduces New LED Lightbulbs

Sharp's introducing 9 new models of LED lightbulbs to Japan in mid-July, but the most innovative of those is the one pictured below. What's that thing on the right? It's actually a remote control that allows you to tune the color of the DL-L60AV LED Lamp (Sharp calls it "Adjustable Color Function"), or of a series of those plugged into the same circuit. Why is that a good thing? More details on how it works and its performance below.

Users can select from seven different shades of white ranging from a pleasing warm white to a cooler daylight white to match the weather, the season, time of day, purpose, or other preferences. This model also features a built-in Dimmer Function to adjust brightness. Together, these features allow users to select the illumination they like best to complement a diverse range of interior settings by using a single remote control to change the color and brightness of the light.

They don't give us lumens for the L60AV model, but the DL-L601N LED Lamp delivers a brightness of 560 lumens, which is pretty high (Sharp claims it is "among the brightest in the industry"). The L60AV is probably not quite as efficient... Life for all the new Sharp LED lamps (including the tunable one) is 40,000 hours.

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Coca-Cola Introduces Plant-Based Plastic Bottle

The Coca-Cola Company recently unveiled a new plastic bottled made partly from renewable plant-based resources. The “PlantBottle™” is fully recyclable and has a lower reliance on non-renewable resources than traditional petroleum-based plastic bottles.
The new bottle is made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and up to 30 percent plant-based materials. The process involves turning sugar cane and molasses, a by-product of sugar production, into a key component of PET plastic.

Coca-Cola will release its new plant-based bottle starting with its Dasani water line. “The “PlantBottle” is a significant development in sustainable packaging innovation,” says Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “It builds on our legacy of environmental ingenuity and sets the course for us to realize our vision to eventually introduce bottles made with materials that are 100 percent recyclable and renewable.”

The new bottles will be piloted with Dasani later this year and with Vitaminwater in 2010. The bottles will be identified with on-label messages and in-store displays so consumers know they are purchasing the plant-based bottles.

A life-cycle analysis conducted by the Imperial College London indicates the “PlantBottle” consisting of 30 percent plant-based materials will reduce carbon emissions by up to 25 percent, in comparison with traditional PET plastic bottles.

As reported by The Coca-Cola Company, unlike some other plant-based plastics, the “PlantBottle” can be processed through existing manufacturing and recycling facilities without contaminating the tradition PET stream. The recycling of plant-based plastics has been an issue of concern among the plastic manufacturing and recycling industries as many believe improved research and design is needed to make bioplastic recycling feasible.

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Algae Based Biofuels

Over the past several years, corn based ethanol was considered a natural replacement for gasoline and other petroleum based fuels. This hasn't happened, mainly due to land use issues and the impacts on food prices. Corn based ethanol also leads to increased CO2 emissions resulting from converting woodlands into corn fields for ethanol manufacturing.

What has been frequently overlooked and is now far down the research path is the use of algae based biofuels. Sapphire Energy, one of the key research firms in algae based biofuels, is promising to be able to produce 1 Billion gallons of algae based biofuel annually by 2025. Even more impressive, this fuel is non-corrosive and can be stored and transported using the same infrastructure in place today for gasoline and airline fuels.

Click HERE to read more about the future of algae based biofuels.

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Tesla Unvails First Mass-Produced, Highway Capable Electric Car

March 26, 2009

HAWTHORNE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) —Tesla Motors is now taking orders for the Model S, an all electric family sedan that carries seven people and travels 300 miles per charge.

The Model S, which carries its charger onboard, can be recharged from any 120V, 240V or 480V outlet, with the latter taking only 45 minutes. By recharging their car while they stop for a meal, drivers can go from LA to New York in approximately the same time as a gasoline car. Moreover, the floor-mounted battery pack is designed to be changed out in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank, allowing for the possibility of battery-pack swap stations.

The floor-mounted powertrain also results in unparalleled cargo room and versatility, as the volume under the front hood becomes a second trunk. Combining that with a four-bar linkage hatchback rear trunk and flat folding rear seats, the Model S can accommodate a 50-inch television, mountain bike *and* surfboard simultaneously. This packaging efficiency gives the Model S more trunk space than any other sedan on the market and more than most SUVs.

“Model S doesn’t compromise on performance, efficiency or utility -- it’s truly the only car you need,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “Tesla is relentlessly driving down the cost of electric vehicle technology, and this is just the first of many mainstream cars we’re developing.”

Tesla expects to start Model S production in late 2011. The company believes it is close to receiving $350 million in federal loans to build the Model S assembly plant in California from the Dept of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program.

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Street Lamps Powered By Discarded Batteries

That battery you're throwing away may not have enough energy left to power your gadgetry, but it does have enough juice to light up a low-energy LED. That's the driving idea behind South Korean designer Sung Woo Park's conceptual Energy Seed, a stylish street lamp powered entirely by discarded batteries.

Drop a battery into one of the Energy Seed's disposal holes and it'll fall down into a tube. Several batteries can be stacked one on top of the other, daisy-chaining drained batteries into a long-lasting power supply for an LED lamp that will give pedestrians a bit of light on the sidewalk. It's a great way to re-appropriate trash that we'd otherwise consider useless.

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