Norwegian researchers have developed a floating turbine that can operate in waters deeper than 360 feet, enabling it to function virtually anywhere. The initial design was launched off the coast of Stavanger, an oil town located in southwestern Norway back in June.

A company that markets products based upon thermoelectric technology is entering the fifth phase of a project that would allow an automobile to capture it’s own engine exhaust and recycle it into electric power.

Sony has released a series of lamp shades made of solar energy panels. Each side is coated with dye-sensitized solar cells that mimic photosynthesis by collecting sunlight during the day to power lamps at night.

In a striking example of ingenuity, Australian inventor Tom Chalko has converted a deep freezer into an incredibly efficient refrigerator.

Located between Highway I-35 and Mueller, an LEED certified, mixed-use urban village, “Sunflowers: An Electric Garden” is the largest public art project in Austin, Texas.
The permanent installation, which is meant to be a symbol of Austin’s energy consciousness, consists of 15 flower shaped photovoltaic solar collector panels that generate solar energy for evening illumination. The additional energy produced by the sunflowers is diverted to the electrical grid for credit.
[via Inhabitat]

The world’s first bio-fuel made from rice was introduced at gas stations in the Japanese Niigata Prefecture last week.

Mint Energy has developed an extremely useful concept design, that could help spell the end of dead batteries. Their Rechargeable Battery combines the battery itself, and the charching mechanism all within the standard shape of an AA battery. Half of the object is filled with a rechargeable Ni-nH battery, and the other half contains a magnet based charger, that you simply shake to charge.
[via Treehugger]

Utilizing the weight and motion of cars entering its parking lots, Sainsbury’s will generate a portion of its electricity through kinetic plates embedded in their parking lots. These plates will capture approximately 30 kWh per hour – enough energy to run each store’s checkouts.
Guardian: “Sainsbury’s brings green power to the checkout with ‘kinetic plates’”

Popular venture capitalist Fred Wilson has posted the video of the (rather lengthy) talk he gave at Google on which markets he expects the internet will disrupt next. He starts the talk with the impact of web and explains that attractive start-ups today are ones that offer services for less than five times the current market price. He says that this may lead to lower revenues but as expenses should be significantly lower, profits should be greater.

So what businesses does he predict will be impacted? He says that any businesses that can be end to end digital will be [...]

Here are a couple of photos PSFK recently took of points that let electric car users charge their cars. In Lisbon the point is called the ‘WattDrive’ and in London a ‘Juice Point’.

Ecofriend points us to an interesting invention that recaptures wasted heat energy from a shower’s waste water. The EcoDrain will grab heated water before it goes down the drain and uses it’s heat to help wram incoming shower water. The Ecodrain’s creators believe that it could potentially save millions of dollars a year in energy costs.
[via Ecofriend]

In this TED Talk, Saul Griffith, MAKE magazine columnist and founder of Instructables, discusses the enormous energy generating potential of “super-kites”. His company, Makani Power, has been working on building giant kite turbines that can harness large amounts of clean, renewable energy from high-altitude wind. Listen to Griffith explain his innovative approach to renewable energy below:

This solar-powered trash compactor operates completely off the grid and stores up to five times the capacity of a normal trash can.  Energy independent devices can effectively improve previously energy-less designs.  Seen in Palm Springs, California.
[via future perfect]

Brazil continues to develop its “natural knowledge economy” by investing in opportunities for innovation based on the country’s natural resources. Sugarcane bagasse, once a worthless residue is now an important co-product used for the generation of energy and production of ethanol, among other things.
The use of the bagasse for energy begins in the sugar cane processing plants, which have become self-sufficient by using the residue. Last year, over 140 million tons of the residue were used for power generation, as opposed to packing the plants’ courtyards waiting to be disposed of. Bagasse is also being used for the production [...]

Several towns in Germany have taken saving on energy bills a step further and turned out all the street lights. Residents were initially concerned about crime and personal safety, but a system was developed to allow them to turn the lights on by calling a number from their cell phones. Of course, the bigger the city, the more complicated the system. In Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz (pop. 900), one phone call turns on all the street lights, but in Dörentrup, citizens must plan their routes ahead of time. The BBC reports:
Although residents appear happy with the system in this BBC clip, the Dörentrup [...]