GOOD magazine has spent this month posting selections from their first ever GOOD 100 (or so) issue, publishing a new entry every day from their collection of the most inspirational ideas, projects, people, and movements making the world better.

The 6-in-1 Solar Craft Kit is an environmentally-friendly multiple toy set. With this kit, you can make a windmill, a boat, a plane, an airplane dock, mini-car, and even a puppy.

The Daily Mail reports that an 18 year old Nepalese student has developed a new kind of solar panel which uses human hair instead of silicon as a conductor.

How many solar panels would it take to power the entire planet? 496,805 square kilometers of surface area could do the trick.

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]

As cellphones continue to evolve, we’ve almost become desensitized to the growing list of perks that come with each new model, perhaps losing sight of the fact that simpler forms of technology are not always archaic ones.
The Leaf is a cellphone concept that runs on solar power or electricity, and is made from layers of flexible material that enable it to transform into a bracelet/wristwatch for portability.
Although you can’t perform all of your daily tasks with it (it only has basic calling/texting capabilities), it’s an eco-friendly idea that sees forward-thinking technology mingling with simplicity.

[via Inhabitat]

Toyota has planted several 18-foot high solar-powered daisies in front of the Prudential Mall in Boston as part of their launch for the 2010 3rd-generation Prius, which will utilize solar power for inner ventilation if parked in the sun. The flowers provide free Wi-Fi, cellphone and laptop charging, and seating for 10 people at a time. The installation also includes 5 bus shelters that use solar panels to operate fans for air circulation.
The exhibit leaves Boston July 19, and will be placed in other cities through the rest of the year.
[via The Design Blog]
[images from Boston.com/The Design Blog]

Inhabitat reports that Sunseeker II, the only manned solar-powered aircraft in the world will be taking off on an epic journey over a large chunk of Europe (Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and Slovenia) on April 5th. The lightweight plane uses battery power during takeoff, and solar while in the air. It’s an improved, second generation version of the Sunseeker I, which in 1990, crossed the U.S. in 21 flights, with 121 hours in the air.
Inhabitat: “Sunseeker II Solar Powered Plane Takes Off”

Ikea, the home furnishing design powerhouse, has unleashed a new line of solar-powered lights in preparation for the summer.  The outdoor lights are simple LEDs that use 70% less energy and last longer than conventional bulbs.  With the price of solar panels dropping and the need for renewable energy sources skyrocketing, it’s nice to see a big design group like Ikea getting onboard.
A unique value of solar-powered outdoor lighting is that there is no need for underground wiring or permanent positioning.  The practical and reasonable devices are perfect for patios or camping trips, but we have yet to get our [...]

SunCat solar powered batteries make so much sense. The NiMH rechargeable batteries are wrapped in photo voltaic cells that re-charge the battery whenever it gets low on juice. It’s a home-brewed project by Knut Karlsen that’s in the concept design stages at the moment, but looks like a promising idea.
[via Gizmodo]

Samsung is releasing what’s been called the “holy green grail” of gadgets. Their new Blue Earth touchscreen phone can be powered by the sun, is partially made out of recycled water bottles and lacks the toxic substances found in many other electronics. A large solar panel on the back of the device taps the power of the sun, and will be able to fully charge the extremely energy efficient phone. The manufacturer also plans to incorporate solar cells into their entire product line in the future. The Blue Earth will be released at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on [...]

Soleckshaw is a solar Cycle-rickshaw which has recently been introduced on a test basis in Delhi, India. The vehicle can be powered both by pedal power and solar energy. The Soleckshaw’s solar rooftop has been designed to power a 36-volt solar battery, which not only alleviates the drivers’ physical strain but also provides them with a mobile phone charging port, as well as FM radio. Soleckshaw will be fully introduced by the year 2010 for the commonwealth games. Soleckshaw has been designed, developed and prototyped by the CSIR’s national laboratory at the Central Mechanical Engineering Research [...]