Friday, October 23, 2009

Universal phone charger approved

children with phones
Future handsets will all be able to use the universal charger

A new mobile phone charger that will work with any handset has been approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations body.

Industry body the GSMA predicts that 51,000 tonnes of redundant chargers are generated each year.

Currently most chargers are product or brand specific, so people tend to change them when they upgrade to a new phone.

However, the new energy-efficient chargers can be kept for much longer.

The GSMA also estimates that they will reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 13.6m tonnes.

"This is a significant step in reducing the environmental impact of mobile charging," said Malcolm Johnson, director of ITU's Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau.

"Universal chargers are a common-sense solution that I look forward to seeing in other areas."

The charger has a micro-USB port at the connecting end, using similar technology to digital cameras.

It is not compulsory for manufacturers to adopt the new chargers but the ITU says that some have already signed up to it.

"We are planning to launch the universal charger internationally during the first half of 2010," Aldo Liguori, spokesperson for Sony Ericsson told the BBC.

"We will roll it out with new products as they launch."

Story

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A small hydro-power plant

Mr.Radhakrishnan of Right Bank of Muthiankaddu in Mullaitivu district had generated electricity from a hydro-power plant he constructed utilizing a three feet water head from Muthiankaddu tank to power a water turbine.

Read more

Monday, April 28, 2008

Power-play, for the people

Chandrakant Pathak has invented power-generation gadgets tailored especially for rural energy needs. As Pathak's gadgets are gaining popularity in rural areas of Pune district and several neighbouring districts in Maharashtra, state energy development agencies are taking note, reports Aparna Pallavi.

Read more

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Biogas

In Talegaon Dabhade a company called Greenleaf has produced biogas from "Eranda" (Marathi).

The company has claimed that it is saving 1.30 lacs every month using the biogas produced.

here is the article published in Sakaal.

Reuse of the earther pot

Due to accumulation of salts in the pores of the earthen pot,its effectiveness reduces year after year.

There is a solution to this issue.Adding citric acid in the water filled pot helps clean the pores.

An article was published in Sakaal.Publishing the same here.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Pedal power to bring electricity to nomads, tribals

Concept by Vidnyan Ashram, Pabal and Save Bombay Committee wins World Bank’s $ 20,000 award; targets 42 schools, 12 camps
Nomads and tribals in power-scarcity hit areas may soon be pedalling their way to light with a cycle which produces electricity.

This invention, by the Vidnyan Ashram, Pabal near Pune and the Save Bombay Committee (SBC), won an award at a countrywide competition organised by the World Bank at Delhi last month.

The project, titled 'Human power based lighting solution for nomadic and tribal people' makes use of a bicycle to generate up to four hours of electricity with 30 minutes of cycling.

"Seven per cent of India's population is nomadic and because they are always on the move, they do not have constant access to electricity. Even the tribal schools that are located in far-flung areas have power cuts causing a lot of problems to students," says Yogesh Kulkarni of Vidnyan Ashram, who along with Harshad Kamdar and Dilip Sankarreddy of SBC ideated the concept. They have been perfecting the cycle for more than a year, making use of a portable generator unit weighing less than three kg that can be attached to any cycle. "Even if a person cycles or just pedals for 15 minutes, 10 W of power is generated. And by using this for energy efficient LED lamps, 2 W of power is consumed per hour," says Kamdar.

The project will now receive

$ 20,000 as award money from the World Bank by the end of July, after which Kulkarni, Sankarreddy and Kamdar will try to improve the efficiency of the cycle and bring down the cost. A total of 20 ideas from across the country were selected for this contest.

In this two-year project, the team will devote the first six months to installing six such bicycles in six Adivasi Ashram Shalas (tribal schools) and collect the data through trials. In the later stages, they will try to bring down the costs. The target price for the attachment is Rs 2,000. "We wish to sell this apparatus to the Adivasi Ashram Shalas at a 50 percent subsidy and will start working towards that soon," says Sankarreddy. The team has set a target of 42 Ashram Shalas and 12 nomadic camps to install these bicycles over the next two years.

They are also trying to fix mobile phone chargers in the apparatus with the same technology. "Today, most nomads and tribals have cell phones, but to get them charged at local stores, it costs them at least Rs 5. If we can improvise on this model, we could help them charge their cell phone for free while cycling," says Kulkarni.