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Plugging in your cell phone every night may not seem like what Al Gore was getting at, but every drop of energy you get from an outlet has to come from somewhere, and all those milliwatts add up. As portable gadgets have exploded, so have their demand for power. But just as wind turbines and solar panels can help run your home on clean energy, there are renewable-energy options for your phone and iPod, too. Follow the link below to see how you can juice up on the fly without burning one molecule of fossil fuel.

 

The cell phone-sized Solio is already the Model T of personal solar energy, one of the earliest entrants into a growing market. It folds out into three fan-like blades for maximum sun exposure. Spread out the blades, point their panels toward direct sunlight (either outdoors or through to a window), and let nature run its course. It takes about 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight to fill up your Solio, but it will charge the average cell phone twice once it is filled up. And since it's essentially a battery with some solar panels, you can fill it up with a wall socket, too. The Solio Classic (they already have a classic?) sells for $100, and the new Solio H1000 sells for $80. LINK

 

 

It might remind you of one of those battery-powered fans you see people using on hot days, but this new power player is what the Solio sees in the rearview mirror. HYmini is a handheld universal power charger that uses wind and solar energy to top up most gadgets, and it comes with miniSOLAR panels and extra batteries to store even more power. Twenty minutes of stiff breeze will give you 30 minutes of iPod time. Attach it to your bike handlebars or car window, or run down the street holding it in the air screaming, "I have the power!" It's available now for $50. LINK

 

OK, Windstream Power's Human Power Generator does look a little like one third of a stationary bike you'd find at the Brady's house (I mean, not that Florence Henderson needed to work out or anything), but the company's been doing this since 1974. The concept of using bike-like cranking for power isn't new, but beyond watching the professor keep his lab going on Gilligan's Island, how many people actually harnessed it? Of all the power sources here, it's the sturdiest and arguably the easiest to figure out. Hand or foot pedaling of their device helps power a 12-volt battery you can use wherever, from running your desktop to keeping your beer cold. Available for $550 without the battery, or $995 for everything. LINK

 

 

Here's a chance to roll up the sun and take it on a picnic. Earthtech Products' Sunlinq line has flexible solar panels mounted on fabric or plastic that you can roll up and stick in your NPR totebag. Unroll it in the sun, and you've got the volts. Options range from a foldable iPod charger, to an XXL version for your Unabomber cabin in Wyoming, helping you keep the lights on while you toil away on that next 80-page manifesto through the night. Available from $129 to $360. LINK

 

Want a surefire icebreaker at the beach, the cottage or the stadium parking lot next week? Just bring along Atlantic Power Master's Micro Wind Turbine, set it up, offer to plug everyone in — and you'll be renewable energy-powered party central. The turbine generates about half the amount of power used by a typical home, and it's small, lightweight, and easy to set up. It's also kind of portable (more like transportable) — just plan for someone else to bring the cooler. Oh, and get there early — we're told it can take three hours to set up. Ah, that's just pre-game anyway. It's available now for a little under (gulp) $10,000. LINK

 

Although not available yet, the first chafing-powered PDA is coming soon. Remember how your backpack straps used to dig into you, pulled down by the weight of all those textbooks you were supposed to read? Now researchers are looking at turning that energy into something storable and usable for personal use. Piezoelectric power is created by vibration — if you have a watch that uses your motion to keep going, you know the concept. Hopefully it will come with a reflective coating because even little power plants need to play it safe. LINK

 

 

While wind power certainly isn't new — ask the Dutch — the idea of not possibly being decapitated while harnessing it is novel. Humdinger Wind Energy wants to capture less-deadly wind vibration in their Windbelt. They point out that generating wind power from rotation (like a windmill) is great in larger applications, but for smaller scale use, so much energy generated is lost in gearboxes and in reduced efficiency of smaller wind turbine blades that require storm-force winds to get significant power. The Windbelt has a taut, vibrating membrane coupled with a no-contact, direct-drive electrical generator that taps the energy of normal flowing air, capitalizing on a concept known as aeroelastic flutter, which infamously caused the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to collapse. Ironically, this flutter doesn't just kill bridges; it's tough on the Windbelt's enormous, upright, spinning brethren, too. While it's not publicly available yet, Humdinger's test model puts out enough power for a small electronic device. The company eventually wants to make larger versions to replace a typical gas-powered generator, or even larger commercial operations. LINK

— Trevor Curwin