Manhole Cover Harvests Rainwater; Backyard wind turbine; Cheaper thermal solar power; The Future of the Grid; Next Generation in EcoTechnology

Futuristic Manhole Cover Harvests Rainwater Power and Tells You Where to Catch a Bus City streets could be much more interesting and informative with these manhole covers – a concept dreamed up by Cheolyeon Jo & Youngsun Lee. The covers, called “eco signs,” would harvest power from rainfall in order to tell you, just by tapping your foot on its right or left side, information such as where to find the closest subway station or bus stop.

Backyard wind turbine? There’s an app for that So cool. Now you can test whether you’re both techno-chic and an ecogeek by combining the iPhone with home wind turbines.

Google develops new technology for cheaper thermal solar power Google Inc is working to develop its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by a quarter or more. It a also works on new turbine technology for further cutting the cost of electricity.

Smart Grid Roundup: The Future of the Grid We’re on the cusp of the electric grid’s future, and leading it forward is the smart grid. The smart grid is rapidly moving beyond the household energy meter to an intelligent, information-rich networked grid

The Next Generation in EcoTechnology Calling all emerging designers! We at the Greener Gadgets Conference are looking for an intelligent design that helps solve issues of energy efficiency, carbon footprint, sustainable lifestyles or development in nations off the grid.