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This has been a breakthrough year for green electronics, but audio equipment is lagging behind a bit. As you’ll soon discover in our review below, there’s only a smattering of products that are Energy Star certified. Fewer still are those products certified to be free of toxic materials, or packaged in green manner. Perhaps audio manufacturers need to take a cue from the computer manufacturers who’ve made many more inroads into green electronic territory.
iPod Docks
The Vers 2 iPod Dock
Wooden iPod Speakers and Dock: Vers 2
The Vers 2 iPod Dock is the greenest and most efficient piece of audio equipment I’ve come across. This U.S.-based company is a model for other companies to follow. See more details in this previous post on the Vers 2.
Pure I-10 iPod Dock
This iPod dock is almost as green as the Vers 2. The i-10 is part of an EcoPlus range of products from the UK-based company Pure. These products are energy efficient when in use and when on standby. They’re also made with recycled materials where possible, and are finished with water-based varnish.
The packaging, too, has been given some thought. They ship with minimal packing to reduce waste and shipping emissions, and it’s made of 70 per cent recycled cardboard as well. The manuals are printed on 100 per cent recycled paper using soy ink. The company has opened itself up to criticism and advice, telling us that it welcomes further suggestions being sent to ecoplus@pure.com.
The following products are part of the EcoPlus range: Move, ONE, PocketDAB 1500, lan DX-40, lan RV-40, EVOKE-1S, EVOKE-2XT, EVOKE-3, Oasis, TEMPUS-1S, Siesta, Chronos II, Chronos CD, Chronos iDock and DMX-20.
Amplifiers
Knoll GSZ67 Amplifier
The Knoll GSZ67 receiver may be the most energy efficient receiver available. This receiver won the Electronic House’s 2008 Product of the Year Award. It’s a multi-room controller that allows you to plug in 7 different audio sources (e.g. an iPod, CD or Satellite Radio and play a different audio source in up to six different places in your home.
Unlike other multi-zone amplifiers, the GSZ67 greatly reduces power consumption (it uses less than 1 watt of power while in standby mode). It was the first product of its kind to be Energy Star rated.
It has circuitry that individually shuts down power to unused channels. This saves electricity and ventilation costs (for heated amplifiers). The Class A/B amp produces 50 watts per channel at 8 ohms and 70 at 4 ohms. The channels that are “off” are truly off, not in “standby” or “mute,” and there’s more reserve power for the stereo channels.
Samsung SWA-4000 Wireless Amplifier
The Samsung SWA-4000 Wireless Rear Stereo Amplifier is an Energy Star amplifier that allows you set up wireless surround-sound audio. This amplifier eliminates the need to run wiring from the back of your receiver to the rear speakers located across the room. It’s compatible with Samsung’s wireless-ready home theater receivers. It’s priced at $150.
Receivers
Nuvo Essentia E6G Amplifier / Receiver
Similar to the Knoll system, the Nuvo Essentia EG6 is a multi-room sound system. It earned the Energy Star seal of approval by using less than 1 watt of energy in standby mode. The Essentia EG6’s amplifier and up to 12 keypads shut down completely when not in use, while keeping “one eye open” to snap back into action when a button is pushed. It was the first product in its category to earn the Energy Star label. It’s available from Amazon.
Pioneer VSC 1018AH-K AV Receiver
The Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K is a new 7.1 AV receiver released in June 2008. It’s one of the few receivers that have been certified by Energy Star. It uses only 0.72 watts in stand-by mode.
It features 130 Watts / channel of power and 3 x HDMI inputs. It can decode high-definition audio formats including Dolby TrueHD and dts HD-MA.
It’s available from Amazon.
Home Theater Equipment
ZVOX 415 Home Theater System
The ZVOX 415 is a true single-cabinet surround sound system. The cabinet contains three full-range 3.25-inch speakers, a passive radiator, an amplifier and a “PhaseCue” virtual surround sound system along with a 4-inch powered subwoofer, all built into a single cabinet. The ZVOX is also energy efficient — it uses an external power supply with over 88 percent efficiency, and it’s Energy Star rated. The suggested retail selling price of the ZVOX 415 is $400.
Panasonic SC-PT650 Home Theater System
The Panasonic SC-PT650 is an affordable home theater system that is Energy Star compliant. It uses just 0.5 watts when in standby mode. It features a 5-DVD changer, EZ-Sync HDAVI control with HDMI connection, and an included Panasonic universal dock for iPod playback and recharging.
Other Panasonic home theaters systems in this range are also Energy Star compliant, namely: SC-PT750, SC-PT950 and SC-PT105.
Pioneer Elite AV Receiver SC-07
The Pioneer Elite AV Receiver is a high-end receiver that was recently Energy Star rated. This 7.1 Channel receive features 140 watts of power, and it handles internal decoding of DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus, plus support for 12-bit Deep Color and a Faroudja video scaler. It’s available from Amazon.
Speakers
Escalante Design Speakers
Escalante Designs makes these very green Fremont speakers. The speaker cabinets are made of 100% recycled wood board with a low-VOC glue, no formaldehyde and AFM Safecoat finish (non-toxic paint). The speaker grills are made with recycled paper and covered with organic cotton and recycled polyester fabrics from Patagonia. These are only for audiophiles at $3500-$6500 per pair, but the reviews for these speakers are quite impressive.
Pioneer S-LX70W Speaker
The Pioneer Kuro S-LX70W subwoofer is only the Energy Star rated subwoofer. Its only available in Europe. The Kuro S-LX70W uses 90 watts when in use, and only 1 watt when in standby.
Source: http://www.metaefficient.com/audio-equipment/eco-friendly-audio-speakers.html
Soon, we’ll probably be seeing Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries being used in most electric cars and bikes. This new battery type is set to dominate the market. Based upon lithium ion technology, LiFePO4 batteries offer many advantages over lithium cobalt dioxide (LiCoO2) batteries which are commonly used in laptops, mp3 players and cell phones.
In electric vehicles, LiFePO4 batteries offer greater range, power and safety. They provide full power until they are completely discharged, and recharge in just 2.5 hours. LiFePO4 chemistry is also environmentally friendly — it’s the least toxic of all the battery types.
A Graph Showing The Different Power Capacities and Weight of Various Batteries Types
A Graph Showing The Energy Density Of Various Batteries Types
LiFePO4 batteries were developed by Dr. John Goodenough at the University of Texas. These batteries have seen wide acceptance recently in Asian countries, but still have not made inroads in the U. S. marketplace. However, you can find these batteries being sold on eBay for electric bikes and scooters. You can now get a 52V LiFePo4 battery for an electric bike, that will give you a 65 mile range on a single charge with 60A drain rate.
For electric vehicles and plug-in electric cars, the LiFePO4 batteries will typically perform well in temperatures up to 400-degrees F, last for 6 to 7 years at a charge-discharge cycle of over 3,000.
The biggest player in the LiFePO4 marketplace for electric vehicles, however, is A123 Systems that has teamed up with GM to develop these batteries for the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid. Another big player is Lithium Technology Corporation who has been working with GM, Toyota and U. C. Davis to develop LiFePO4 batteries for all-electric and hybrid vehicles.
Here’s a list of all the advantages of LiFePo4 batteries:
* Safe technology — will not catch fire or explode with overcharge
* Over 2000 discharge cycles life compared to typically around 300 for lead acid
* Double the usable capacity of similar amp hour lead acid batteries
* Virtually flat discharge curve means maximum power available until fully discharged (no “voltage sag” as with lead acid batteries)
* High discharge rate capability, 10C continuous, 20C pulse discharge
* Unlike lead acid batteries, can be left in a partially discharged state for extended periods without causing permanent damage
* Extremely low self discharge rate (unlike lead acid which will go flat quite quickly if left sitting for long periods)
* Does not suffer from “thermal runaway”
* Can be used safely in high ambient temperatures of up to 60C without any degradation in performance
* Maintenance free for the life of the battery
* Can be operated in any orientation
* Does not contain any toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, nor any corrosive acids or alkalies thus making LiFePO4 batteries the most environmentally friendly battery chemistry available
* LiFePO4 cells are of solid construction — there are no fragile/brittle plates made of lead which can be prone to failure over time as a result of vibration
* Can be safely rapidly recharged — when fully discharged can be brought to a state of over 90% fully charged in 15 minutes
Source: http://www.metaefficient.com/rechargeable-batteries/innovative-lifepo4-batteries-electric-vehicles.html
Netgear didn’t get much of a mention in our recent post “The Greenest Routers of 2008“. But now the company has released two green routers — the Netgear WNR2000 router, and its DSL modem-equipped DGN2000. Both these routers comes with EnergyStar-rated power supplies, and they come in new packages made with 80 percent recycled content.
Both Netgear routers support the latest Wi-Fi standard on a 2.4GHz band, including a simplified one-button Wi-Fi Protected Setup for creating secure networks on supporting devices. Four Ethernet ports supply wired connections on the routers, which should available soon.
The Netgear WNR2000 router is available from Amazon for $71.
Source: http://www.metaefficient.com/computer-equipment/netgear-introduces-green-routers.html
Bamboo is an ideal material to fashion into gadgets — it’s tough but lightweight, and it wears well. I also find it much more pleasing to the eye than plastic. But few bamboo-clad electronics have made it into mass production yet. One exception is ASUS’s bamboo-cased version of its U2E notebook which is now available (currently only in Asia). ASUS says buyers will be able to choose different color treatments for the bamboo.
Beyond the bamboo, this notebook has other green elements. It’s energy efficient thanks to a “Super Hybrid Engine” that ASUS says boosts battery performance. According to the company, the Engine can extend battery life between 35% and 70% as compared to notebooks with the same specifications, and but enable users to boost their systems’ performance by up to 23%. It achieves this by intelligently monitoring the power requirements of the notebook’s components and automatically adjusting the power levels in real-time to match the current consumption needs, thus optimizing both system performance and power efficiency.
The ASUS Bamboo Series notebook is currently available in two versions: a 12.1″ model that weighs 1.57kg and an 11.1″ model that weighs a mere 1.25kg. Both house Intel Core™2 Duo processors and are fitted with DDRII RAM.
Source: http://www.metaefficient.com/computers/asus-introduces-bamboocased-computers.html
Originally published October 10, 2008 at 9:05 AM
Oil prices briefly plunged below $79 a barrel Friday, dropping to the lowest level in nearly 13 months as investors grow more pessimistic about the prospects for resolving a mushrooming global economic crisis.
By STEVENSON JACOBS
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK —
Oil prices briefly plunged below $79 a barrel Friday, dropping to the lowest level in nearly 13 months as investors grow more pessimistic about the prospects for resolving a mushrooming global economic crisis.
Light, sweet crude for November delivery fell as much as $7.96 to $78.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, plummeting after the Dow Jones industrials fell nearly 700 points shortly after trading began. It was the lowest trading level for a front month crude contract since Sept. 26, 2007.
“Oil is mirroring the stock market right now. There’s a total lack of confidence. It’s fear driving more fear,” said Phil Flynn, energy analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago.
Oil prices pared some their losses after the Dow regained some ground, falling $5.91 to $80.71 a barrel in late morning trading.
Crude has now lost about 45 percent since hitting a record $147.27 on July 11, tumbling as a deepening credit crisis caused by the subprime mortgage fiasco wreaks havoc around the globe and drives down energy demand.
Investors have shrugged off an array of market-stabilizing efforts by world governments, including a $700 billion U.S. financial rescue plan, several bank bailouts and a coordinated interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve and central banks around the globe.
Underscoring Americans’ waning appetite for fuel, a gallon of regular gasoline dropped 5.3 cents overnight to a new national average of $3.35 a gallon, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express.
Prices dipped below $3 a gallon on average in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. If crude keeps falling, the rest of country should see sub-$3 gasoline in the next few weeks if not sooner, experts say.
Oil market traders were also fixated on signs of falling energy demand around the globe.
The International Energy Agency on Friday cut its global oil demand forecasts for this year and 2009, pointing to the worsening economic conditions and the tight credit supply.
The Paris-based energy watchdog cut its forecast for oil demand this year by 240,000 barrels per day, and slashed its 2009 forecast by 440,000 barrels per day. The IEA now expects global oil demand to total 86.5 million barrels per day this year and 87.2 million barrels per day next year.
“The fundamental game for oil has changed. In the last decade, oil went up because of strong global economic growth. That story for the near term is over, so everybody has to reevaluate,” Flynn said.
Crude’s steep losses came despite signs that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries may tighten output to put a floor under falling prices.
OPEC said Thursday it will hold a special meeting Nov. 18 to discuss how the economic crisis is affecting oil prices, while the head of Libya’s national oil company, Shukri Ghanem, called on oil producing nations to cut output.
But analysts doubt an OPEC cut would reverse the extreme downward momentum on oil. OPEC’s decision last month to cut production by 520,000 barrels a day failed to halt the losses.
Flynn said another output cut “may actually accelerate the slide.”
“What’s driving this market right now is fear of demand destruction and lack of credit,” he said. “If you can’t borrow money to buy crude, then demand falls more and so do prices.”
In other Nymex trading, heating oil futures fell 14.77 cents to $2.2709 a gallon, while gasoline prices dropped 14.49 cents to $1.8824 a gallon. Natural gas for November delivery fell 13.4 cents to $6.691 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In London, November Brent crude fell $6.01 to $76.65 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008248354_apoilprices4thldwritethru.html
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