Portable home lighting solutions by GreenBrilliance

The build looks simple and should not require high-tech input to it, other than creativity. Meet the newly launched solar-powered home lighting solutions by GreenBrilliance.

Basic: Solar panel, battery and LED lamps

Main features:

• 12W Poly-Crystalline PV Panels (size: 311mm x 358mm) - this is really small!
• 2 High Power LED lamps
• 8 hours of battery backup
• USB Port

Applications

This portable home lighting solutions is designed by GreenBrilliance, a manufacturer of globally certified photovoltaic solar modules based out of Gujarat, India. This innovative product is ideal for:

• Home lighting
• Boat cabin lighting
• Adventure trips
• Camping
• Roadside emergency lighting
• Natural disaster relief
• Rural / remote areas lighting
• Construction sites
• Charging USB devices like Mobile Phones, MP3 players, Bluetooth headsets etc.

It's strange that the website says USB charger is not compatible with iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. Then what is the iphone doing here in the pic?


The GreenBrilliance GBHL12: Technical Specifications

Source: GreenBrilliance website

Do you think gesture control will replace touchscreen?

Not too long ago, people relied on mouse, keyboard, and touchpad to communicate with their computers. Then portable devices emerged and touchscreens quickly became one of the more popular means of control and interface.

Touch-enabled smartphones and tablets have been very successful and as we progress further, people are now talking about gesture control.

The MYO works by using of muscle movement to control a wide range of devices

A magic armband that looks pretty simple

The MYO armband measures electrical activity in your muscles and translate that into signals before amplifying and relaying them to gadgets using Bluetooth wireless technology.

"A few years from now, it isn't hard to imagine people wearing Google Glass or a related headset, using a MYO armband to control the headset and other computers in the area, and having a Leap Motion to use a computer at their workstations"

- Technology blog Singularity Hub

I took part in an online poll by ScienceFocus and as of today, this is the result. During the first few days the ratio was 60:40 in favour of gesture control:

Sciencefocus poll result after 8 days

Reference: Pictures from MYO

Quota for 20 MW Solar PV released by SEDA Malaysia snapped up within 1 hour

The quota of of 20 MW solar PV  for non-individuals under 500kW was announced late last month:

Announced                       : Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Solar PV quota                 : 20 MW
Category                           : under 500kW, non-individual
Degression rate                 : 20% for installation exceeding 24kWp

Released                         : 2^nd April 2013, 12.00noon

AND, on the day it was released (2^nd April), SEDA Malaysia said the quota was taken up within the first hour. Meaning, the small 20MW quota is over-subscribed, if you like, and bigger quota should be released soon.

Amazing!

This just show that Malaysia is not far behind in terms of interest and commitment to the cause - going green. SEDA Malaysia made an early analysis and found that more than 99% of the solar PV capacities submitted in the e-FiT online system were larger than 24 kW which had the higher degression rate.

From this figure, SEDA believes that the 20% degression rate recently gazetted within the Schedule of the Renewable Energy Act 2011 for solar PV projects larger than 24 kW is still commercially viable.


Degression rate for solar PV individual reduced to 0%

SEDA Malaysia also announced that it has received a directive from the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water that, effective 1st January 2014 until 31st December 2017, the degression rate for Solar PV for individuals will be reduced to 0%.

Currently, the degression rate for solar PV for individuals is set to 8%. This means the FiT rates for solar PV for individuals will remain the same for the duration.

With the reduction of degression rate to 0% for solar PV for individuals the Ministry hopes for greater public participation in the Solar Home Rooftops Programme. The Government anticipates with more engagement in solar PV by home owners will result in a greater willingness from the public to contribute to the renewable energy (RE) fund.


TheGreenMechanics two cents:

To Sabah State government: - can you hurry up with the implementation of electricity bill levy? Or, alternatively pay an equivalent of the contribution otherwise made by SESB consumers so that Malaysians in Sabah can get the same benefits enjoyed by their counterparts in West Malaysia.

I thought the State Budget 2013 is the biggest in Malaysia? Check this out: Supply Expenditure for the year 2013 is the biggest in the State’s budget financial history totalling RM4.088 billion! So, an equivalent of 1% levy on heavy energy users is a pea nut then.


Further reading: SEDA Malaysia press release.