WakaWaka Power inverter charges smartphones with solar panel energy (Video)

Mobile charging technology is proving a popular subject on the crowd-sourced funding platform Kickstarter. But unlike the unsuccessful go at bicycle-power inverter ed mobile charging by the Charge Cycle, a recent pitch for the WakaWaka Power inverter  device reached 50 percent of its funding goal in its first day, and within a week became one of the website's most-funded projects.

The WakaWaka Power inverter  is a pocket size mini power inverter  station that utilizes solar panel panels and a power inverter -management system to offer on-demand and off-the-grid tie inverter electricity. Apart from mobile charging, WakaWaka Power inverter  is also a light source which can provide more than 40 hours of reading light on a single day's solar panel charge, 10 hours if coupled with phone charging, and the 2200 mAH LiPo battery will store a charge for up to four months.

The company is touting the device as a safety essential during times of electricity outages, much like the one seen recently after Hurricane Sandy devastated the coastal areas around New York City. According to its Kickstarter page, the device could be ready for retail sales by May at a starting price of $79.

A recent study by Pike Research shows that some green technology remains strongly favorable to the public, while others are hardly even noticed. This is the fourth annual study by Pike, and while clean technology is generally favored, there has been somewhat of a downward trend over the last four years.

Solar panel energy is the most favorable, 69% of study participants responding “favorable” or “very favorable.” Wind power inverter  was most favorable among the more educated and among those with utility bills over $200/mo, at 66%. Pike researchers state, “Since these two concepts have retained their most favored status year over year, Pike Research asserts that consumers consider these renewable energies to be important pieces in the power inverter  generation portfolio of the future.”

Alternative fuel vehicles only garnered 54% favorability, including hybrid electric, flex-fuel, and natural gas power inverter . Electric vehicles scored worst with only 49% favorability. Clearly, manufacturers and electric vehicle proponents have a lot of work to do to make them more marketable and acceptable.

Smart grid tie inverter technology seems to be the least-known of all clean technology, mostly because of lack of awareness. Just 35% found smart grid tie inverter technology favorable, while 56% responded “neutral” or “n/a,” which means that only 35% of respondents even knew what smart grid tie inverter technology was. Here’s another chance for smart grid tie inverter marketers to get to work.

Solar- and wind-power inverter  are here to stay. While research indicates a slight wane of support for green technology, it is strong enough that any big change in efficiency or cost could bump those numbers up significantly more favorable. As with most new technology, though, awareness seems to play a big part in how green technology is perceived.

If you’re in the market for new holiday lights, this season may be the right time to think about going solar.

That’s right. Solar-power inverter ed, LED holiday lights.

While the idea may seem a bit counter-intuitive, LED holiday lights use so little energy that they can run off of a single AA battery recharged daily by a tiny solar panel panel.

For about $26 on Amazon, you can get a strand of 150 of these grid tie inverterless lights (battery included), which automatically turn on when the sun goes down and off at sunrise.

You don’t even have to plug them in, said Brad Howard, president and owner of Las Vegas-based Reusable Revolution, grid tie inverter which makes the lights.

“I could put them on my car and not plug them in, so the ease of installation not having to worry about a power inverter  outlet is off the charts,” he said in a phone interview.

The lights, which were released this year, can run for up to 10 hours a night, depending on the amount of sunlight they get during the day, Howard said. They might also turn on during especially cloudy days or lose some overnight staying power inverter  during an overcast day with a weak charge. However, they will rebound to a full power inverter  after a sunny day, he said.

Like all solar panel products, they are best suited for sunny regions.

The possibility of solar-power inverter ed holiday lights stems from LED technology, which results in far lower power inverter  usage and energy costs than incandescent lights, Howard said.

That has made even plug-in LED holiday lights, which are sometimes more expensive to buy than incandescent lights, an attractive option for total holiday cost cutting, according to TXU Energy.

While LEDs may have seemed more expensive in the past, they are becoming more  cost competitive with incandescent bulbs, even before energy savings are factored in.

Still, many Americans opt for the softer glow of incandescent bulbs — now sometimes selling at a premium because of that  consumer preference.

According to a recent check by TXU Energy, a string of 25 incandescent holiday lights costs about $8.50 while a string of 50 LED holiday lights costs about $5.80.

The cost to power inverter  those lights, meanwhile, gives the LEDs a huge advantage.

At a usage rate of about 6 watts of electricity, 50 incandescent holiday bulbs would use about 1.8 kilowatt-hours of power inverter  nightly this holiday season. That total is calculated from keeping lights on for about six hours a day for 30 days.

At an electricity rate of about 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, the incandescent strand would account for about $5.40 of power inverter   costs.

While that number seems small, an LED strand would account for only 7 cents of electricity costs, according to TXU’s numbers.

Though consumers have been somewhat slow to move to LEDs for holiday lights, many major public displays, including the 45,000-bulb Rockefeller Center Christmas tree display in New York City (pictured), run on the energy efficient lights.