Thanks to Al Gore, I think we all know by now that we could use some greener gadgets, or devices powered by very renewable energy sources. You know, like power from the sun or the wind, or other natural occurrences or forces that aren’t leaving us anytime soon.

Fortunately, a Virginia tech student has figured out a way to harness the power of a force that will never go away: gravity. The Gravia is an LED lamp that works by the force of a weight, sort of like a grandfather clock.

The lamp is about four feet tall and encased in glass. The energy-efficient weight system powers the 10 built-in LEDs, and there is absolutely no need to plug it in. Believe it or not, the lamp can be used for 200 years, and that is at 8 hours per day, all year.

Is it any wonder why the Gravia won the Greener Gadget award? I have no idea what the runner-ups were, but the Gravia certainly sounds like obvious choice for first place. Isaac Newton and Thomas Alva Edison would be proud.

Somebody has got to mass-market this thing. I could use a lamp that I would never have to replace. Do I need to change the bulb? Is it possible to burn out the LEDs?

Source