PV Gap

Dennis Said:

How many years away are solar powered cell phones and lap tops?

We Answered:

i read an article in a science magazine recently and there was a group that claimed that it had worked out how to improve the efficiency of solar panels such that they would become a more viable option for laptops.
the batteries available currently are quite sufficient in terms of capacity and time required for charging, one issue i can see coming up is that the batteries don't like heat but a solar panel is bound to get hot...
in terms of years away, i would say about 10 years until such an option becomes reasonable in terms of economics but that's pure speculation.
if you're really keen you could make a custom setup. i used to work in an electronics store and most of the required parts are readily available.

Vickie Said:

How effective are solar chargers for cell phones ? ?

We Answered:

It depends on the charger and of course the cell phone/battery in question. However, something like the Solio charger will give about 20-30 minutes talk time per hour of daylight its charged with.

If you are considering a charger, and it is imperative that you have charge for emergencies (why else would you have one) you should consider a hybrid charger; the solio is a hybrid and it means you can charge the internal battery from the mains as well as from the solar panels as required.

Hilda Said:

Solar Powered Cell Phones?

We Answered:

Hi iJordan,

I have read about them. Usually technology from China or Japan migrates to the US fairly fast. My feeling is they will be available here soon.

Norm

Darlene Said:

How does Solar Activity affect cell phones and power lines?

We Answered:

solar flares are energy obviously, thrown off by the sun,When these flares hit our atmosphere they agitate the electrical ions in the air and generates static. (this is a simple explanation) It is this agitation that promotes northern lights to a higher performance. When electricity is sent through a wire, a magnetic field is set up around that wire. When two magnets of like poles get near each other, they repel. (common science class knowledge). When the solar flare generated magnetic field passes near our power wires, the fields either add to each other or cancel out each other. This is what causes disruption in our power system. Radio waves are used in our communications. Radio waves are part of the electro magnetic spectrum. Again when magnets are alike and get near each other they repel and so forth. This is how flares interfere with communications. This is the answer in the simplest form I can give.When a car passes under power lines and the radio picks up static....this is the magnetic field that is interfering with radio reception

Ethel Said:

Should Verison phones have solar cell for charging battery of phone instead of of an adapter?

We Answered:

A cool option would be to have it built into the roof of your car and then use that electricity to power up the peripheral stuff.

Nancy Said:

Are there any cell phones with solar rechargeable batteries?

We Answered:

No.

And because it's not really an in demand feature. Plus, batteries are usually closed up inside the cell phone, so they don't get sunlight anyways.

There are aftermarket chargers that work off of solar panels that you could use.

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Hybrid-Ch…