The Solar Phone: Green Or Not?The Solar Phone seems set to take the stage as the next green gadget, and the major manufacturers Samsung and LG are already showing off prototypes. This is not a new concept, but it is getting a breath of fresh air courtesy of major company involvement.
The idea is that a solar panel is built into the battery cover, which allows the phone to slowly recharge if left in light. The panels need to be small to fit onto the phone and so they will provide only a slow trickle charge to the battery. Current estimates are that 10 minutes of direct sun will power both models for about 3 minutes of talk.While this idea sounds just great, we need to ask ourselves whether this is really a greener option than a regular phone, or is it just a gimmick to cash in on people's growing awareness of the need for clean energy? The Solar PanelSolar panels are not free to make and mobile phones generally are replaced after a few years at most. Does the electricity saved by the built in panel offset the cost of its production? Since there are very few statistics available about the panels being used, it is difficult to say. It is clearly a thin film solar panel so its output will be fairly low. Manufacturers need to take account of this and avoid offering bogus green products.
Another aspect of the solar panel is that it is dedicated to charging the phone battery only. It cannot compete with items such as the Solio solar charger for versatility and environmental friendliness. Such chargers can be used on many devices and so will have a much longer lifespan than the solar phone panel. The Solio's panels are also polycrystalline which makes them more effective and means they will last longer.SummaryIt's a great idea and the phones look nice, but the additional cost in terms of dollars and energy needed to make the panel leaves a question mark hanging over these products. Return from Solar Phone to Solar Energy Gadgets or return to the Green Planet home page for more Solar Power Facts.
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