The world urgently needs to reconsider its energy policy and move away from fossil fuels and head to renewable energy before 2050, warned the UN Intergovernmental Panel for climate change. Moreover, according to the World Bank, 20% of the world’s population has access to electricity, with most of them in Africa and Asia. At the same time, in the developed world, the cost of energy has increased too much and consumers are looking for ways to reduce their bills. Some designers and manufacturers, as the CNBC, have started to respond to this challenge and present products that leverage the power of the sun. See some examples below:
Solar laptop
Samsung was one of the first major companies that have turned to solar energy in the NC215S netbook in 2011. Since then many manufacturers like the Canadian company WeWi revealed then Sol laptop with the promise that it would take just two hours of sunlight to fill the battery for 10 hours.
According to the company’s managing director, David Snir who spoke to CNBC, the product is available from late April in many markets, and the company advised distributors that the cost will not exceed 500 dollars.
Solar smartphones
Once again the champion Samsung announced in 2009 the creation of the model Blue Earth, a mobile phone that runs on solar energy. For Daniel Gleeson, analyst at the IHS, the solar energy will be the «next big trend» in the market of smart mobile. At present, the demand is for larger screens and 4G.
iPad solar cover
The solar cases, which help to charge the tablets are sold already for many devices from the Amazon Kindle SolarFocus by Solar Keyboard Folio Case for the iPad Logitech.
And if sunlight is not enough, the cover KudoSolar iPad, constructed from photovoltaic ink can use also the interior light. The manufacturer estimates that the average user will need to recharge the tablet every 10 days.
Solar Impulse
The Solar Impulsion is the only aircraft of infinite strength, able to fly day and night without fuel, based entirely on solar energy. The first solar flight around the world is scheduled to take place in early 2015 with the Solar Impulsion 2, presented on April 9, 2014.
In 2010, the first model was able to fly for 26 hours without interruption during the night. Later on they had many different test flights in Europe, Morocco and the USA.
By Nicole P.
