Portable Devices Harness Power of the Sun
Jeanette Pavini Reporting /April 20, 2007
Source: CBS Broadcasting
http://cbs5.com/consumer/local_story_110194943.html
If you want to go solar, you don’t have to commit to putting panels on your house. Portable solar charges help more people recieve the environmental benefits of solar power. Becky Worley of Yahoo Tech showed CBS 5 Consumerwatch the Solio, one of the new wave of portable solar devices. “The way it works, you just unfold these photovoltaic cells, you expose it to direct sunlight and it can get a full charge on its battery in 8 hours,” she said.
The Solio portable charger works just about anywhere you go, from the backyard, to the Arctic Circle. “It works best in direct sunlight, but on a slightly cloudy day, you can still get a charge. In fact one adventurer used it on the North Pole,” Worley told us.
It stores enough juice to charge an iPod or cell phone — twice, and prices are getting down to earth, though not bargain basement. The Solio costs $100. The solar Voltaic backpack is $275.
“You can plug in your cell phone, your iPod, your digital camera, and it also comes with a universal adapter with a car charger. There’s a little port right here where you can thread your earphones right through and listen to them on the go,” Worley added.
There are also larger solar units on the market that you can install on an RV or boat, or have at home in case of emergency. “Earthquake, major weather, any kind of power reduction, where you need to power radios, cell phones, this is a great solution,” Worley pointed out.
While the photovoltaic cells are sturdy, the batteries that store the power will eventually need to be replaced. Solio even offers a recycling program. And the power they produce is pure green.