Okay – we know that summer’s been generally devoid of sunshine, but there’s still enough energy coming through those clouds to help us IT consumers keep out electricity bills down and a carbon footprints a bit smaller.
Solar laptop, PDA and Phone chargers are starting to get a small hold on the market, and this is surely (we hope) the thin end of the wedge. Some of the products available have grown so quickly during the last 12 months that it’s hard to keep track. Here’s some links to places where they can be bought:
http://www.nclsolar.com/acatalog/Charge_Systems.html
http://www.energyenv.co.uk/FoldableChargers.asp
Of course, where price is an issue, the free market will always lend a hand and drive down the cost to the consumer – and the kings of the free market are ebay – who (at the time of writing) seem to be able to offer you a charger ‘briefcase’ for less than £60, including postage.
The general availability of powerful, dedicated solar laptop chargers is pretty poor still in this country, and the best ones come at a premium (see here), but you can guarantee that the movement has got some momentum. Once the price starts to come down, the market will start to blossom.
