Solar powered cell phones- NOT

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Most of you know that I believe we need to develop alternative energy sources.  That does not make me an apologist for the cause; simple a recognition of the facts as they exist.

Solar energy is one such source.  Right now, it has uniform use to provide hot water. That is a no-brainer- but doesn’t really make a dent in our energy needs.  Solar conversion to electricity for our homes and factories is interesting, but not highly efficient- so we need more innovation to make it practical. Solar air conditioning and solar steam generation have just been discussed here- and they may be the best use in the future.

But, what about devices that don’t need a lot of electricity.  Like our cell phones.  Our gadgets (phones, iPods, iPads, Tablets, etc.) use about 5% of the total electricity in the US.  So, letting our cell phones charge wherever we are, whenever we need it not only makes them more convenient, but cuts our fossil fuel use (since most electricity is generated from fossil fuels).  Except that it doesn’t really work. Unless we live in Yuma, Arizona  (the sunniest place on earth, with 4174 hours of daylight a year [94% of the total daylight hours]).

You see, Nokia did the research.  They modified phones to accommodate solar panels (30 cm 2).   The theoretical power was about 600 mW (120mA at 5 V).  But, the best harvest was only 50% of the maximum.  And, smartphones, which need more power, don’t have enough area to accommodate the solar panels that would be needed to provide the theoretical power supply to keep them fully “juiced”.

In Amos (Kenya), where the solar charger could work 12 hours a day, the actual results were only 60% of the theoretical harvest.  And, over the 59 day test, the phone was charged enough to yield 20 hours of talk time.  (That works out to about 20 minutes a day.)  Not exactly what one had in mind when they consider solar charging.

And, in Northern Europe, where daylight extends for 16 hours each day.  Which meant in the summer (otherwise, daylight would be much shorter), they could garner (theoretically) 30% more electricity than Kenya.  (Conversely, they would have 30% less potential in the winter.).  But, one of the testers kept his phone oriented to the sun all the time, and still managed to get only enough electricity to run the phone for 30 minutes a day!  Not even in the Arctic would there be enough electricity generated to run the phone for an appreciable period (and would have no chance at all during the three dark months of the year).

Of course, if you had no choice- and could get 30 minutes of use a day, you may consider this a godsend.  But, for most us mere mortals, we want our phones to work all the time.  And, unless we install a large solar collector to provide electricity (one that will be way too big to fit on the cellphone), we will keep using our fossil-fuel based electricity.  Especially, since we keep our phones in our pocketbooks or cases on our belts (where the sun doesn’t shine).

Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

I could not post today (ok, this was written a month ago, but you know what I mean) without mentioning the improper bill being promoted to stop piracy.  First- piracy IS bad.  It needs to be stopped.  But, we already have laws on the books that are effective against them in the States.  This law is purported to be against those who perpetrate this crime outside the US- where the arm of the US is limited.  And, it will only penalize those in the US who are “friends” with those overseas. Or, it will censor sites indiscriminately in the US.  Not exactly a solution.  How about cutting the rhetoric and applying some useful logic?

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21 thoughts on “Solar powered cell phones- NOT”

    1. Mostly that number exists because we never unplug them when they are charged. But, yes, cell phones, mobile phones in the home, laptops, music players- they suck up the juice.
      Thanks for the comments and the visit, Tor!

    1. Aston- I should have asked you to contribute.
      I am so disappointed that I couldn’t do it, either. But, recognizing the power needs and the solar conversion, it’s not very surprising. And, no, I won’t wear a tablet on my head, so I can power my cell phone.

      Roy

  1. I noticed you specified new. Not many places to buy a new phone without a contract or ridiculous price. Descriptions are generally pretty decent on Ebay. Also, if you buy one you can take it in to your local T-Mobile store and they should program it to work with your number.

    1. All phones are basically the same price- it’s the phone companies that subsidize the prize to suck you into long-term contracts. Which shows- despite their claims to the contrary- how much profit really exists in their billings.
      And, no, you can’t just buy any phone and have it programmed. You need the phone that matches the arcane processes the phone company uses. AT&T and T-mobile use a chip, so it’s pretty easy to get a chip-capable phone to work (as long as it has never been programmed to work with a carrier). But, Verizon and Sprint use the internal workings of the phone to lock you in…

      Roy

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  5. YES please!!! now that phone battery life is only good for 3-4hours a day.. we really need this kind of phones these day.

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