Solar-Powered Charging Stations for Mobile Phones, Cameras, and Electric Vehicles

Image credit: www.soldesignlab.com

Solar-powered charging stations are innovative solar-powered designs that can be used in public places when no electricity supply is available. You can see them alongside the streets, in the squares, and even as “umbrellas” attached to benches in public parks. On the market, there are also smart solar benches and they are an excellent addition to existing urban furniture.

Solar-powered charging stations are great to allow people to charge their small devices such as mobile phones, laptops, or cameras outdoors. Some of the solar-powered charging stations can power electric bikes, scooters, and cars, so recharging your car’s batteries is often cheaper at one of these stations. Solar-powered charging stations can provide also lighting, WI-Fi, give insight about the environment, and display information on a digital screen.

All solar-powered stations work similarly, although they might differ in terms of size, capacity, and the type of charging that is available. Each solar-powered station consists of an inflexible or flexible solar panel (or panels), battery system, charge controller, and inverter.

The benefits of solar-powered charging stations are numerous. First of all, they produce electricity without any emissions, making them one of the most environmentally-friendly technologies. Unlike coal, nuclear or gas-powered plants, solar energy does not produce emissions, nor toxic byproducts. And it is a renewable source of energy.

The implementation of solar technology in public places gives us free or cheap energy. Especially, for those living far from the electrical grid, solar charging stations for mobile phones can be the only way to stay connected. It is no surprise that in the developing countries more and more solar-powered charging stations are appearing. In countries where electricity is not accessible to all, public solar-powered charging stations for mobile phones are very popular. (Read this article)

Last but not least, with the solar-powered charging stations, we become energy independent and can spend more time outdoors. When we know that we can charge our mobile phones and other electric devices outside, in the streets and in the parks, it gives us more freedom and flexibility to spend time outdoors and in nature.

Sources: Inhabitat & Magesolar

Solar-Powered Backpack

A solar-powered backpack is one of the recent environment-friendly solar innovations which become more and more popular. It allows the hiker or traveler the opportunity to keep their electronic devices charged anywhere they go using solar energy. 

We live at the age when we are constantly connected to one device or another such as smartphones, MP3 players, tablets, laptops, so the importance of having a source of power with us has never been greater. Here comes a solar-powered backpack. It can harness enough solar energy to keep us connected with the world and it is ideal for people who like to take hiking trips or go camping.

The solar-powered backpack has a small solar panel attached to its outer surface so we can capture the sun’s rays. The interior space includes a storage battery and other components. The solar panel is lightweight, waterproof and can produce up to 10 watts of power. 

Other components of the solar-powered backpack include a flexible mono-crystalline or thin-film solar panels, charge controller, a variety of cell phone adapters and a USB plug for your MP3 player.

With the solar-powered backpack, you can also power a GPS, a travel lamp, a digital camera, a palm pilot, and other rechargeable electronic devices.

The solar-powered backpack has a lithium-ion battery pack inside to store this energy. NASA and the US Army have used copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells for its unbreakable strength and flexibility.

A solar-powered backpack known as REPPS (Rucksack Enhanced Portable Power System), was first used by the US army for communication equipment in 2010 in Afghanistan. The US Air Force had previously used solar panels on shipping containers, developed by Lockheed Martin. And the Marines developed suitcase units of foldable solar panels which can also be carried as a backpack.

A solar-powered backpack can also be used for international aid, disaster relief, and humanitarian relief efforts where power from the utility grid is not available. (read this article)

Several companies are manufacturing solar backpacks and they range in price from $75 to $500.