Originally published December 20 2004
Solar cells embedded in clothing could recharge cell phones and other gear while on the move
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
New advances in solar cell technology could turn us into walking energy plants by allowing our clothing to generate electricity for portable electronic devices. Of course, it only works when the sun is shining (and if you get off your couch and actually experience a bit of natural sunlight to begin with)…
MOBILE phone users left talking to themselves when their battery runs out in the middle of a call could soon see an end to their frustration as scientists perfect a way to recharge electrical equipment while on the move.
Researchers are investigating ways flexible solar panels can be sewn into clothing and other textiles so electrical equipment can be recharged without being connected to a mains supply.
According to the New Scientist magazine, the project could soon lead to a tent whose flysheet charges batteries all day so campers can have light all night, or a roll-out plastic sheet which powers cells to operate a DVD player.
Thin, bendy solar panels little thicker than photographic film which can be bonded to everyday fabrics could be on the market in as little as three years.
The technology is the product of a three-nation European Union research project called H-Alpha Solar.
Scientists say the solar panels will also be cheap to make because they can be mass produced in rolls which can be cut as required and wrapped around clothes, fabrics, furniture or even rooftops.
Gerrit Kroesen, a physicist at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, who led the development team, said: "This technology will be a lot easier to handle than the old glass solar panels."
While cutting-edge solar panels now operate at an efficiency of about 20 per cent, the new flexible cells are only 7 per cent efficient.
However, the manufacturers believe that the reduction in the generating capacity is worth accepting for a cell they believe will be more useful and robust.
The Swedish and Dutch-owned firm Akzo Nobel, a partner in the research, already has a pilot plant producing rolls of silicon cells.
Jeremy Leggett, the chief executive of the UK solar cell supplier Solar Century, described the estimated pricing as "breathtaking".
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