Producing a maximum 300mw in a 27cm square, 0.8mm thick, this lightweight panel just announced by Sharp looks interesting and gives an indication of where we are in small consumer-focused solar panels.
This newly developed solar module makes effective use of compact semiconductor packaging technology to achieve a thickness of just 0.8 mm, the thinnest level in the industry. The solar cells that make up the module are based on polycrystalline silicon and deliver a maximum power of 300 mW*1 , and as an auxiliary power source for mobile devices, will contribute to saving energy. In addition, the electrode pattern on the cell surface can be formed to meet the requirements of device manufacturers, leading to increased design flexibility for mobile devices.
We’re still at a very poor level of efficieny though. 11% efficiency by my reconing. It’s no wonder they didn’t put that statistic in the press release!
300mw is enough to keep a very basic mobile phone topped up while in standby.
Does this mean goodbye to my solar panel, my 1KG lead-acid battery and the box full of cables I have? Does these mean that you won’t have to spend over $1000 on a Solar UMPC kit now?
iUnika have announced a range of very low end, low-cost netbooks which include one with a solar-panel on the back. The price: $260.
700gm
8″, 800×480
400Mhz MIPS CPU
It’s eco friendly too “..the system body’s is made from bioplastics and other biodegradable materials derived from starch and cellulose” [source]
Here’s my take. Using a PC in the sun is hard work on the eyes and hard work on the battery as you need to pump up the backlight. The solar panel is also very small (I estimate 4W max output) so with a device that’s likely to be in the 3-4W operating power range, it’s at best, a trickle charger that can keep the device topped up when not in use. Putting panels on PC’s does a nice job of cutting out the losses you get when charging external power banks but they need to be detachable to get the best use out of them.
Still, bravo to iUnika for doing this. There are definitely some customers that would benefit from this. Education in hot countries with poor infrastructure comes immediately to mind.
The charger is a Solio Classic with a 6wh capacity cell. The iPhone has a 5wh cell.
At first glance it seems like too much of a challenge. Looking at the solar cell area and comparing it to my own 25W panel which measures about 1m squared tells me that this device is going to have a tiny sun-capture capability. Looking at the FAQ on the device gives a few clues:
It takes 8-10 hours to fully charge a Solio from the sun. With peak charging times between 10am and 2pm, it takes a minimum of 2 days to fully charge a Solio.
8-10 hours for a 6Wh battery is under 1W of solar capture, under ideal conditions.
It’s winter in Philadelphia right now so I guess we’re looking at an average 60% sun-power through the peak hours which means it will take about 3 average days to charge the solar unit. Taking into account that about 20% power will be lost on cross-charging I’d estimate that Kevin is going to struggle to get a full charge every three days.
2.5G Smartphones like the first-gen iPhone that Kevin has, can easily take 2W of power when driven hard. So if Kevin isn’t careful. he’s going to be out of power in the first day but it looks like he’s done his research and is well on top of the challenge…
The strategies…let me go two days without charging my iPhone however, and that gives me two days to capture sunlight with the Solio. I guess if we have a three-day rainstorm, I’m out of luck.
The interesting part of the experiment will be to see what type of usage Kevin gets out of the device. Will it be voice only? Will he be able to use regular email polling as he’s planning. Will he use it as a mobile internet device or just as a voice phone?
It’s clear that this isn’t the best way to save energy given that the $75 Euro initial costs that could power an iPhone non-stop for about 40 years (*1) but these sort of experiments, this sort of publicity and the resulting discussion is exactly what’s needed to stimulate development and improvement of consumer solar solutions.
I don’t get many readers on this blog but from the responses I’ve had over the last year or so I know that many of the readers here will have already thought about this. Perhaps you’ve already done it? If so, what devices did you use and how did it / does it work out for you?
Track Kevin’s progress at JKOnTheRun.
(*1) Assuming the iPone takes a (very high) average drain of 1W, $75 would buy something in the order of 500kwh of household power. With an AC adaptor efficiency of 80%, the $75 over 45 years of iPhone usage.
When I did the Solar UMPC tour in 2007, it was an expensive job pulling together all the equipment. Foldable solar panels and ultra mobile computers were specialist items and difficult to find. The UMPC alone cost over 1100 Euro and had to be ordered through a specialist. Fortunately, Intel are starting to deliver on their promise of consumer-focused, highly efficient Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs)and it’s looking great for anyone wanting to power a real PC from the sun.
What was 1KG and cost 1110 Euro one year ago is now less than half the weight, takes half the power and cost a lot lot less. Within 12 months, the price will be down to 50% of what it was a year ago bringing mobile computing to the masses. Take the Aigo MID (see info below) It’s a full Linux-based PC with keyboard and screen, storage, usb, a camera, wifi, bluetooth and will even be available soon with built-in 3G. Its just 350gm in weight and having looked in detail at test results and asked owners about the battery life, its clear that it’s running in less than 4W of power meaning you can last twice as long on the same amount of stored power or reduce the size of the (expensive) solar panel and power storage. A huge step forward.
Survival with the Smallest and Most Efficient.
Recently, I have been thinking more about short-term emergency supplies. I usually keep a stock of foodstuffs and water in my cellar along with a radio, small gas stove and a radio but I really think a mobile computer should be part of my survival kit, even if it’s just for day-to-day ’emergencies.’ From being able to compute when your ISP has problems to being able to walk into the middle of a city without power or communications and instantly set up a WiFi hotsopt or Bluetooth hotspot with a simple, self-contained web-server offering emergency information. From being able to move away from an emergency area with your computer with scans of your important documents to being able to send an e-mail greeting to your mother when you forgot to send a card for her birthday (arguably one of the worst disaster scenarios possible!)
In times of disaster, you need to earn money too. As a pro-blogger (UMPCPortal) I would instantly lose 100% of my income if the Internet went down but by having an emergency Internet ‘station’ I’d have a lot of possibilities. Can you imagine how much bartering power you would have if your were one of the only people left in your area with a working PC and a 3G connection that could send and receive emergency SMS messages from the cellular radio system!
In times of comfort and stability it sounds almost extreme to be thinking about such scenarios but in the western world, we live in a just-in-time economy. Like the weather, everything could change in 48hrs. Considering your electronic storage, communications and computing as part of your survival kit is is something many people will be doing and having the lightest and most efficient kit is obviously the best way to go. Thank goodness for Mobile Internet Devices!
Solar UMPC Tip of the moment: (click on the links for information from the UMPCPortal database)
Aigo P8860 – One of the first consumer-focused Mobile Internet Devices based on Intel’s Atom processor and Moblin, Linux-based operating system. Currently available by import. Average power drain (in-use) under 4W. 5V DC input. Micro-SD port. Wifi, Bluetooth and USB port about to take external peripherals. Also available in France as the Mi PC through the carrier SFR and expected to be launched under the Gigabyte brand soon as the M528.
Is anyone reading this considering a mobile PC as an essential item in their emergency kit? Is anyone even considering some form of fallback scenario?
It looks like this test is over now. The TabletKiosk MP3400 blew up on me.
This morning, everything was going well. The MP3400 was charging well from the Sunlinq…
…but later in the day, when I was charging the Q1 Ultra from the MP3400, it all went wrong. The MP3400 overheated in a big way…
I had left the Q1 Ultra connected to the MP3400 in the boot/trunk of the car while I went out to pick up some beer and when I came back the unit was incredibly hot. When I took it out of it’s case, it was clear that it had overheated as the plastic on the inside of the case had melted onto the battery. Part of the grille had melted too.
I left it to cool for 20 minutes and it looked like it was working again but it didn’t last long. Its completely dead now. No lights, nothing!
Lesson learned. Don’t try and use the MP3400 in 32 degrees heat inside the protective case, inside the boot of a car.
Fortunately the Q1 Ultra is still working although i’m down to 60 minutes battery now. There’s no way to charge it up until I get home on Saturday evening. Here ends another Solar-UMPC test. Now where’s that beer I bought….
One year ago (see this post for details of the 2007 Solar UMPC tour kit,) I was using the setup below for my mobile blogging and tracking.
This year, its a lot simpler. And a lot more powerful. Notice how the phone, GPS tracker and Camera have merged into one device. Yes, the N82 is a real boon. The N82 camera is not as good as the S2 (as expected) but the ability to auto-tag while tracking and then post the images directly to a server over the Internet is a massive advantage.
You’ll also notice a change in UMPC. I’m now using the Samsung Q1 Ultra (with XP and HSDPA) which has an SD slot (negating the need for any cables for the camera) and a much brighter, higher resolution screen. I’ve also moved to SSD rather than the traditional, spinning hard drive. Its safer. The keyboard (A Samsung Q1 keyboard) remains the same as there’s still nothing out there that can beat it. You’ll also see the USB LED lamp. Still, a key part of the kit!
Now lets look at the solar setup. This is the setup I used a year ago.
And this is the setup i’m going to use over the next four days while I go work/camping.
[The Wife and Kid are off camping together and I was due to stay home and work but I’ve decided to come along and make a working holiday of it. Dads – this is the beauty of Ultra Mobile PC’s!!!]
I’ve removed the lead acid battery from the kit and am now direct charging the Tablet Kiosk MP3400. It only charges during peak hours (one full charge per 100% sunny day here in mid-summer Germany) where the SLA battery charges during less sunny periods but the amount of energy you get in those few extra hours is minimal. I’ve chosen to drop the SLA battery and use the MP3400 direct on the Sunlinq 25W solar panel.
SelectSolar in the UK have just emailed me to let me know that Voltaic have an improved Solar Bag solution. You might remember that I was considering a JuiceBag for the tour last year but in the end the idea was dropped because the wattage wasn’t high enough. This solution from Voltaic bumps the wattage up to 17W by using a monocrystalline panel.
The Voltaic Generator is the first solar bag powerful enough to charge a laptop. It uses high efficiency solar cells to generate maximum power in the limited space available. It includes a battery pack custom designed to efficiently store and convert the electricity generated. It can also charge cell phones and most other hand held electronics.
At a recommended price of $599 you won’t be buying one for the kids but for field-work this provides protection and charging in one neat solution.
MacRumors have just reported on a patent filed by Apple that shows how they see a possibility to integrate solar cells into the display panel.
Solar panels will have to get much more efficient and power-drain reduced down to the sub 5W range before this technique has legs for any form of general computing device. Screens are never used in direct sunlight and I’m sure that the LCD layer will reduce efficiency by a huge amount but considering that its one of the largest available areas on any portable device, it makes sense to start thinking about it for the future.
