Portable Solar Power

Here's another example of a solar-powered generator. Unlike the one in my first post, this one is portable but is also a DIY project. In his blog, Pat gives detailed instructions for building a fairly compact little solar generator for $180 for powering his laptop.

If you're not into building things yourself, there are a lot of portable solar power options out here. EarthTechProducts has dozens of solar powered devices for powering your portable electronic gadgets. For instance, check out the Soldius iPod & Cell Phone charger. A similar little gadget is available at the Solio website.

For slightly larger charging needs, there are a bunch of solar-powered backpacks and bags on the market.

Now the obvious question that comes to my mind is, how long will it take the various gadget manufacturers to start including solar-powered chargers with the products they cell. Seems like an opportunity for the Nokias and the Apples and the Sonys of the electronics world to start offering solar charging units with their electronic devices rather than just the standard plug ins.

It would be interesting to see some numbers on the total energy consumption of charging portable electronics like cell phones, iPods, cameras, etc. I'm sure it's insignificant compared to home appliances, heating, air conditioning etc. but powering these little gadgets with solar power is an easy and affordable options for consumers to pursue if they're looking at reducing their carbon footprint.