15 replies to this topic

[omkar1991]

A team at our college is working on a solar powered cell phone, which runs on solar energy. They are mid way through the progress of building a prototype. I think the real challenge here would be to actually keep the power supply to the phone consistently running. The phone should function inside a shelter, so basically they should try and make something that runs on ambient light. Or if not that, they should devise a system in which the battery automatically gets charged by a part of the light received when out in sunlight, so that it can be functional, at least for a while, in shade as well. I don't know the details of the project as I am still a junior.
What do the others think?

[zararina]

Maybe they could put power storage or make it have solar rechargeable battery. That way it could still function or work inside a shelter without not being expose to sun or some source of light.
I think it will be a good project/output since it would be using renewable source of energy. Just hope it will be as affordable of mobile phones in the market and could be use in a long period of time.

[jasserEnv]

The best bet would be a case with trickle charging ability and the existing battery so that any available light could be used to charge it, but it would have a similar battery capacity to what a normal cell phone has. Then it would not be completely intrusive nor would it need to be a new phone design altogether.

[omkar1991]

Yes, the best bet is to have a battery that charges on light, while the phone is out in daylight. I guess they are working on the same lines, I will be sure to keep this post updated accordingly.

[karmaman]

I like this idea. I don't use a cellphone, but I know that so many people around the world do and it must account for quite a lot of electricity. A fully solar charged phone would be a great alternative to buying an expensive solar charger.

[thordylan]

When I was in high school, my group in physics made a solar charger. It was just a second hand solar panel but it was still expensive. With the idea of a solar phone I do not think it will cater to all.

[jasserEnv]

thordylan, on 03 December 2011 - 04:35 PM, said:

When I was in high school, my group in physics made a solar charger. It was just a second hand solar panel but it was still expensive. With the idea of a solar phone I do not think it will cater to all.

With solar panels reducing in price and flexible solar panels becoming available, this will become a less and less expensive option so I wouldn't rule it out to happen in the next few years. The real challenge may actually be creating a case that can collect enough energy to make it worth the effort.

[omkar1991]

Bad news guys... Last update was that they had to abandon the project, because of "lack of time and funds." I just hope it is a temporary break, I want them to develop something awesome, would be great for the name of the college!

[kathie_san]

zararina, on 29 November 2011 - 10:19 AM, said:

Maybe they could put power storage or make it have solar rechargeable battery. That way it could still function or work inside a shelter without not being expose to sun or some source of light.
I think it will be a good project/output since it would be using renewable source of energy. Just hope it will be as affordable of mobile phones in the market and could be use in a long period of time.

Yeah, it's best if they could actually make a solar rechargeable battery. It'll be more useful since it can still be used at night or even during a bad weather. Just like what's being used in solar powered cars, I wonder how much would that cost though cause I heard solar panels are quite expensive.

[omkar1991]

kathie_san, on 07 December 2011 - 09:57 AM, said:

Yeah, it's best if they could actually make a solar rechargeable battery. It'll be more useful since it can still be used at night or even during a bad weather. Just like what's being used in solar powered cars, I wonder how much would that cost though cause I heard solar panels are quite expensive.

I guess that is the reason they have had to abandon the project, they had to pay the expenses out of their own pocket money.

[Pushhyarag2000]

As of now, tapping solar energy is limited by the constraints in miniaturizing the solar panels and the cost. The experiment is laudable but before making commercially viable solar lighting systems for domestic use, this seems a little too ambitious at the moment.

[omkar1991]

Pushhyarag2000, on 07 December 2011 - 10:28 PM, said:

As of now, tapping solar energy is limited by the constraints in miniaturizing the solar panels and the cost. The experiment is laudable but before making commercially viable solar lighting systems for domestic use, this seems a little too ambitious at the moment.

The focus here wasn't on making it commercially viable for domestic use, it was simply their final year degree project, related to their stream, i.e. electronics engineering. Of course, such a thing would take a long period of time to actually come into widespread use.

[kathie_san]

omkar1991, on 07 December 2011 - 10:17 PM, said:

I guess that is the reason they have had to abandon the project, they had to pay the expenses out of their own pocket money.

Oh that's too bad. The idea is brilliant anyway, hope they could come up with such device even after they graduate. I'm pretty sure it'll be massive hit.

[GreenQueen]

I think that is a good idea. Maybe the battery in the phone should be able to store that energy that comes from the sun so that it can work in areas with no sunlight. It should be able to charge in areas that there is light and not just sunlight. I think that it is a good idea. Maybe stores will have places for you to sit your batter while you shop. It sounds very interesting.

[omkar1991]

kathie_san, on 11 December 2011 - 02:43 AM, said:

Oh that's too bad. The idea is brilliant anyway, hope they could come up with such device even after they graduate. I'm pretty sure it'll be massive hit.

Yeah, I hope so too. Lets hope for the best!

[greenking]

I agree too....The best option is to have a battery that charges on light =)