photo credit: skinnydiver

In an age when the planet is experiencing global warming and adverse nature phenomenon, usage of non-renewable resources should be avoided as much as possible even in recharging mobile phone batteries.

How the Portable Solar Charger Works

The portable charger runs under a two-piece charging system. It has two portable solar panels which basically absorbs the power of the sun. Then there’s also a mobile booster which works to pass the energy to an internal lithium ion battery through a USB port.

Even without sunlight you can still recharge your mobile phone battery. You can charge your mobile phone through the USB port of the laptop computer.

The Most Convenient Charging

Since mobile phone batteries get drained anytime and anywhere you are. The ability to recharge it immediately would be most convenient and most useful. If you run out of gasoline in the middle of nowhere, your only line of communication is your cellular phone. But if you just ran out of batteries, you’re bound to be stuck there for some time. Having battery power could save you from even bigger emergencies than this.

The aspect of portability is a great advantage to all. Just like your mobile phone, the portable solar charger is quite handy. It’s small and it’s light so you can indeed bring it anywhere you go. And most importantly, you can use it anywhere you go because it only uses solar energy.

A Cheaper Alternative

Since all you need to do is capture the solar energy through the solar panels, you won’t have to pay additional fees per recharge. So it’s really cheaper to use the portable solar charger. It really promotes energy efficiency too.

Easier Communication

Personally, every mobile phone owner would benefit from this development. Now you can be reachable wherever you are because your cellular phone will always have power. If you need to contact someone immediately, you can call him anywhere you are. Again, that’s because you will have battery power at all times. Now you no longer have a reason why you can’t call your wife or your husband you will be late in coming home. You can also check on your children at all times when you’re away from home. You can also contact coworkers to coordinate projects and to report to your bosses.

Good for the Economy

The use of portable solar charger is actually good for the economy in many ways. First, the manufacture of portable solar charger has and will create new jobs. This is quite important in the current economic situation the country is in. This will help the country towards economic recovery.

With more people having jobs now, there would be a ripple effect to the economy. People would have more money to spend so more industries would even benefit from this and so on.

So the use of portable solar charger indeed benefits everyone. Aside from the convenience, you also benefit from it in numerous ways. It is indeed a very welcome development for the economy and for the environment.

photo credit: dionhinchcliffe

The use of solar energy is getting very popular nowadays. That is why the development of solar powered battery chargers is also on full gear. Solar chargers can be used on laptops, mobile phones, and can also power electric cars.

A solar charger works by harnessing the energy of the sun and storing this energy in batteries. The charge on solar chargers can last up to 12 months. These 12 volts solar chargers are also very compact thus eliminating the need for big chargers that are typically used to power electronic gadgets.

It is really not difficult to find solar powered chargers because there are lots of new models available in the market now. However, the challenging part is how to choose the best among the bunch because there are lots of models out there and almost all of them have similar features and functionalities. To completely understand this new technology, here’s a quick look on 12 volts solar powered battery chargers and how they work to power your gadgets.

Basic Operational Principles of Solar Chargers

A solar power battery charger has the capacity to produce full wattage output when exposed to direct sunlight.

Some advanced models feature LED indicators that will enable you see if the unit is still charging or full. There are also units that will automatically block sunlight whenever the battery is full. A typical solar charger has adaptors and charging clamps for the batteries.

A solar battery charger can produce one hour of music for every one hour of charge from direct sunlight. This charge can also produce 25 minutes of talk time for cellular phones. Aside from mobile phones and music players, solar chargers can power the batteries of digital cameras, PSP, smart phones, and other electronic devices.

In most cases, it is highly recommended to get a unit that has a built charge controller. This controller can monitor the amount of charge of batteries. When the batteries are fully charged, the controller will automatically disconnect charging in order to prevent overcharging. A blocking controller also works to keep the energy in the panels.

A solar charger normally utilizes an inverter in order to convert the energy stored on batteries into alternative current. AC power is the standard source of most small devices and electric appliances.

Is It Necessary to Buy Different Types of Solar Chargers?

In some instances this is recommended. Some chargers for example are suitable for bigger appliances and car batteries because they produce higher wattage outputs. Such chargers may toast the small batteries of gadgets.

However, there are new solar charger models today that have multiple amperage options. This type of solar charger can be used on a range of electronic gadgets, appliances and even car batterers.

With proper use a due care, a solar powered charger can extend the lifetime of your batteries. Most importantly, you can get free energy because sunlight is free. So you can save lot if you have solar powered battery chargers.

The best thing that you can do to find the best solar chargers in the market is to ask an expert in solar energy. You will know the types of solar chargers suitable for different devices.

Did you know that you can now charge your RV using solar power? The best part about this is that you will not need to hire someone to create an especially-designed solar photovoltaic system. There are simple steps that you can follow in order to set up your own system. Pretty soon, you will be able to compute how much time needs to pass until you get the system to actually pay for itself.

First, you need to know by how much and in what increments you can increase your motor home’s autonomy power. When you are living in a camper, two things can be considered as the most precious commodities of all – water and electricity.

Therefore, it is essential to know how you can save both without resorting to depriving yourself. You can increase the autonomy of power in your camper so you have more leeway to use water and electricity instead of sitting in the dark – and that is by installing a solar panel.

When you stay an entire week in a single place and find your battery to be running low on power, you can easily remedy that with a solar panel. However, you also need to know that such things are both fragile and expensive – so utmost care is essential. During the day time, it is important that you park under full sunlight so you can absorb it and let your solar panels be filled to the brim with it.

Next, you also need to have an estimate of how much power you will actually need. Grab a notebook and a pen and start listing all the power-eating items you have at home – TV, charger, washer, microwave, air-conditioner, dryer and others.

Write the wattage next to each item then note down if they are alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC or battery powered). Estimate how long each item is in use (either minutes or hours) and multiply it by the wattage and how many days in a week you use it.

Next, add all the current needs from each column to get the total so you have an idea of how much actual power you consume on a daily, weekly or a monthly basis. You should then determine which among these items will get their power straight from your solar photovoltaic system or through the system (but you have to charge the battery bank first prior to using the power source).

The appliances which are of the alternating current kind shall require an inverter in order to get power through the direct current.

And finally, you need to know the different parts you have to get to make the photovoltaic system. Specifically, you will need a battery, several photovoltaic panels, a mounting kit, a charge regulator (used to measure the current and the voltage), a display light, one set of cables and one parallel. It is easy to put these things together and you will discover how much power you can save when you decide to use a photovoltaic system for your RV.

Using your laptop away from the wall socket is the way to go in portable computing, but your laptop battery will eventually run out. This becomes critical when you are deep into your work on word processing or watching a very intriguing DVD. In both cases, the battery should be well-charged to ensure that it sees your task or activity through to completion.

Battery ratings are very helpful in order to understand how much time is left between charges. The rating are in amp hours, and the higher it is the longer the time it takes between charges and the more you can do in less time. The usual ratings of most batteries are in the1-3 amp hours and usually take four hours to make a full charge.

There are, of course, batteries that have higher capacities of up to 8 amp hours which can charge your battery in about one to three hours. These are more on the heavy side to compensate for the swiftness in charging, of course.

If you are weighing how much power you require along with the number of hours you work, then you might probably come up with estimates of using as much as 208 kilowatts each year in order to power your laptop. There is so much spent and you end up wasting a lot of electricity for this.

Good thing there are solar chargers that will help you power up your laptop and still make savings out of it. Solar chargers for laptops are almost free because they use energy from the sun – which is the best free source of energy.

This is especially useful when you work outside, because even if you run out of charge you can get power from the solar charger in just a very short time. The price for these chargers varies, of course, depending on the amount of power you want it to charge up.

The first type is the voltaic generator, which is a 15 watt unit that is made from recycled materials. It is quite heavy since it weighs four and a half pounds and takes a whole day to charge. It is usually priced at $600. Second, you have the Xantrex Technologies 852-2071 Power pack which has a 400 watt inverter and two AC outlets as well.

You can charge several items at the same time thanks to its USB port, but it is heavy at twelve pounds. It is also quite cheap at just $200 but it is a sacrifice in portability. And finally, you have the portable charger which is 30 watts and comes with its own flexible solar panel.

This means it can charge while you work at the same time. It is a bit expensive at $700 but the advantages are the charge-while-you-work feature and the ultraportable weight of only four pounds. Indeed, it is a good thing to have a solar charger with you especially when you know you are working on something important on your laptop and you cannot afford to lose a charge.

Your iPhone unit can be powered using a solar charger. Using solar power battery charger is a cost saving option and it is very friendly to the environment too.

When you look for solar chargers, there are two general models available for you. First is a specialized battery charger designed only for use in iPhones. The other one is a universal solar charger that can be used on an iPhone and other electronic gadgets and devices.

If you are only concerned in powering your iPhone, then a dedicated solar charger is good for you. However, if you have lots of other gadgets like digital cameras, PSP, and other electronic devices, then a universal solar charger is a very practical option.

Solar chargers for iPhones also come in two types of designs. You can have an integrated solar power charger which is basically a charger with panels that are fully integrated in your smart phone. The other one is a standalone charger unit which is basically separate from the iPhone unit. You can power up the iPhone battery by connecting the solar charger to your smart phone.

There are so many iPhone solar power chargers available in the market today. Choosing the best one is a little confusing. So here is a brief survey of several solar chargers that are especially designed for your iPhone.

The Novothink iPhone Solar Power Charger

The Novothink solar power charger is the first solar charger that is licensed for iPhone use. The solar panel of this charger is located at the back. It can be directly attached to your iPhone unit so this serves as an integrated charger.

You need to be a little careful when attaching this integrated charger on your iPhone. The heat coming from a freshly energized charger could damage the operating system of your precious iPhone. So before you attach the charger to the iPhone, it is generally advisable to cool it down first.

If you do not want to put your iPhone at risk, then you should choose a solar charger that can be attached at the bottom of your device. You can also have charger that uses a cord to connect your iPhone to the main charger unit. A separate solar power battery charger therefore is a safer option.

Performance of iPhone Soalr Chargers

The Novothink unit can provide 30 minutes to an hour of talk time for your iPhone. This is if the charger has been exposed to sunlight for at least 2 hours.

The Solio solar power battery charger has an output of 1000 mAh to 1800 mAh. This battery charger can provide 15 minutes of active talk time for every hour of exposure to the sunlight.

Another available solar charger for your iPhone is Lenmar. Lenmar chargers offer 2200 mAh Lithium batteries. You can expose the solar charger for at least two hours and up to six hours. This energy charge can power your iPhone for one hour and a half of run time.

Lastly, there is the Freeloader solar power charger with a 100 mAh battery. This solar charger require up to 8 hours of sunlight exposure in order to power your iPhone or iPod for 18 hours.

Do you want to be able to play your favorite video games for hours on end without energy expenses? This can be done by using PSP solar chargers. Solar powered chargers for your PSP are now available on the Internet. By looking for different types of solar chargers, you will be able to choose which one provides the best performance.

A Basic Look at PSP Solar Chargers

Although solar powered chargers are now available in the market, it is still a little difficult to find them. Another thing is that available solar chargers are still quite expensive. To view the full range of solar chargers for PSP units, all you have to do is to search for them on the Internet to compare prices and features.

A solar charger is definitely more environment friendly than standard electric chargers. These new electronic devices are also portable so you can bring them anywhere so you can enjoy your PSP gaming unit anytime.

When you look for PSP solar chargers, you must look for units that have the capacity to capture more sunlight. This will ensure that your charger will still work even if there is no sunlight.

In order to find the best PSP solar chargers, you must look for reviews of individual units. Some websites provide detailed specs, products descriptions, and customer feedbacks. Other sites however are focusing more on detailed reviews.

To help you make a good decision, here are some of the available and most popular PSP solar chargers in the market today.

Logic 3 PSP Solar Charger

The Logic 3 solar powered charger has a very convenient design and engineering. This unit does not require any AC source. Nonetheless, it will be able to power your PSP for more than four hours.

The Logic 3 solar charger has several unique features including special cables to accommodate bigger units of PSP. It can be powered by artificial lights by using its USB and connecting it to computer.

Freeloader PSP Charger

The Freeloader PSP solar charger is one of the top selling solar chargers today. It has a very sleek and compact design with stylish highlights. It features a classy aluminum body that you can be proud of. Most importantly, this unit is highly durable and very strong.

The charger can power your PSP for more than 2 hours. It has the capability to accommodate different types of PSP models with its multiple adaptor system. And like other solar charges, it can derive power from a computer through a USB which can be very useful during cloudy days.

PSP 2000 Solar Powered Charger

Another good option that you can consider is the PSP 200 solar powered charger. This solar charger for PSP units features a folding body. The foldable body is specifically designed to protect the mini solar panels from breakage, scratches, and physical damages. During bad weather or if you lose battery during the night, then this solar charger has a spare direct current port that will provide temporary power for your PSP unit.

Charging your cellphone is very important because of the need to stay connected with the rest of the world. But with cellphone charging comes an escalation in your electricity bill, so the best possible alternative to this is a solar cellphone charger. An ordinary electric charger will have you plugging the mobile phone unit into your home outlet and then waiting several hours until it finally charges.

It takes a lot of time and electricity to charge the phone via this conventional method, and with this comes a corresponding amount of money necessary to keep the power up and running. Aside from paying the service provider of your mobile, you also factor in the cost of paying the electric company so you can charge your phone.

Consider one really bad scenario of you being outdoors and the battery of your cell phone dies out on you – and with no outlet in sight at that! You cannot just plug the socket anywhere, so you are stuck with an empty battery. When these situations arise, the solar cell phone charger becomes your new best friend.

With the solar cell phone charger, you can are easily able to charge your batteries even when outdoors. You need sunlight, of course, but there is also a storage device that comes with the solar cell phone charger that will let you charge your phone even though there might not be any sunlight around.

In terms of time, you will have to estimate the total amount of hours that the charger is exposed to direct sunlight then you add to it ten percent. For example, if you have a five watt per hour battery on your cell phone and your solar charger has a two watt output, you convert the wattage into amperes – such as5/12 which is equal to 0.417 amperes for each hour of the battery and approximately 0.67 amperes for your charger.

After much calculation, you will probably arrive at the answer that you will need a total of three hours of full direct sunlight in order to fully charge the battery of your cell phone when you use a solar charger that is two watts. On the other hand, you can actually cut charging time and use up only thirty minutes in order to charge a cell phone battery if the charger is 18 watts.

There are lots of solar chargers for your cell phone out in the market today, granted. Of course, you shouldn’t just get the first one you see. You need to get one that will be fit or ideal to the cell phone model that you currently have.

For example, the ISun cellphone charger comes with a solar module that has two watts worth of energy output. This is a reliable charger to use when you find yourself out on a long trip and you can’t find a place to charge. Indeed, a solar charger is a great device to have whenever you find yourself in an emergency and you really need to make that call.

Energy cost is increasing lately and it will probably go up in the future. When dealing with energy issues, monetary is a big concern. However, the cost to the environment of using conventional sources of energy is a much bigger concern. Fortunately, the power of the sun can be utilized now charge your electronic devices. This is one of the biggest benefits that you can get from the Freeloader portable solar charger. The Freeloader charger helps you tap free sunlight energy to power your iPod. All you have to do is to plug it into the device and expose the charger to sunlight.

Product Description

The Freeloader portable solar charger features a built-in Li-Ion battery that can be charged by the 120 mAh mini solar panel. It has the capacity to provide power for your iPod for up to 18 hours. Mobile phones can have 44 hours of stand by time while a PSP can be used for 2.5 hours. The solar charger can also provide power for PDAs for 22 hours.

Freeloader solar charger is considered as one of the advanced solar chargers today. It is a multi-task charger that has the capability to power any type of hand held gadget or device. There are two sources of power available on the Freeloader. First, there are the mini solar panels which capture energy from sunlight. Then there is the supplied charging cable which could pull electricity from your computer’s USB port.

It has a tough aluminum body that is both durable and stylish. It is compact and handy so you can bring it anywhere you go. Whether you are on a business trip, backpicking outdoors, or chilling out on a sunny beach, the Freeloader portable solar charger can be very useful.

Technical Details of Freeloader Charger

When you buy Freeloader charger, it will come out of the box with a USB charging cable and a power master cable with 11 adapters. It may take 8 hours of direct sunlight to fully charge the built-in Li-Ion battery. If you use the USB charging cable, the battery can be fully charged for 3 hours.

The Freeloader portable battery charger can store energy for 3 months. Its body is rust resistant and can withstand shock and impact. The Li-Ion battery has 1000 mAh output. This battery requires at least 3 full charging system before optimum performance is achieved.

The overall dimension of the unit is 4.7 inches by 2.4 inches by .67 inch. It is lightweight at 6.5 oz or 185 grams only.

Other Observations for the Freeloader Charger

The Freeloader portable charger is for people who travel a lot and for those who are always on the outdoors. Generally, the charger is a very powerful and very affordable. On the downside, this charger can not be used directly to power the internal battery of your gizmo. It is also not suitable for laptops. Overall performance is satisfactory because it has the capability to provide power for several types of hand held devices.

The PowerMonkey Explorer is a very useful portable solar charger that can provide essential power for your devices even in the remotest locations. Equipped with state of the art features, this small device will let you charge wherever you are at any time of the day.

General Product Description and Uses

PowerMonkey Explorer is a highly durable and solid portable solar power charger. It has two primary parts. The first is tubular unit that encases the built-in rechargeable battery while the other part is a folding solar slave which is the solar unit. The two parts can be used together or separately.

The power of PowerMoney is its superior multi-task capabilities. It can be used for several models of mobile phones. In fact, almost all major cell phone brands can be powered by the PowerMonkey portable solar charger unit.

The device is also compatible with Apple’s iPod, several brands of MP3 players, digital cameras, PDAs, gaming gizmos, and BlackBerrys. The unit comes with an exclusive mains travel charger that can be used anywhere.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of PowerMonkey

Overall, this portable solar power charger is a very good device. It has a large and powerful battery that can deliver enough punch for most hand held and small electronic devices. It has a lightweight and portable battery pack. The unit is easy to use compared to other types of chargers.

On the downside, the PowerMonkey portable battery charger can not charge a device while its internal battery is being filled up. So you will have to charge the battery pack first before you can power up your gadgets and devices. This could cause some minor inconvenience especially during emergencies.

Ease of Use and Overall Performance

The PowerMonkey charger can be used on multiple gadgets at a time. It has two energy sources. One is direct solar using the solar panels and the other one is through its charging cable using any USB port.

For general purposes, the PowerMonkey can be very useful. However, there are some serious weaknesses in its charging performance. First, you have to expose that charger for a full day on direct sunlight before you can get enough battery juice from it. Moreover, the long hours of charging the battery pack can only provide 15 minutes of talk time for mobile phones. This device is also not suitable to use on laptops.

Major Strengths of PowerMonkey Explorer

PowerMonkey solar chargers are very sleek and stylish. This solar charger comes in four different colors. The exterior design of the charger is like a cell phone so you can proudly use it anywhere.

The PowerMonkey solar power charger is highly durable also. Its exterior case is very tough and will not break easily. The unit features an LCD screen where you can view battery charge level and capacity. This charger has some state of the art features including short circuit protection, over charging protection, and battery discharge protection. Overall, this portable solar charger can serve you well especially during emergency situations.

Looking for the right kind of charger for your digital camera would appear to be a challenging task – most especially if you are in the market for something that is not only functional but durable as well. There are many advancements when it comes to technology, and one of thesis is the innovation that is the solar charger. The two main advantages of using a solar charger is that it is environmentally friendly and only an initial investment is necessary to jumpstart your great savings.

First, solar chargers for the battery of your digital camera are very easy to make full use of. If you are out to buy a charger for the digital camera you have, you should first check the voltage of the camera’s battery.

Secondly, once you have gotten down the voltage, you can then focus on looking for a solar charger that is compatible with it. The reason why you need to check the voltage is because if it is compatible then charging will become a much easier task. There are lots of solar chargers out there, and ending up with one that is not of the same voltage may result in it taking a longer time to charge or quite possibly not charge at all.

Third, remember that when you are choosing the charger for your digital camera you need to try out the maximum range of effectiveness that it has.

It will usually depend on how big the device is. The best thing to do is to choose a solar charger that is on the bigger size so you have less charging time. And finally, do make it a point to check the different features of the product and how much of an influence these have on the amount of charges that are being produced.

Such factors will most likely influence the performance of your solar camera charger like the sun, the strength of the rays of the sun and lastly your location.

The good thing is that solar chargers for your digital camera battery will come in different forms. There are some which are flexible and on the lighter side, while some can also be customized to suit your specific purposes. One good choice is the solar camera charger called Eclipse Solar Gear.

It is a very convenient and easy to stow away in your bag. It is also made from a very durable material so you can do your solar charging tasks even when the situation might not seem to be on the safe side (such as harsh weather conditions).

Yet another one is called ThinFilm Solar Power – it is a charging system which cal let you charge the camera along with what is called ES Series Juice Bag for total efficiency.

Solar chargers are also great to have when you travel, and for this you can try out the PowerTraveller which is a portable charger that comes with a protective media pocket to keep things and your camera peripherals safe and well-hidden.