Companies are starting to add solar panels to everything from portable electronics to the
bags we use to carry those gadgets around in. Brad Linder reports on the latest trend in
portable solar power:
Transcript
Companies are starting to add solar panels to everything from portable electronics to the
bags we use to carry those gadgets around in. Brad Linder reports on the latest trend in
portable solar power:
Voltaic Systems sells solar powered backpacks and messenger bags. Each bag has a solar
panel on the outside that can charge gadgets such as cell phones and MP3 players. It can
also charge an internal battery so you have electricity even when there’s no sun. But CEO
Shayne McQuade says the solar panels are often enough:
“We’ve got 4 watts of solar power on the outside of the bag, and it’s probably 3, 4 times
as much as most little solar chargers have. And what that means is you can basically just
plug it straight into the panel, stand in the sun, and make a phone call.”
Voltaic Systems’s bags cost between 200 and 250 dollars. The company admits that’s far
more than a typical backpack. Voltaic Systems is also preparing to launch its
first laptop case this spring.
For the Environment Report, I’m Brad Linder.