A Solar Cell Phone Charger!

Although great strides have been made in the area of solar energy and turning that energy into viable power for residential and commercial purposes, there is still a great deal to test and discover.

Who wouldn't want to use an environmentally friendly solar powered mobile phone?

The idea of a solar cell phone charger is an excellent one in that it's meant to allow you an option for charging your phone when you're in a remote area or just don't have access to an electrical outlet or car charger.

There are a few on the market today that will do what they say they'll do, whereas others are not living up to high expectations.

Styles of Solar Mobile Phone Chargers

The designs of the solar chargers on the market today are as varied as the styles of mobile phones being used every day around the world.

• Windmill design – three panels that fan out to catch as much sun as possible

• Folding – compact and lightweight, this style of cell phone charger opens up to reveal anywhere from 2 to 4 solar panels that will charge not only your phone, but iPod, MP3 player, and more

• Pocket charger – compact enough to fit into your pocket, it's great for providing emergency backup power to your cell phone in the case of emergency and is good for roughly 45 minutes

These are just a few of the styles available to the public, but each has it's own set of features and capabilities.

Benefits of Solar Mobile Phone Chargers

Cell phones can be a real lifesaver in emergency situations. People have come to depend on this technology greatly over the last few years. Technologies such as iPods, MP3 players, and hand-held games have also become quite popular. All of these require fully charged batteries to function at their optimal level. Solar chargers are great for those times you are not close to a power source.

Another benefit of these chargers is that they're free to use since they use the sun's energy. The backup battery stores energy even when it's not actively charging, so you can enjoy more time in between having to charge your cell phone battery via electric.

Disadvantages of Solar Mobile Phone Chargers

There are some disadvantages to cell phone chargers powered by the sun. The most obvious of course is that if it's a cloudy or overcast day, your solar powered charger isn't going to be able to garner the energy it needs from the sun in order to function. Usually, it needs direct sun in order to store enough in the battery to work efficiently.

Another disadvantage to the current solar phone chargers is that the amount of power they are capable of generating isn't always enough to keep up with the amount of power required by today's highly functional cell phones.

Some analysts say that in order to meet and exceed the power needs of most cell phones, the solar cell phone charger will have to be larger in order to capture more of the sun's energy more quickly. However, this poses a problem when it comes to the transport and convenience of the charger.

Another drawback is that although you can find solar mobile phone chargers for about $19.95, they're not typically able to generate enough power for a full charge.

How to Find a Reliable Solar Cell Phone Charger

The solar chargers that are receiving excellent reviews from customers who are using them are the ones at a higher price point. For the most part, with solar charger, you get what you pay for.

The price range for these is between $50 and $250, making them more cost-prohibitive for some cell phone owners who don't want to pay more in addition to their monthly cell phone services.

More recently, some new solar cell phone chargers are designed to work with other hand held devices like iPods, GPS devices and digital cameras. These devices are considered universal hybrid solar chargers and they can charge using either solar energy or electricity on cloudy days.

All this being said, the outlook for solar mobile phones and chargers may improve, because new technology is constantly being developed and refined. As research continues and as we learn more about using renewable energy sources and combining solar energy with other renewable technologies, the possibilities for the future are quite exciting!

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