Solar Paper: World's Fastest, Thinnest iPhone Charger!
Robert Andrews, Green Home Product Source
The market for small solar charging panels for smartphones and other devices is large, and growing larger everyday. But a new product, the Solar Paper Charger, is vying for the title of thinnest and fastest smartphone charger in the land.
Solar Paper: Thin, Fast iPhone Charging (& Other Devices, Too!)
The number of smartphones and other small electronic devices is staggering, and all of these devices ned electricity to charge up. All of that charging is taking a toll on the environment, since we're still getting the vast majority of our electrical power from coal and natural gas sources.
But there's a small, but growing, number of people who are turning to the free, renewable energy of the sun to power up their devices. These solar chargers are being used at home, but more frequently away from home (camping, traveling, power outages). But there are drawbacks to solar smartphone chargers.
For those on the go, solar chargers can be bulky to carry around; hikers, campers, and other intrepid souls need to save as much space as possible, and many solar chargers (especially the ones that work the best) can be too bulky.
The other main drawback to solar phone chargers, and the main complaint about them, is that they charge much, much slower than traditional plug-in chargers. If you're without electrical power, any charging ability at all is better than nothing, but most solar chargers can take hours, even full days, to sufficiently charge up a dvice.
Solar Paper, from a company called YOLK, is a new Kickstarter project that aims to shake up the solar smartphone charger market. Solar Paper is an incredibly thin solar charger that claims to be able to fully charge an iPhone or other phone or device in about as little time as plugging it in. How fast? 2.5 hours in full sun fast.
How Small is the Solar PaperCharger?
It's pretty small: It's roughly the size of an iPhone 6. The picture at the top of the page shows the Solar Paper fitting inside a paperback or hardback book. And it's only 1.5 millimeters thick. That's about the thickness of a gum stick. Pretty cool. The Solar Paper isn't going to take much energy to carry around, either, weighing in at a featherweight 120 grams.
As you can see from the photo below, the Solar Paper charger is small enough to take just about anywhere without getting in the way of things. Set it out on a table in the sun, in a windowsill, or strap it to a backpack to charge up while you're on the go.
As mentioned, Solar Paper is a Kickstarter project; it's far surpassed it's $50,000 goal (currently at more than $600,000 pledged), so its basically guaranteed to become a reality. Join the Kickstarter campaign today to get your own Solar Paper charger at a discounted pledge price, or wait until it's available at retail. Either way, the Solar Paper looks like an excellent option for clean, free renewable energy for your rechargeable phones and devices.
