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Mobile phones and laptops will no longer have to run empty while people are on the go and outside of the house. These modern gadgets can now tap solar energy through the use of a 20000 ma/H solar battery and charger for recharging anywhere. The battery charger can be plugged in the car, or in any ordinary wall plug to quickly recharge its power to be used as a backup battery for your device, and it can also fully tap the suns power by using the built-in solar panels to power your device.

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GM has chosen its factory in northeastern Spain to be a suitable location for rooftop solar panel installation. The predicted 10-megawatt solar station will be used to supply the plant with most of its power needs, thereby taking the title as the largest rooftop solar station in the world. To get an idea of the scale of this thing, imagine being able to power 4,600 households each year with a constant source of electricity. Now that must be big. How big you ask? GM plans to blanket about 2,000,000 square feet with about 85,000 panels by the end of September. Though, this is nothing for GM. They currently own the two largest solar panel installations in the United States and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Next stop, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Take that, Al Gore!

Via [PhysOrg]

The Eclipse Intuit Phone may very well be just a concept, but its one that is hard to deny has some good looks. In the past, as nice an idea as a solar powered gadget would be, the overall look has not really been visually pleasing, however these images hardly reflect that feeling.

In addition to the “chemically based thin solar skin” that will be able to power your phone, the Eclipse Intuit also a 5-megapixel camera with built-in photo editing software, a large touchscreen display, slide-out QWERTY keyboard with tactile feedback.

The Eclipse Intuit also appears to offer up a variety of ‘buttons’ on the top depending on which mode the handset is in. Everything ranging from left/right buttons with a navigation pad to dedicated camera buttons when in camera mode.

Sadly this is nothing more than a concept, but this is one that would be really nice to see come to life. Keep reading to see a few more images…

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You’ve heard of solar cars, but what about solar companies?  Google has just announced plans to convert its Mountain View, CA headquarters (AKA the GooglePlex) into a mainly solar-powered facility.  In an effort to set an example for other large companys hogging electricity, they will line the rooftops of their main buildings with solar panels, which will produce a mere 1.6 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 1,000 California homes - the largest solar installation in the US, and maybe the world.  To make it all happen, they’ve announced plans to partner with California-based solar company EI Solutions.  Not only will the installation allow Google to save money on power-consumption, but it will also make them more environmentally friendly as a whole.  For a video preview of the installation, check out EI Solutions’ website.

Pictured: Andrew Beebe, President of EI Solutions, and Sergey Brin, Co-Founder & President, Technology at Google, stand on the roof of Google’s Mountain View headquarters campus.

Read [Google Blog] Via [Gizmowatch]

We all know about the One Laptop per Child program (OLPC) that is running around the world, and if you have no idea what I’m talking about well...WAKE UP! OLPC is a program in which companies develop laptops for $100 $130. This will allow students around third world countries to enhance their education via emailing pen pals, watching videos or surfing the web. Great right? Well what if these countries lack the necessary power to run the Internet. How much can a child learn from PowerPoint or excel spreadsheets if they can’t attach them to pictures, or their favorite downloaded songs. The point is, in countries where finding a viable source of power is limited it is often difficult to provide these children or families with the full performance they deserve. A cable based Internet maybe prove faulty and well wireless can only go as far the power takes it...at least it used to. Introducing Green WiFi, otherwise known as Solar Powered WiFi. Created by Bruce Balkie and Marc Pomerleau, owners of the non-profit organization Green Wi-Fi, their earth friendly creation is a new cheaper alternative that can accommodate those countries who lack the necessary power to run their computers.

How does it work? Read on...

Each node in the network consists of a battery-powered router and a solar panel to charge the battery. The nodes are mounted on rooftops, and the network’s Wi-Fi signals are transferred over a grid using a wireless network standard known as 802.11b/g.

The idea is great and it can help the more economically struggling parts of the world by providing them with the same benefits we have and might I add, take for granted. The casing for battery and panels are designed to withstand the variety of climate changes it might encounter. The solar panel is strong enough that it could keep the Internet powered for over a month with minimal light. This is surely an incredible product that will positively impact the rest of the world.

Read [News]