Notebook with Solar pannel in the lid?

Now I know this is in the wrong forums, so please feel free to move it to where it should go.

not sure if someone has brought this up before...

What are your thought on a notebook with a solar pannel in the lid to help keep it going? And taking into account that the lid wont always be in direct sunlight.

Well I know that solar pannels of around the size of a notebook lid can harness around 5 watts at around 24 volts, so I guess that would mean that they could get 10Watts out at around 12.

so do any of you think that it could work, knowing that the pannels are fairly expencive.
**EDIT**
found this
http://tech.monstersandcritics.com/...pany_develops_solar-powered_notebook_computer

insane

 

10Watts at 24V is still 10Watts around 12

 

Moved from ASUS to hardware as requested.

 

Yeah I think msi has a solar powered laptop in their roadmap.

 

Yeah, it'll be sometime before it comes out (ever?) it's very much so a concept and not even proof of concept yet

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2741

as a side note, climbers on Mt. Everest often take laptops and use solar power for them during the multi-week long climbs. taking a bunch of batteries just doesn't work, they'd rather pack food. and there's a ton of direct and very strong sunlight from a mountain top, so makes sense...

http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=1548

 

I think the solar panel when open has little to no usability but when the lappy is closed it can easily serve as a charging mechanism for people out in the field or just enjoying the sun in hawaii. The posibilities are limitless if a manufacturer can integrate a panel into the screen but expect it to be extremely expensive not just becuase of the panel (which are cheap now) but becuase of all the other hardware involved and just replacing the panels would be more expensive then the cost of th eoriginal.

 

The last I saw it took about 2 days to recharge a laptop battery with solar cells, but maybe they're getting more efficient now.

 

Researchers at the University of Toronto recently (well, within the last year or so) developed a new type of photovoltaic cell that has, AFAIK, about 30% efficiency (compare that to around 6%-12% for current technologies) because it absorbs the infrared spectrum as well as the visible light spectrum. I believe it's supposed to be able to be incorporated into paint, as well. Depending on the cost, that could be a viable method of integating solar panels into laptops.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/01/10/thin-solar-panel050110.html

 

Solar panels generate heat, and lots of it. You're looking at pretty intense temperatures if in direct sunlight. You'd be roasting your hardware if you closed the notebook and left it in the light to charge.

 

Looks like MSI has been reading this thread:

http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=2721&p=5 (scroll down to the bottom of the page)

Or they were way ahead of it, whatever... looks neat, but I don't see the point of having integrated solar cells that charge a seperate battery - it would make just as much sense to have a seperate solar panel (maybe one that could fold up for travel). I imagine that better integration into the laptop's charging circuit will come along later if MSI (or some other manufacturer) decides to keep developing it.

 

I don't think it's a practical idea.

Won't float.

Cheers,
Mike

 

Probably not. I could see it appealing to a very niche market (Toughbooks, anyone?), but it doesn't make sense for the mainstream or business demographics.

 

I am a little concerned about the heat that would generate, solar panels get painfully hot in the sun, A portable charger that isnt attached to the notebook sounds better. At this stage it just looks like they superglued some panels to the lid of a notebook.

 

Here's a picture I took at CEBIT.Obviously a prototype, though.

 

very cool idea and an eco-friendly idea too!!!

 

They generate heat or they just absorb it and heat up? Big difference.

 

I still think the solar backpack idea is cooler. And they actually sell them. You can charge up your cell phone, pda, lapop and more.

 

That prototype looks Ghetto! Looks like MSI just glued some panels they bought at Radioshack. THey should have tried to make it seems as though they've been working on it more. Solarpowered cars look cool and rocket-like. This looks like a grade 9 science fair project!

 

lol polish_jr, if it was all polished, then you'd be clamoring for them to "release it already". you don't worry too much about looks until you get the tech right.

 

Sort of like the whole hand cranked deal the one laptop per child project is working on. Neat but I'd rather plug in or use a battery.

 

Its a prototype.

 

I'm not as up-to-date on my photovoltaics as I am on my optics. Do solar cells process UV in their collection mechanisms? Given that most solar energy is contained in the ultraviolet spectrum you would think this would be the way to go. E=hf. (Infrared isn't all that energy rich either, so I'm curious how the low frequency spectrums are able to create a 5x increase in collection efficiency...I think the quantum particle technology the article mentioned must be cooler than described)

As I see it one of the priciple difficulties with this kind of technology would be durability. Photocells are by nature rather fragile, so to create a dependibly mobile energy solution would be extremelly problematic on a marketable budget. This stuff is years down the road.

 

take the other approach, with Pentium M laptops and better batteries, best to just recharge the battery using solar panels, or make a generator/alternator to your bicycle to recharge the batteries, then use it in the laptop. You can do this now and not have to wait.

There is also the wind-up laptop made by MIT using no harddrive and just flash rom's that would be way better. Maybe play Quake early versions but that's about it Unfortunately it's only proposed to be sold in Africa