UK solar specialist brings photosynthesis to laptop bags

Solar panel manufacturer G24i announced this week that it had sent the first-ever commercial shipment of its Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) to Mascotte Industrial Associates, which has developed a range of electronics bags with integrated solar panels.

The move marks the first time that DSSC technology has been used for mass-consumer products, according to G24i.

"Our goal is to deliver the future of mobile energy by personalising solar power, which we will achieve by remaining at the forefront of design and development of this revolutionary light-harvesting technology," said G24i’s chief executive officer John Hartnett.

He added that his company has focused on taking technology produced in a lab and making it usable for mass production and applications such as bags for electronic devices.

DSSC is a form of so-called thin-film solar panel technology, which allows for flexible rolls of the material to be more quickly manufactured than traditional solid panels.

G24i states that its technology is based on a system invented by the Professor Michael Grätzel, director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne.

G24i compares its cell technology to photosynthesis. "The cells have been compared to photosynthesis because they use the redox reaction of the electrolyte," the company explains on its website.

Mascotte's range of bags are due to be shown at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair this week and will allow consumers to charge devices such as mobile phones, e-books, cameras and portable LED lighting systems while moving outdoors, and even in low-level light conditions indoors, the companies claim.

"Our modules can easily be integrated into a wide variety of consumer products, and offer significant potential for cost reduction and enhanced value, as well as lowering the carbon footprint generated by such products," added Hartnett.

G24 and Mascotte are not the only companies to investigate the potential of wearable solar panels. Voltaic Systems has developed the solar-powered Generator bag, which uses a single solar panel to generate up to 14.7W of power.

Speaking to BusinessGreen.com last year, Bob Hertzberg, chairman and founder of G24 Innovations (G24i), said that improvements in battery life and lightweight thin film solar cells could result in mobile devices that never need recharging being available within three years.

Earlier this year, Electronics giant Samsung unveiled the Blue Earth solar-powered mobile phone. The touch-screen phone features an integrated solar panel on the back of the handset, which is capable of topping up the battery throughout the day.