After years and years of being imprisoned indoors to charge all of the electronics we really so heavily on, break free from the confines of the chords and the order of the outlet! A light shines on an opportunity to get out and to not be constrained by limited battery life- a solar light. Recently, a new line of backpacks and bags have been released that have Dye Sensitized Solar Cells, or DSSC's, built right into them that can be used to charge electronics. These cells are not only cheap to make but are also flexible and can be utilized in a wide variety of products including clothing, tents, awnings and even windows in the future.
This product has shown over a 12% efficiency rate and can store up to 0.5W of power. What is even more appealing about the DSSC 's in this product is that they can also absorb other forms of artificial light in order to charge itself.
As of right now, further studies are being done to increase the efficiency of these cells by attempting to incorporate nonvolatile electrolytes and organic dyes. These alterations could further reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Even though this is a huge breakthrough, since product like these have not been made available before, many people are skeptical of the actual efficiency and effectiveness that these products will be able to provide for the general public.
The first shipment of these bags has already been sent to Hong Kong. It is expected that these bags will be available for commercial sale by December 2009.
With these new innovations in mind, we can strive to live in a world where there will be no carbon foot print and runs purely off renewable solar energy. Now it is easy to see what a huge impact these developments can make in our lives. It is safe to say that these Dye Sensitized Solar Cells are here to stay!
(Information provided by Gizmag)
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