Dezeen Magazine

Solartab C

Portable Solartab C charger uses sunshine to keep laptops powered on the go

This portable charger features a photovoltaic panel that powers phones and laptops using only the sun's rays.

Designed as a greener alternative to traditional chargers, the Solartab C uses a USB-C connection to connect to and quickly power electronic devices.

Solartab C

According to the company, which funded the charger on Indiegogo, it's the first of its kind to have a USB-C connection – which can be plugged in either way up and is up to twice as fast at transferring data compared to existing USB cables.

It's also waterproof, features a built-in cover which doubles as a stand, and automatically detects devices' charging protocol to power them up quickly.

An iPhone 6 can be charged in one hour, with the device able to store enough power to charge it four times over. An iPad Air 2 would take three and a half hours.

Solartab C

The charger, which is seven millimetres thick and a similar size to an iPad, automatically detects when it's not in use and goes into hibernation to store power for use after sunset.

In the absence of sun rays, the device can also be charged up from a power socket.

The Solartab C isn't the first device to explore the charging possibilities of photovoltaic panels. Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel incorporated them into a stained glass window, that could harvest energy and use it to charge small devices.

Solartab C

In 2015, Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson's solar energy company Little Sun launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, to produce a mobile phone charger that incorporated solar cells.

They've also been integrated into clothing by fashion designer Pauline van Dongen, so people in remote locations can charge their phones on the go.