Sharp has launched the LR0GC02 Solar Panel module – an ultra-thin panel that promises to make charging your phone in the sun a much less chunky proposition.
Sharp’s LR0GC02 Solar Panel is said to be the industry’s thinnest. At just 0.8 mm-thin it is the width of eight human hairs and can thus be added to the back of a mobile phone without unduly adding to its weight or bulk.
The LR0GC02 has been trickle-charging phones in Japan for some months, but Sharp has just announced that it has released the solar panel to the global market, so we should expect to see it popping up on new handsets in the west any time soon.
Sadly, even in sunnier climes solar panels struggle to charge a phone on their own – they are much better at providing top-up charge while you are out and about, but even in the overcast skies of Great Britain you should be able to extend your talk time by an hour or too providing you remember to keep it outside your pocket.
TBC | £tbc | Sharp (via Akihabara News)
