By Jaymi Heimbuch
San Francisco, CA | Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:53
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Buy Green: Solar Chargers
Power all your gadgets with the best solar chargers on the market.
Getting our gadgets off-grid is becoming increasingly easy thanks to a market boom of high-tech solar chargers. But finding a charger powerful enough is part of the challenge to ensuring you'll actually want to skip plugging your device into the wall. It's important to keep in mind wattage (has it got the muscle to charge your devices?), charging time (does it take five hours or 20 hours of sunlight to fill a battery?), and of course price. Once you've found the right charger, how about small scale renewable energy for shrugging off dirty power wherever possible. These five options range from small and simple—perfect for charging cell phones—to chargers robust enough to recharge laptops. Simply place them in direct sunlight, soak up the energy, and then plug in your gadgets to repower batteries.
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SolarGorilla From PowerTraveller
Why We Like It: The foldable design of the SolarGorilla from PowerTraveller makes it an excellent choice for portability, shrinking it down to roughly 10 inches square and about an inch thick. It also comes with a slew of attachments for various plugs on the market, so chances are, it will work for your electronic.
Eco Factor: The relatively high watt rating for this device combined with the compact fold-up design makes this off-grid power source easy and effective in any location. It's also powerful enough to refill not only small devices, but even laptops, meeting a range of needs.
Power: 10 Watts
Where: EarthTech Products
How Much: $250
Photo courtesy of Powertraveller
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Solio Charger From Solio
Why We Like It: The Solio Charger delivers both an affordable price tag and tiny portable size—small enough to fit in your back pocket—without sacrificing quality. Since it can go just about anywhere with you, it's great for emergency charging. The brand has been around for quite a few years, and has been a TreeHugger favorite since 2004.
Eco Factor: Solio is ideal for charging small gadgets, so cell phones, MP3 players, and other handhelds never need to be plugged into the wall as long as the sun is out.
Power: 0.6 Watts
Where: Solio
How Much: $50
Photo courtesy of Better Energy Systems Ltd.
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SolarRoll 4.5 From Brunton
Why We Like It: The portability factor is a big deal in the SolarRoll 4.5 from Brunton. Having a solar charger that can roll right up makes it easy to jump off the grid. Plus, it comes in three different watt capacities so you can choose which size works best for your needs.
Eco Factor: The SolarRoll is made to go in any location, and is super durable—a key trait for an eco-friendly product.
Power: 4.5 to 14 Watts depending on the size of the roll
Where: Brunton
How Much: 4.5 Watt roll (all you'll need for hand-held devices) is $295
Photo courtesy of Brunton
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Solaris 26 From Brunton
Why We Like It: With the Solaris 26 from Brunton, you've got a huge amount of power in a very small package. While this charger folds up to a nice small size—only 11 inches by 8.5 inches by 1 inch—its maximum output of 26 watts means it has the ability to easily charge up your laptop computer, let alone smaller devices.
Eco Factor: It can fit just about anywhere, from under a car seat to in a backpack, so that charging even your netbook or notebook is a breeze without a ton of space.
Power: 26 Watts
Where: Brunton
How Much: $620
Photo courtesy of Brunton
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Voltaic Backpack From Voltaic Systems
Why We Like It: We love that the Voltaic Backpack from Voltaic Systems incorporates solar charging ability into a practical backpack. You don't have to worry about how much room the charger will take up in your pack because, well, it is the pack. The backpack is perfect for charging handhelds, and the company also produces a laptop case strong enough to charge your notebook.
Eco Factor: Walk in the sun and you'll get your gear charged up while on the go. Not to mention, the pack itself is made from recycled PET bottles and is UV resistant so you don't have to worry about it fading from all that charging.
Power: 4 Watts
Where: Voltaic Systems
How much: $250
Photo courtesy of Voltaic Systems
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