Clean Energy - It's Portable Solar Power Now!

Portable Solar Power and Solar Chargers

When first thinking of solar power, one almost always thinks of the large, cumbersome panels that are laid on the roof of one’s home or business to draw in the most of the sun’s solar energy. Then, when you think of portable solar energy, it’s easy to think “yeah, right.” However, with our technology and the fortitude of scientists that want to Go Green, they have made great strides to doing just that.

Portable solar power comes in many shapes and sizes, but the amount of energy that is gained from these devices is dependent upon many factors. How strong is the sun the day that you are using the device, how much of the device is exposed to the sun and so on.

Now, we find that we have many options to taking solar power with us wherever we go. For instance, there are solar powered devices that can charge your laptop, batteries, and other small devices that people on the go are in constant need of.

Other great uses for solar power that is portable would be for the outdoor person who wants to carry a cell phone or camera, but has no where to charge the batteries when they die. Even in today’s age of great technological advances, it’s still quite difficult to find a plug-in in the middle of a forest or on a mountain. But with portable solar power, you can take a small device with you, adjust it so that it is exposed to the sun and charge your cell phone or camera batteries.

This same device and others can also make camping or RV-ing more fun because you don’t have to worry about finding a place for a hook-up. This can allow you to broaden your horizons and go where no camper has gone before. There are so many items to choose from, that if you are not a camper, you just may want to try it out!

There are even solar panels that you can get for your boat, if you like to go boating. And for anyone who has ever been stuck out on the middle of the lake, out of gas, an alternate source of power is a definite plus. If you have solar panels on your boat, then you never have to worry about running out of gas, or cutting a fun boat trip short because you are running low on gas. For more information, please visit this page on Portable Solar Power.

Finding a Solar Laptop Charger

There are several points to take into consideration when choosing a portable solar laptop charger - including size and weight issues that need to be taken into account.

Most laptops require from 50 to 70 watts of power in order to operate, and up until recently, solar panels that provided that amount of power were far too heavy to carry around.

However, with the advancements in solar technology, solar panels are becoming lighter and more energy-efficient.

Choosing a Solar Laptop Charger

When choosing a portable solar charger for your laptop, size, weight, and the circumstances you intend to use them in are important issues to consider.

Using Solar Laptop Chargers in Conjunction with RVs or Vehicles

If you are traveling in an RV, you could just as easily install an rv solar panel system on your RV, and use that system to charge your laptop. A 110-watt system or 160-watt solar panel kit would do the trick, and should work fine for either recharging or running your laptop.

Even better would be to have a battery bank as well in your RV, so that your power supply is automatically maintained throughout daylight hours. This will also give you the freedom to use your stored solar energy whenever you want to, and not be restricted to only accessing it during daylight hours. It can also help you conserve excess energy which is generated by your solar panels, so that you will have energy left over later on, in case of adverse weather conditions (or in case you need to use your laptop more on some days than on other days.

If you do not own an RV, but do own a vehicle, there are several smaller automotive solar battery chargers on the market, which plug directly into the cigarette lighter socket of your car. Some solar chargers also hook up directly to the battery. In this case you can charge or operate your laptop straight from the vehicle battery, and continue charging the vehicle with the automotive solar battery charger, so that your car battery does not run flat while you are charging your laptop.

Independent Portable Solar Panels for Laptops

If you are looking for a portable solar panel, or a portable solar charger which works independently from a vehicle, you can look at getting one or more foldable or flexible solar panels, such as the Brunton Solaris or Brunton SolarRoll. They are extremely light-weight and can be folded or rolled up for ease of transportation. They come in modules of varing wattages.

For a laptop you will probably want a 26-watt or 52-watt solar charger, but connecting three 14-watt solar panels together will give you a sizable energy output. This might take a little more technical savvy, but it is not hard to figure out and is a workable possibility. Most solar panels are sold as modules that can easily be connected to each other. Remember, as a rule of thumb, the higher the overall wattage, the shorter the charging time for your equipment, and vice versa.

Complete Portable Solar Kits

Another option, and possibly the most workable one, is to get a portable solar power kit. These kits often include solar panels as well as a rechargeable battery. The solar panel is used to recharge the battery, and you can then plug your laptop into the battery in order to either run or recharge your laptop. The advantage of this system is that you can charge the solar battery at any time and then plug into the solar panels later when you need more power. This is useful as now you are not constrained to daylight hours to make use of solar energy.

Small Portable Solar Chargers

Finally, another option is to simply go with a small portable solar charger. Even though it might be too small to run the laptop, it will slow battery drain and give you longer working time if used. Low-wattage solar chargers can still (at least in theory) be used to recharge the laptop, though it will longer.

Below are a few examples of portable solar panels and solar chargers that can work well for laptops:

• Brunton 52 Watt Laptop Solar Charger - One of the most powerful foldable portable solar panels on the market, strong enough to charge a laptop.
• Brunton 26 Watt Foldable Solar Array - A close runner-up to the Brunton 52 Watt solar charger, also capable of charging a laptop.
• SolarGorilla Solar Laptop Charger
• Solar Laptop Charger & Portable Power Kit
• Xantrex Technologies Solar Powerpack - 852-2071 Xpower AC/DC Powerpack Solar, with 400 Watt Inverter, two AC Outlets, USB Port, and a Digital Display.
• Xantrex Powerpack 600 Watt Jumpstarter, Power Inverter and Backup Power Source
• Solar Charger for RVs, Trucks, Cars, 5 Volt 12 Watt
• Portable Briefcase Solar Panel 12V Charger - 30 Watt 12 Volt Solar briefcase charger.
• Voltaic Systems has come out with a laptop carrying case that has a built-in solar panel and batteries. It will collect enough solar power throughout the day to give you roughly a full charge for a laptop.

Source Article:

Solar Laptop Charger

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Learn about how you can use solar power to save money and one of many good ways to save energy in your home.

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The Popularity of Solar Chargers

Portable Solar Power | Solar Chargers

Solar battery chargers have been around for decades, but their popularity has increased a lot in just the last two years. This is partially because of advancements in technology, and partially because of our increased awareness of the need to shift to cleaner renewable energy sources.

Advancements in technology have reduced the sizes and weights of solar panels, while increasing their efficiency. This allows for small lightweight portable solar chargers to be produced. Another factor which plays a part in the rapidly expanding field of portable solar power, is the increased amount of electronic gadgets that we carry around.

Twenty years ago there were not many people walking around with cell phones. Today, a cell phone, iPod or MP3 player, and a digital camera tend to be the least that carry around with us - either on a daily basis, or during our time off or when going on a trip.

With all these electronic gadgets comes the need for electricity and power. And, thus portable solar panels and solar battery chargers have found their niche.

There are several advantages to solar chargers and portable solar panels. First of all, they are eco/environment-friendly. They do not produce harmful waste, and can be used anywhere where there is daylight.

Many people think that solar chargers can only be used in warm sunny areas. This is not necessarily true. Solar panels are more effective in colder temperatures. As a matter of fact, a solar charger or panel would create more electricity on a clear day in Alaska, than it would in the sun of the Mohave dessert. This is because the temperature of the solar panel influences the effectiveness with which it can convert solar energy into electrical energy.

The above fact, combined with the increased effectiveness of solar panels, has made solar chargers an attractive method of powering or recharging small electronic gadgets.

These days, a small solar battery charger can run your cell phone, iPod, or MP3 Player. It can recharge your digital camera and it can be used to recharge batteries.

Some solar chargers, such as the Solio Charger, come with internal batteries. These batteries are automatically charged when the solar charger is exposed to daylight. This allows you to recharge your cell phone, or other electronic device, from the solar charger, later on. Solar chargers with built-in batteries commonly store enough power to recharge your cell phone twice, or to run an MP3 player or iPod for many hours. A digital camera can also be fully recharged by one of these devices.

Solar chargers are starting to be a part of many standard emergency kits. They are a reliable source of power, so long as daylight is available.

Solar chargers are a convenient source of power in remote areas, on field trips, or when out hiking and camping. They can recharge batteries, cell phones, or other gadgets in any location.

In addition to being convenient, solar chargers are a clean energy source and do not cause pollution or other harmful emissions while creating electricity. They also reduce the need for disposable batteries, and thus reduce the overall volume of harmful chemicals and toxic waste in circulation on the planet.

New Blog: Hypermiling

Our New Blog on Hypermiling

Have you heard the buzz about hypermiling? Hypermiling consists of a set of driving techniques which you can use to get the maximum mileage out of a gallon of gasoline.

We have just created a new blog on the subject of hypermiling and saving money on gas. You can see this blog here:

Hypermiling

Please stop by and let us know what you think!

P.S. This blog is part of a new website called Living Clean, which will eventually incorporate a variety of clean living subjects including Alternative Energy, Global Warming, non-toxic products, health, pullution reduction, and just about anything that has to do with living clean.

Global Warming Video

Portable Solar Power | Solar Chargers

This is our own first video on Global Warming. Please comment!

Opti-Ups Solar Charger

Portable Solar Power | Solar Chargers

The Opti-Ups Solar Charger


I've found a very informative video of what appears to be a very convenient Solar Charger for small devices. I've also found the product available at Opti-Ups Solar Charger. Here is the video where you can see how this charger works. Looks like a beautiful little device and perfect for hiking, trips to the beach, etc.



Find the Opti-Ups Solar Charger

Solar Battery Chargers

Portable Solar Power | Solar Chargers

A new Hub Page on Solar Battery Chargers has been created at:

Solar Battery Chargers