A portable solar panel you can roll up into a tube

May 3, 2007 11:01 GMT  ·  By

A few years ago, solar panels were mainly designed for industrial and remote homes use. Today, you can buy fancy bag chargers with embedded solar panels that can charge your laptop. There's even a solar backpack mobile power generator.

Well, here's another interesting solar charger concept. SolarRolls is definitely not an item that's breaking new grounds, but it has a unique design: a portable solar panel you can roll up into a tube. It's also lightweight, waterproof and, well, durable. On second thought, it's pretty far from being "durable" since Brenton advises you not to roll it any tighter than a 3" diameter when you stick it into the storage tube. Bad things could happen!

The foldable solar panels come in 4.5, 9, and 14 Wat sizes and can be custom made for different applications. All the models provide 15.4 volts. That's enough juice to jazz up a cell phone or, maybe, a car battery or a video camera. For more power, you can link in series 2 or more panels. You can plug your device into the adapter or you can use one of the universal solar battery chargers that come along with the solar panel.

It seems to be exactly what you need on trekking expeditions, sea kayaking or camping. It's forty times the price of a hand cracked dynamo. 200$ vs 5$? What will it be, eh?

Here are some specs:

-Amorphus solar cells for effective low-light performance -Reverse flow protection -Tefzel fluoropolymer construction for even more output -Rolls and stores in convenient storage tube -Includes vehicle outlet cable&multi-linking cable -One year warranty

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