How does the solar cell phone charger work?

A solar cell phone charger works by harnessing the power of the sun, and storing it for use later by the mobile phone.

How much energy could I save in KWatts each year using a solar cell phone charger?

The energy savings of using a solar charger for cell phones could range from tens of dollars to hundreds of dollars. The amount of energy that could be saved is dependent on a number of factors including:
o Output capacity of the cell phone solar charger
o Watts per hour measurement of the cell phone battery
o How much use the cell phone gets
o The regional cost of electricity

How much time does a solar charger require to fully charger a cell phone?

The amount of time that it takes to fully charge a cell phone depends on the type of cell phone and the output capacity of the solar charger. To calculate the specific amount of time (in hours) it will take to charge a cell phone, use the following formula as a general rule of thumb: (Amperes per hour of the cell phone battery / Amperes per hour of the solar charger) + 10%. Example: Suppose the cell phone battery is 5 Watts/hour and the solar charger has an output capacity of 2 Watts/hour.

Step 1:
Convert all of the figures into the same units of measurement. In this case we need to calculate the number of Amperes/hour for both the cell phone battery and the solar charger, by doing the following (Watts/Volts = Amperes): Cell phone battery: 5 Watts /12 Volts = 0.417 Amperes Solar charger: 2 Watts /12 Volts = 0.167 Amperes

Step 2:
To determine the number of hours it will take the solar charger to charge the cell phone, divide the Amperes per hour of the cell phone battery by the Amperes per hour of the solar charger and add 10%: 0.417 Amperes (call phone battery) / 0.167Amperes (Solar charger) = 2.50 hours

10% of 2.50 is 0.25, so the total number of hours that it will take to charge the cell phone is 2.75 (equivalent to 2.5 + 0.25). From this example, it can be concluded that it will take about three hours of direct sunlight to fully charge a 5 Watt/hour cell phone battery.

What are the best solar cell phone chargers?

o iSun
o Solio Classic

How much waste is produced by manufacturers who produce those "green" solar chargers?

Although an exact figure of how much waste is created during the manufacturing process of "green" solar chargers, it is undeniable that far more resources are consumed in the production of these solar chargers than they are in electricity savings.

About the Author

Valery Bowen writes for 12voltsolarpanels.net a non commercial blog focused on his energy efficient story to help people understand how and why they should save energy starting from small devices. She writes on Solar Chargers for Mobile Phones to help people learn how to start save energy from the scratch and then apply those experience to the next level.