Solar Powered Clothing on the Rack Soon
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 03.25.08
A year ago Bonnie modelled a solar powered bikini for us, but it was just a prototype. Now, the Guardian tells us that flexible solar cells will be woven right into our clothing, to charge our iPods and phones.
Dave Pritchard at Fujitsu, told David Smith of the Guardian: 'Within a year it will be possible to design clothing with solar cells on the back or arms, so you can recharge wearable devices.' He said the clothing would be useful on the ski slopes, outdoor holidays and for the emergency services. It would also appeal to the environmentally conscious as a means of reducing power consumption.
Hitachi is also working on flexible solar cells at its UK laboratory in Cambridge. Koichi Tsuzuki, head of research and development in Europe, said a full jacket of solar cells exposed to four hours of daylight could provide battery life for a typical day's use. ::The Guardian
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How much more energy/consumables are used to create solar powered clothing than regular? And will it every catch on???
Ouch. That was one headline there. Can't wait to see it on the hum.. racks.
Good idea! But is it only for women? I mean men don't care bikini. :) What clothing fo men designer can do?
"It would also appeal to the environmentally conscious as a means of reducing power consumption."
Anybody want to do a lifecycle analysis on these items and see just how bad an idea they really are?
Ugh. If you want to reduce power consumption, upgrade your refrigerator. Charging the batteries in your iPod takes less power than what's consumed by a flashlight.
This sort of thing might extend the life of your iPod's batteries (between charges) to give you all-day music at the beach, but it's really not going to save much on your power bill.
With the ridiculous amount of MP3 players out there I don't think it is a bad thing to create a solar powered pouch for them.
I have a question for the tree hugger researchers: How many batteries from MP3 players and other handheld technology (Nintendo DS, Other mini video game systems) get thrown out in the US each day?
I think that number woudl be pretty high.
If only we could devise a way for the sun to directly warm the skin... The future is solar nudity, I tell you!