Solar Powered E-Reader Showcased In Taiwan Today

Exeger and E Ink showcased a prototype of an E-Ink ereader with a solar panel during the display exhibition Touch Taiwan today.

This is just a prototype, and the first product that will eventually be unveiled will be just a reference design for what can be done.

The concept is very simple. You take an E-Reader or a tablet and you slap a solar panel on the back of it or see-through thin film on the display to charge or power it with, in this case a Powerfoyle solar panel made by the Swedish company Exeger.

Exeger has already implemented the Powerfoyle solar panel on the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones, where the solar power panel is integrated into the headstrap.

It's not a problem to integrate a solar panel like that on a tablet cover, but attaching it directly onto a tablet can damage a tablet if the sun gets too hot, since the display could become damaged. This is why all tablet manufacturers cautions against simply leaving a tablet standing directly exposed to strong sun for too long, without any shade.

Several of the mid-size portable foldable solar panels are actually powerful enough to fully charge something like an 8-inch tablet with a 5000 – 6000 mAh battery in one day, and sometimes even a larger 10-inch to 12-inch tablet too if the sun is strong enough during the summer, especially with the mini foldable panels from 30W to 40W or above.

Small foldable solar panels can also be used to charge up any battery powered device, not just one type of product.


– Tom Bowen