Solor Powered Laptop and Satillite Broadband

When will this be realised

[uk_webber]

I have a dream of working somewhere in the sun, somewhere where the living is cheap and my web earnings will go further...

Is there such a thing as truly global satillite web access and are solor powered laptops possible?

[mcavic]

Well yes, both are possible. Right now, I can plug my PCS phone into my laptop and get wireless Net access. It's not broadband speed, but it's faster than dialup. If someone offers a satellite phone with the same feature, it would be even more global.

High-power solar panels tend to be quite large and expensive. But a quick search on Froogle shows some that would do the trick, if you installed the panel on the roof of your car, or carried it as a separate unit.

If nothing else, you could use solar power to charge some laptop batteries. Also, there are people who use solar power in their home.

[pmkpmk]

Cherry has just released a solar powered wireless keyboard [cherrycorp.com]. Guess that's the first inch-pebble towards your dream :-)

[httpwebwitch]

With today's solar panels, you would need a pretty big panel to supply consistent power to a laptop, even on a sunny day in Bermuda. It's the screen that sucks up all the power. Your best bet is to find a battery-backup module with a solar panel & inverter kit, then plug your laptop into that as you would into an AC outlet.

I don't know of any all-in-one solar laptop systems, but I'm convinced we'll start seeing them in the next 4-5 years. Solar tech is HOT. about 200 different companies are working on developing panels that convert sunlight more efficiently using lighter, portable materials... your idea is only slightly precocious, it is realistic, not "futuristic".

You may end up lugging around a duffel bag full of equipment, like those guys who had portable phones in the 1980s (where the handset was the size of a brick and plugged into a backpack full of radio equipment)

[httpwebwitch]

Whether solar power (photovoltaics) is financially advantageous depends not on the obliqueness of the sun (latitude), but moreso the cost of electricity in your area. For instance, in Canada electricity is really cheap so PV is more expensive than buying it off the grid. In other countries (like Barbados), electricity is very expensive, so down there PV electricity is very popular.

Before buying into a PV solution, do the research and find out if the cost/benefit is actually saving you any $$.

Instead you may choose to go PV for the sole reason of saving tons of greenhouse gases and pollution caused by coal-generated electricity.

When solar panels evolve to such efficiency - and I believe they will - that you can power a laptop and keep the battery charged using a cell no larger than the laptop itself, then we're going to see solar everything.

You can already get flexible PV-encrusted backpacks and book bags that produce enough power to recharge your cell phone or iPod. You leave your bag lying in a sunbeam for a few hours and when you return, all your stuff is fully charged. Awesome.

The future of energy is clean and renewable!

[Tigrou]

Fuel cells. Portable liquid energy (butane?) for consumer electronics is already here for some devices and can be picked up in any village. Just haven't seen it used with laptops yet.

I've thought about it too, but run into problem with 3S's...
- sand : going to get a laptop condom?
- security : $500 resale goes a long way in a poor country
- scrap : luggage and outdoors aren't kind to silicone

Anyone found an All Terrain Laptop yet?

[pmkpmk]

There are some manufacturers specializing on so called "toughbooks [panasonic.com]". You know, they need laptops on oil-platforms, arctic expeditions etc. as well...