last updated 8th September 05
By 4ecotips

Environmentally friendly battery booster

Vodafone has launched a new solar charger that is capable of powering mobile phone handsets. It uses an internal to store energy provided by the sun and then uses this power to recharge the phone's batteries.

At the moment, the solar charger is only available from Vodafone shops in Holland, Greece and Portugal. However there are plans to increase the product's market if it proves popular with consumers.

It is hoped that the device could solve the problem of phone batteries going flat when users are in remote areas, away from reliable electricity supplies. Vodafone also believes that the charger offers consumers an environmentally friendly way of powering their phones.

The company estimates that if 100,000 of its customers adopt the new device, it would reduce annual carbon emissions by around 8 tonnes. The solar charger is also capable of recharging a number of devices including handheld game consoles, PDAs and MP3 players, as long as there is a reasonable amount of sunlight available.