A battery that only has to be left out in the sun to recharge it, is an idea which seems like an obvious combination of solar and battery technology. You would have thought that someone would have had that eureka moment already. Maybe they have, but this is the first time I've heard of it, and I'm pumped about the concept.
cnet's Damian Koh at his blog Crave, has a story about designer Knut Karison's application of present day solar technology and a common battery, which Knut calls a suncat.
Named after a feline basking in the sun, SunCat comprises flexible solar cell strips glued to NiMH rechargeable cells. With a conductive silver pen and flat wires recycled from a broken Canon lens, Knut managed to get a weak trickle charge connection. He admitted that the first prototype wasn't ideal, but he's working on a second model which may include a display for checking battery life and capacitors for more efficient charging.
It's obvious and it looks like an easy thing to do, I look forward to seeing this available soon. Can you imagine how many different ways these batteries can be used. Other than production, there is not another drop of carbon used to produce years of useful power for many hand held devices.
