Battery Wrapped in Solar Cells Recharges in the Sun

A good example of the true use of solar energy. This is how people should be looking at the technology. Not powering the energy needs of the entire world, but as a niche source of power.

Very clever idea.

Take a solar cell conveniently flattened so it's entire surface can be placed with the ideal orientation in the sun, then wrap it around a battery so half the cell doesn't receive any direct sunlight and only a small fraction of the sunlit side is ideally exposed. Finally, throw away the perfectly functional solar cell because the battery it's attached to has been cycled too many times and no longer works.

lol!
i read the heading.
viewed just to comment.
both are inefficient. lol!
nothing clever... really.

The truly innovative part of this article that got me very excited was the 1.5V NiMH batteries!!!! Stupid me, I always thought they were 1.2V.

I have a couple of devices that puke on the 1.2V instead of the alkaline 1.5V. Sure would be nice to have some of these special 1.5V NiMH batteries....

How much credibility are you going to give an article when they can't get the basics correct? Also, wouldn't it be a little hard for the batteries to recharge if in a device? haha. Real convenient! All right, altogether now, TOTAL FAIL!

Yes for God sake we don't want anything inefficient but TOTALLY convenient. We want to keep going like we're going where virtually NO ONE recharges their batteries, or uses solar power to any degree at all because of the hoops the technology makes them jump trough.

We don't want a technology that's so convenient that all someone has to do is let something SIT somewhere for a period of time and then re-use it virtually GUARANTEEING it WILL be used. No, no, we want people to be FORCED to use the kind of technology we think they SHOULD used because it conforms to OUR almighty notions of efficiency, or "green-ness".

Yeah it isn't efficient, yeah you're going to throw things away (just like you do now...), and WOAH they made a mistake on the voltage of the battery in the article...man that should like totally discredit the idea right THERE.

Pftt....whatever. No wonder the ecowacko movement is still stuck in the starting gate. Maybe it should stay there a while longer...

Clever idea, give me some specific measurables such as avg time to charge and price, then I'll decide if its of value to me.

Currently, rechargable batteries are too short lived for me. Disposables may be little rolled up tubes of toxicity, but by gosh they are cheap, readily available, and last for years if unused.

Yes for God sake we don't want anything inefficient but TOTALLY convenient. We want to keep going like we're going where virtually NO ONE recharges their batteries, or uses solar power to any degree at all because of the hoops the technology makes them jump trough.

We don't want a technology that's so convenient that all someone has to do is let something SIT somewhere for a period of time and then re-use it virtually GUARANTEEING it WILL be used. No, no, we want people to be FORCED to use the kind of technology we think they SHOULD used because it conforms to OUR almighty notions of efficiency, or "green-ness".

Yeah it isn't efficient, yeah you're going to throw things away (just like you do now...), and WOAH they made a mistake on the voltage of the battery in the article...man that should like totally discredit the idea right THERE.

Pftt....whatever. No wonder the ecowacko movement is still stuck in the starting gate. Maybe it should stay there a while longer...

Well I think what Barakn is trying to say is, if you consider the costs economically and ecologically that the solar cells on these batteries are costing then you'd find that they're not only bad for the environment, but also bad for your wallet. This makes them essentially useless and redundant when you could just plug the normal rechargeable batteries into a solar powered charger that, given the consumer base of these "green batteries", would sell just as easily and be far more efficient in both aspects previously mentioned.

You know, don't batteries usually say keep out of direct light / heat. Im thinking a couple of batteries cooking out in the sun all day would explode.

Well I think what Barakn is trying to say is, if you consider the costs economically and ecologically that the solar cells on these batteries are costing then you'd find that they're not only bad for the environment, but also bad for your wallet.

Solar cells have become a thousand fold cheaper over the past 6 months due to a new technique used to "print" the cell rather than layer and press after chemical treatment. Solar cells of this size and type of use would cost pennies and are almost completely biodegradable and recyclable.

I'm with Modern on this, it's a good idea, and a good way to get people off of a toxic disposable item.

Yeah, but how many people will recycle them and how much does it take from the environment for the materials to make them?

Reusable batteries are a great idea. Especially with solar energy being harnessed to charge them, but the format of a round battery that most people value at close to nothing isn't the most efficient way to go.

I do say, however, I'd like to see them in the marketplace. I just don't believe they'll sell well, or make a major difference in "going green".