Always-on Smartphones: This Invisible Solar Cell Could Deliver Eternal Life To Your Device

Renewable energy is one way to save the planet and ensure lasting battery life. It works wonders on rooftops, since most solar panels are opaque, but this very same feature makes it extremely restrictive when it comes to portable devices. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could provide “eternal life” to your phone, using solar power?

Ubiquitous Energy has made the first, giant leap in that direction. The Sillicon Valley start-up succeded in creating transparent solar cells. We’re talking about an invisible film that can be put on any device and generate energy for it. The immediate applications are obvious: tablets and phones, since you want as much energy as you can harvest on those, while mantaining an aesthetically-pleasing final look.

Until now, there were few solutions to recharge your phone, after spending most of your battery life taking pictures (the camera module uses most of the energy of your phone); you could take a portable charger with you but that meant carrying something extra to give you juice when you ran out.

With the ClearView Power technology, you can simply attach an invisible film to the display area, covering it completely and seamlessly  – is less than 1/1000^th of a millimeter thick (not like a protection cover, for example). The film transmits up to 90% visible light, while absorbing ultraviolet and infrared to convert it to energy.

What does it all mean? Always-on smartphones with eternal battery life. Sounds good, right?