Portable Solar Chargers

A mobile phone going "low-batt" or losing its last bit of power during a crucial business call is a dreadful thing to happen to any entrepreneur. The search for a timely recharging source to allow resumption of the call--whether a wall outlet, a car's cigarette lighter outlet, or a charging station at a mall or convenience store--can be very troublesome as well.

But it need not be like that anymore. Portable solar chargers are now available for entrepreneurs who use mobile phones or PDAs (personal digital assistants) extensively while out of the office--and they need not fear running out of electrical "juice" ever again.

Among the sun-powered chargers now in the market are three variants of the GreenMobile brand, which are distributed by a local firm, Tritec Integrated Philippines Inc. The product is targeting businessmen on the go and young people who frequently use mobile devices like digital music players, movie players, handheld video games, and cameras. Another major selling point of these solar chargers, of course, is their use of the sun as a renewable energy source, which thus can show their users' awareness of the need for environmental conservation.

The three variants--the clamshell-like GM30, the GM50 with detachable solar panels, and the pop-up GM90--share several things in common. Each has two mono- or multi-crystalline solar cell panels no wider than a grown-up's palm. The 3.7-volt lithium-ion rechargeable battery that stores the energy converted from sunlight can also be recharged using a USB (universal serial bus) charging cable that comes with the product package. Thus, before hitting the road again, the user can alternatively recharge the GreenMobile by simply plugging it into the USB port of the office computer or Internet cafe‚ PC that he or she happens to be working on.

When fully charged by exposure to sunlight for about 10 hours or via USB for about four hours, each of the three GreenMobile models can provide an output voltage of 5.5 to 6 volts, making them capable of fully recharging a mobile phone in two hours. The GreenMobile charger has an output cable with nine different connectors compatible with most mobile phone brands and digital devices.

Tristan San Buenaventura, president of Tritec, says that with April 22 being "Earth Day", it will be very timely for itinerant entrepreneurs to buy a solar charger this month. Aside from enjoying the convenience it offers, he says, they will have such a handy, highly visible way of showing their concern for the environment.

"We are all worried about global warming and climate change," he explains, "and now we have this amazing, eco-friendly gadget that dramatically reduces the energy cost of running our electronic gadgets. It will encourage and enable people to use renewable energy like solar power. It will allow them to power the billions of gadgets worldwide, thus reducing the use of energy from fossil fuels and helping to actually help fight climate change--one gadget at a time."

TRITEC INTEGRATED PHILIPPINES INC.
Unit I, 7/F Westgate Tower, Investment Drive
Madrigal Business Park,
Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Telephone: (02) 807-4211
Fax: (02) 807-3819
E-mail: info@gmsolarcharger.com;
tritecintegratedphil@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.gmsolarcharger.com/