An Umbrella to Convert Sunlight into Electricity

Behold the newest innovation that harvests the energy of that great ball of fire in the sky to make our lives a little greener down here on earth: Powerbrella, an umbrella that can capture sunlight and convert that into electricity!

Whose idea is it?

It is a collaboration of the efforts of Konarka Technologies Inc. and SKYShades.

How does it work?

Konarka’s Power Plastic, is a photovoltaic material that captures both indoor and outdoor light and converts it into direct current (DC) electrical energy. This material is applied to the canopy of the umbrella as you can see in the below picture and it is light-weight, flexible and versatile.

The power generated by the photovoltaic cells is stored in batteries inside the stem of the umbrella, which also has outlets to plug electronic equipment for charging.

The Powerbrella…

Can be used to charge laptops, mobile phones, iPods and other portable devices. The initial destination for this umbrella will be coffee shops, hotels and resorts.

The power generated could be used immediately, stored for later use or converted to other forms.

via: Gizmag