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Solar Cell Phone Invention is a Ray of Sunshine in Developing Countries
Have you ever been in the middle of an important call on your cell phone when suddenly you hear those unmistakable "death beeps" and your phone goes kaput? We at InventHelp simply chide ourselves for irresponsibly forgetting to charge the devices and then plug our phones into the wall to prepare for tomorrow's conversations. But, for individuals in developing countries, a lack of electricity makes the simple task of charging a cell phone an all-day event.
Read more articles from the August 2009 issue of InventHelp's newsletter for inventors |
In countries like Kenya, electricity is scarce, but there is one resource that's plentiful and free: solar energy. This August, as summer draws to a close, InventHelp explores the awesome power of the sun and how it is changing the lives of Kenyan cell phone users.
In this African nation of 37 million people, landline telecommunication can be extremely unreliable. Almost half of the country's population uses a cell phone. Shockingly, only 1.3 million of these cell phone users are hooked up to Kenya's national electrical grid. Most of this energy comes from hydro-generation; after a 3-year drought, power rationing was instituted.
Many Kenyans are forced to walk miles to shopping centers and pay hefty fees to charge their phones. Kenya's biggest mobile phone company, Safaricom Ltd., recognized this problem and worked with Chinese manufacturer ZTE Corp to invent a solar-powered cell phone. The handset comes with a regular electrical charger and a solar panel that charges the phone using the sun's rays.
Retailing for $35, Safaricom plans to make an initial supply of 100,000 phones available and expects them to sell out. While $35 seems like a modest price to U.S. consumers, that sum equates to almost a half-month's salary for average Kenyans. But, when considering the fees that Kenyan citizens pay to charge their cell phones (almost 70 cents per week), the phone can pay for itself in a short time.
It's no surprise that this invention, unlike other technological innovations, is making huge waves in developing countries. Samsung unveiled an eco-friendly solar cell phone, the Solar Guru, in mid-June. After the Solar Guru is in circulation in India, Samsung said, it plans to launch similar phones in other Asian markets, Europe and Latin America.
For the time being, Kenyans are embracing the opportunity to chat with loved ones just a few minutes longer, without the constant worry of where the next charge will come from.
Labor Day is just around the corner, and fall's cooler nights and brisk days usher in the end of sunny summer days. We at InventHelp aren't quite ready to say goodbye to lemonade, tire swings and our summer tans just yet! The sun, of course, is one of the most revered objects in human history and we are endlessly fascinated by inventors' abilities to harness its power. While long summer days are coming to an end, you can bet that InventHelp will be here to bring you the latest on technology's newest solar innovations regardless of the season!
Back to August 2009 Newsletter
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