Bring me sunshine
Solar-powered accessories have emerged as a category -- rather than just a novelty. Fleur Doidge asks if there is anything in it for the channel
Years ago, on a camping trip in the backblocks of New Zealand, the idea of a hot shower off the grid and without a fire was as revolutionary as it was enticing. Our solar-powered shower was a plastic pouch with black rear panels filled with river water. Attached to a spigot and hose, it could then be hung from a suitable tree.
It had to be left in bright sun for some hours to warm up sufficiently. Unfortunately the sun didn't always play along, and mostly we got more of a lukewarm dribble than the longed-for hot wash out of doors.
As ridiculous as it sounds on a grey UK day, solar-powered kit may yet attract a broader response from customers. It's not that the category has been completely ignored by the channel, more that sales have been unrealised, not least because awareness remains low.
Anyone who wants to source a solar-powered whatsit, whether to tap into the outdoor activities market or to enhance a company's backup systems and energy efficiency, will notice an increasing number of products out there, and many facilitate mobility - one of this year's hottest trends.
Mark Needham, chairman of distributor Widget UK, confirms there is interest. "We are interested in this category, although this has often involved using products that work fine in sunny California but less well in Stevenage in February," he says. "However, there are a growing number of solar-powered products and, as with the tiles on people's roofs, the yield they give - the efficiency - is getting much better."
He saw radios and boom boxes powered by solar panels at February's Distree IT channel conference in Monaco, for example, and says he is keen to try them out. However, he warns that some products, such as solar smartphones, are still a long way from being practical.
"While solar panels have increased in efficiency, new smartphones have bigger, brighter screens that have increased their power consumption, so you are no further towards the day when your phone will run off sunlight," Needham (pictured, right) says.
Another peripherals player, EntaTech, does not yet offer any solar-powered products. According to Suzanne McNicholas, a marketing executive at Enta, it is something that the distributor is looking at introducing to its website - although details of specific products have not been finalised.
E-tailer Misco, on the other hand, is advertised as a reseller of Logitech's solar-powered keyboards, but did not respond to requests for comment. So what is available and is it likely to be a practical addition to a reseller's portfolio?
In 2011 two laptops with solar panels on their lids and in the chassis hit the headlines. One was a prototype - the Luce Solar Panel Powered PC, created by industrial designer Andrea Ponti and clearly a long way from commercial reality, with no word on whether it will ever go into production.
The other was a customer-ready model by Samsung - the 1.3kg NP-NC215-A01US 10.1in netbook, running Windows 7 over 250GB HDD and 1GB RAM, with a standard battery and charger included as standard. So far it's available in Russia, the US and Africa for about $399 (£265).
Of course, using a laptop outdoors consumes more battery than indoors, because you need a much brighter screen to enable it to compete with the additional light. And it is not known how much sun is needed for Samsung's machine to achieve its advertised 14-hour battery life.
Probably the most practical products, however, for carriage alongside IT are the various solar-powered chargers for laptops, phones and other devices. Useful add-ons for the road warrior, they are offered mainly by specialist solar resellers and niche outdoors suppliers.
Sunshine Solar offers a range from £19 to £91, while UK manufacturer Powertraveller sells the £140 Solargorilla portable charger, available with multiple adapters to fit just about any device. Some are backpacks such as the £139 Crosskase Solar 15, which charges up laptops and other devices as you move around on foot.
Other peripherals include the aforementioned solar-powered wireless keyboards from Logitech for Macs, iPads and PCs - available from e-tailers.
Not as noisy as an oil-based generator, solar generators have been marketed to survivalists, hermits and hippies for some years. However, businesses in the developing world often have their own backup generators for when the grid goes down - as do hospitals. For the ambitious, there are still tax benefits for businesses that generate some of their own power. Maybe there is a broader sales opportunity than previously realised?