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Sunshine could fuel a greener Apple
7th June 2008
Apple looks to sandwich solar cells between LCD screens and circuit boards
Apple has applied for a patent on a combination LCD-solar cell screen for its mobile devices – laptops, iPods and iPhones – according to a recent posting on macrumour.com.
Engineers have buzzed for years about integrating solar panels into cellphones, computers and MP3 players – ideally making them as self-sufficient as solar-powered calculators – but have faced two major hurdles. Solar cells placed on the outside of a device that gets handled so much could be easily damaged. And the small gadgets don’t afford much surface space for the solar cells to operate.
Sandwiching solar cells between the LCD screen and the circuit board could solve both problems at once.
The electronics industry, already a major producer of heavy metal and toxic chemical pollution, has come under fire recently. But Apple is praised by some environmental groups for implementing measures such as phasing out toxic flame retardants and PVC plastic and minimizing the energy needs of its laptops. If the solar-cell technology is successful, it will further improve its green reputation.
Published in The Green Report in The Globe and Mail
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