We recently looked at the Samsung E1107 which is a basic phone with simple calling and texting features, FM radio, oh and a solar panel on the 
back of the phone.
Much like a Malibu resident, the phone needs to hit the sun’s rays for a good 40 hours to fully charge its battery, which all sounds great in terms of saving the environment, but it may not be as straightforward as that.
According to SonyEricsson’s GreenHeart project:
As long as there is no breakthrough in manufacturing or efficiency it is not beneficial to put a solar cell on a phone from environmental point of view.
Big statement. Sony Ericsson say that current solar cells that can be fitted to a phone will not generate enough energy in their lifetime to compensate for the energy it took to produce them.
This is because solar cells are made out of silicon which uses a lot of energy to produce. Malibu residents take note again.
It’s an interesting point as while the solar cell on the Samsung E1107 is aimed at developing countries with more access to UV rays than electrical currents, it has also been seen as a step in the right direction environmentally which may not be the case after all.
To provide people with unreliable electricity supplies the chance to always carry a charged mobile phone, the E1107 will do a great job. To save the planet, it looks like all mobile phone developers still need to think outside the solar-charged box to go green.
More info:
Samsung
Sony Ericsson Greenheart
5 thoughts on “Solar Panels On Mobiles Not Environmentally Friendly”
Interesting story- thought as long as it wasn’t connected to mains electricity then any other power alternative was therefore better for the environment.
Never thought about the enviro cost of actually making a solar cell.
Good article. Makes sense that solar cells are not the way forward.
40 hours to charge a phone? Do we even get that much sunshine in a year here in the UK?
Maybe solar cells are the way forward, but I think what SE are trying to point out is that it’s current technology holding them back from using solar cells in phones now due to present production methods.
We need more green options though- on the market there are practically 0 phones that offer a greener alternative. Why are the big manufacturers taking forever to realise that global warming is a bit enough issue to affect their sales?
When can we expect to see sustainable solar cells made then?