A sharp panel for mobile devices

After the success of its LROGC02 type panel, Sharp plans to launch more solar components for mobile applications. The five models they will be launching in the coming year will have 13 per cent efficiency and a low mounting depth of only 0.8mm, which makes it convenient to mount onto any device. The solar panels are also double-wired to ensure that their performance is maintained even in the case of cell breakage. The panels will provide a range of outputs and voltages-single cell types with a 30mW power output at a voltage of 0.5V to models with 10cells and a power output of 300mW at 5V-by varying the number and configuration of the individual polycrystalline solar cells. A solar cell`s efficiency is measured in terms of the amount of electricity generated per watt of incident solar light. An efficiency of 13 percent is decent, considering that the highest known efficiency for practically usable solar cells is only around 20 percent. The mini solar cells can extend the operating life of device like digital cameras, laptops, portable media players, pocket PCs, etc. for sensors and remote controls, the cells can even provide 100 percent power.