Solar-Powered Charger for the Apple iPhone

The Apple iPhone already has a pretty decent battery life, but with the new EnerPlex from Ascent Solar Technologies, that battery life could grow even more.

The EnerPlex is a new line of consumer products that incorporates Ascent solar cells into a sleek protective case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s, along with a thin line battery. The case will apparently add very minimal size and weight to the iPhone but will provide “significantly improved battery life by harnessing sunlight for electric power.”

This is the first product in the EnerPlex line, which is eventually hoped offer cases for other phones as well, including the newly released Samsung Galaxy SIII. The company plans to ship EnerPlex in the third quarter of 2012.

“The EnerPlex charger is the first protective iPhone case to leverage the lightweight qualities and superior aesthetics of our CIGS solar technology,” Ascent Solar’s President and CEO, Victor Lee, said. “It will extend the usage time of iPhone smart phones while preserving the high level of design quality that consumers demand. Apple customers can now incorporate green technology into their everyday life, improving the performance of their smart phone without compromising style.”

Lee continued: “The growth of the smart phone market has been tremendous and is expected to continue for several years to come. Apple has sold over 175 million iPhone smart phones. Samsung is introducing new products in a competitive market where the number of smart phones in use globally is expected to reach 1 billion in the next 4 years. 144 million smart phones were sold globally in the first quarter of this year alone. Ascent’s EnerPlex line is focused on providing millions of smart phone customers with a product that prolongs battery life, increases mobility and allows them to be ‘green’, all without adding significant size or weight to the phone.”

Source: Ascent Solar