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Green gadget challenge

Posted on 15 Jul 2008 at 16:17

However, there is a sustainably powered light at the end of the tunnel. Two things need to change in order to bring sustainable power to the average customer, and what I have seen in the past week or two leads me to believe that both will be - or are already - happening.

First, the cost of these devices needs to come down. Currently it's not financially viable to buy these gadgets, so only enthusiastic environmentalists will take the plunge. As research churns out more efficient photovoltaic cells, the cost of commercial panels will fall, sales will increase and so will spending on research. Before we know it, we'll have free and clean power for all, which will be just super.

My second point is that, even if these devices become affordable, the hassle needs to be designed out of sustainable-power products. Instead of collecting solar power with a panel, storing it in a separate battery pack and later transferring it to a separate mobile phone, we need a handset that charges itself simply when left on a window sill. The wide range of innovative products hitting the market gives me hope that designers are working on it, even if they're not quite there yet.

Taking one small gadget off the grid may not seem like a big step, but it's the thin end of the wedge. In five years' time, let's hope people look back and wonder why that bloke from PC Pro thought it was such an achievement to never plug a gadget into the wall.

Author: Matthew Sparkes