Combo solar cell and battery

[Taro Toporific]

Here's a "Photocapacitor" aka solar cell and battery combined by Japanese reseacher in Aoba, Yokohama near my house. He has put a solar cell and a battery into one structure..

A new type of solar cellphysicsweb.org / 4 November 2004 (Appl. Phys. Lett. 85 3932).
Scientists in Japan have made the first device that can convert solar energy into electricity and then store the resulting electric charge. The "photocapacitor" designed by Tsutomu Miyasaka and Takurou Murakami at Toin University in Yokohama could be used to power mobile phones and other hand-held devices ....

[Manbiki Boy]

That's cool, but in order for the battery to acquire sufficient light to store electrical energy for later use, it will have to be located externally, or at least the photocapacitor will. Most people I know keep their mobile phones in their bag or pockets, so getting sufficient light for average usage possibly might mean keeping the phone on the office desk, or wearing it with a neckstrap. I can possibly see them integrating the external shell of the mobile phone itself into a photocapacitor, but don't they have to be kept rather clean in order to get sufficient light?

If they are able to make more powerful versions of this, I can see it giving a big boost to electrical cars.

[yakinoumiso]

That's cool, but ... it will have to be located externally, or at least the photocapacitor will.

Right you are, Johhny-O. The attached photo represents the first working demo of the external cells. It's a little big, but I'm sure it'll catch on once people realize how convenient, and environmentally friendly it is...