In a move toward eco-friendliness, LG Display unveiled a new e-book reader technology on Sunday that is powered by the sun. Sony has installed the solar cell in its Sony Reader as a proof of concept.
Developed in-house, the thin-film solar cell within the e-book reader is 10 centimeters long and wide, and was developed to fit the six-inch display panel for e-books. The solar cell itself is 0.7 millimeter thick and weights just 20 grams. It’s thinner than a credit card and weighs the same as a fountain pen.
“E-books are attracting a lot of attention because they offer the advantage of storing thousands of books’ worth of contents in an easy-to-carry device,” said Ki Yong Kim, head of the solar-cell office at LG Display. “The idea of e-book combined with solar cell will offer users the added benefit of longer usage.”
The Science Behind Solar
Some observers see thin-film solar cells as a solution to the problems associated with widely adopted crystalline solar cells that employ silicon wafers, such as a scarcity of materials and high cost.
Unlike widely solar cells that use silicon wafers, LG said, the thin-film solar cell is generally lightweight and easily adjustable in size and form for applications such as e-books or mobile phones.
By placing electrodes onto a glass or plastic substrate rather than a silicon wafer, LG said, manufacturers can make the screens larger. According to LG, the new technology makes the entry barrier relatively low for LCD manufacturers.
Is it a Gimmick?
The energy-conversion efficiency rate of LG’s solar cell is nearly 10 percent. According to the company, exposing an e-book reader with the solar solution to sunlight for four or five hours will extend the e-book battery’s running time by a day — without the need for additional charging. That translates to longer outdoor use of the…