Many products can be powered by the sun. We take a look at five of the best solar buys.

Solar iPod charger

Price: $89.96
Available from: Amazon

If you’re on the move but want to stay connected, the Solio Solar Charger will give you hours of charge time without slowing you down.

How it works: Leave the panels in direct sunlight and the charger will give you up to nine hours charge time while you’re on the go. For its size, it is one of the most powerful solar chargers on the market - it can charge an iPod fully with enough power left to top up a mobile phone.

Pros: It comes with assorted adaptors to fit dozens of gadgets and gizmos, including Blackberrys, Gameboys and cameras.

Cons: There is no specific information on how to charge some of the gadgets in the pack, so you may need to call the advice line for details.

Solar-powered bike bag

Price: £99
Available from: The Solar Centre
Suitable for charging: mobile phone, MP3 player, AA batteries, GPS player.

If you’re a keen, green cyclist, you can keep your emissions down even further with this solar-powered bag that charges your electronics as you ride.

How it works: The Nomad Solar Bike Bag’s thin, flexible solar panel provides up to 1.5 watts of power - charging your small electronic devices as you ride.

Pros: No special adaptors are needed (just use the same type as you would to charge your gadget from a car). The bag also comes in one universal size so should mount to any standard rear bicycle rack.

Cons: The bag’s solar powers won’t stretch to charging a laptop computer - and at £99 the cost of going green doesn’t come cheap. But if you cycle regularly, this could be a great investment buy.

Solar-powered car kit

Price: £53.95
Available from: Expansys

Hands-free and wireless, LG’s snazzy new HFB-500 bluetooth kit will boost your eco-credentials on the move.

How it works: Suckered safely onto your windscreen, the compact HFB-500 converts two hours of sunlight into one hour of talktime for hands-free mobile use. Fully charged, you can natter on sun power for 960 minutes.

Pros: Smart, simple to use and with impressive call quality, the HFB-500has a lot going for it. On some phones, it will provide voice dialling, lastnumber redial and call muting. On LG phones, it even doubles as an emergency phone charger.

Cons: One drawback of the sleek design – you need nimble fingers to use the volume and call/end keys.

Solar-powered rechargeable shaver

Price: £24.99
Available from: Select Solar

If you want to reduce your electricity bills and stay clean-shaven, this solar-rechargeable shaver is a good green option.

How it works: The shaver needs eight to 12 hours in sunlight to charge fully. But it can be plugged into mains power if necessary.

Pros: It’s slim, compact and lightweight which makes it an ideal companion for camping or travelling trips.

Cons: The long charging time makes the solar panel more useful as a handy top-up rather than a practical power source. The razor is also suitable for dry-shaving only.

Waterproof solar charging torch

Price: £19.99
Available from: Nigel’s Eco Store

If you like camping, you’ll know that a good torch is essential at night. This robust, solar-powered variety is practical and green.

How it works: This solar torch just needs to be kept on a windowsill where it will receive sunlight and the integral solar panel will keep the batteries topped up. It charges from flat in approximately four to five hours of sunlight and this should give you approximately one to two hours of light. This torch is a tough cookie too - made from lightweight and waterproof material it will even float in water.

Pros: For extra brightness, the torch includes the latest and brightest LED bulb.

Cons: It may be slightly more expensive than a conventional torch, but treat it well and it should last you a lifetime.

via HomeGardenGreen

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