Free The Online BooksJan 13, 2024
Christopher Mims

What if you never had to charge your gadgets again?

Well, a lot of your gadgets, anyway. And also, internet of things devices everywhere.

Indoor solar cells -- doing real work with just the light from your lamps -- are here, and they're finally good enough to be truly useful.

Here's a gift link:

https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/what-if-you-never-had-to-charge-your-gadgets-again-955ea960?st=au10swxxiiwywnv&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

What if You Never Had to Charge Your Gadgets Again?

Indoor solar power technology is finally becoming available; Some devices no longer need batteries at all

WSJ
Jan 13, 2024 at 3:44pmWeb
Show threadJerome (He/Him)Jan 13, 2024
@mimsical closest innovation to a solarpunk future I’ve heard in awhile!
Show threadPoligofskyJan 13, 2024
@mimsical Electric light as wireless charging? Sounds inefficient. But safer than beamed microwaves!
Show threadHoward Chu @ SymasJan 13, 2024
@brent @mimsical LEDs are pretty efficient these days. Incandescent lamps emit 90% of their input energy as heat. LEDs emit most of their input energy as visible light. (Tho I suppose, if you had a photoelectric cell tuned for infrared, it would work best with incandescent bulbs...)
Show threadPoligofskyJan 13, 2024

@hyc

I was thinking at the other side. The article states the photoreceptors achieve better than 30% efficiency. Which seems to be enough for the proposed applications. That light was dissipating anyway, right?

@mimsical

Show threadJadeJan 13, 2024
@mimsical Combining dye-sensitized solar cells with lithium metal batteries seems like a cordless dream future for smartphones, tablets, watches, and glasses. Assuming, of course, the reactivity (explodey) problem with LMBs is worked out.
Show threadnotsoloudJan 15, 2024

@OldManJade
Even outdoors keeping your phone charged from built in cells would be a hassle. The same for any other stuff with serious processing power.

This might work for small sensors and similar stuff.

@mimsical

Show threadCallalilyJan 13, 2024
@mimsical
This would be great.
Show threadJaap BurgerJan 15, 2024
@mimsical Great! Just to add that there are already battery-free smart light switches for the home - I have them at home, they use the energy from pressing the button: https://www.senic.com/products/friends-of-hue-smart-switch
Friends of Hue Switch

Show threadCassandrichJan 15, 2024
@mimsical Funny, I remember calculators already being like that decades ago. 🤪
Show threadMsMeropeJan 15, 2024
@dalias @mimsical yeppers - solar pocket calculators were a thing. And turning .07734 upside down 😉