Solar laptop chargers

	The L-4111 from Astech, mainland China, has 0.3W solar efficiency, converter cables and a built-in 600mAh lithium battery

Greater China makers offer easy-carry, compact units and models that go beyond basic charging.

Suppliers in mainland China are now producing lightweight, flexible solar panels applied in laptops, digital cameras, mobile phones, GPS devices, MP3 and MP4 players, and other consumer electronics—paving the way for streamlining product development in the region’s solar power charger industry.

Greater China manufacturers are directing R&D toward integrating value-added features while ensuring their products’ optimum charging performance.

With the industry still in its nascent stage, manufacturers in the region produce mostly basic models with standard features. Nonetheless, the application range continues to broaden.

Many hybrid models have also emerged, giving end-users the option to power up the charger’s internal battery via solar energy, AC outlet or the car cigarette lighter socket. Practical functions such as flashlight and radio are being added in new releases.

Growing environmental awareness and the need for alternative power sources are expected to fuel market demand. One factor that has contributed to the surging popularity of solar power chargers, which even the rapid influx of feature-rich but power-hungry mobile phones has failed to dent, is its continuing evolution.

Most current models are basic, but are designed not only for mobile phones, but also for MP3 players, iPods, digital camera and other portable electronic devices.

Solar power chargers constitute only a small portion of the mobile phone charger market in Greater China. More newcomers have been entering this young market, but the line will remain a minority, especially when juxtaposed with the much larger mobile phone charger market.

Despite this, market growth, in particular output and export growth, is anticipated.

	Green Energy, mainland China, offers a 106x445x14mm solar charger with flashlight. The unit supports USB interface

Shenzhen Rising Sun Eastern Industry Co. Ltd plans to equip its products with battery capacity display and enhance their cosmetic design. It offers SBC-09, a solar power charger that features reverse current protection circuitry to prevent battery discharge. The model includes a 3.7V 1200mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery, 5.5V 140mA solar panel and USB charging cable. Under a full sunlight condition, the Li-ion battery charging time is 10hr to 12hr. Using the USB cable, charging time takes 3hr to 4hr. SBC-09 has an LED indicator for charging/discharging, and four connectors to support four different phone brands. Shenzhen Rising Sun mainly targets the midrange and high-end markets. It offers its products for $10 to $15 each.

A new model from Green Energy Technology Co. Ltd uses a controller to transform solar power from the panel and safely charge the batteries of different consumer electronic devices.

Supply in Taiwan includes multi-crystal units supporting 5V, 5.3V to 5.5V and 120mA, 140mA to 300mA. To ensure that these chargers continue to work optimally even in the absence of sunlight, many suppliers are developing models that also support rechargeable Li-ion batteries, AC/DC adapters and USB cables. Protection circuitry is another common feature supported by solar power chargers from Taiwan.

Corriga Technology Co. Ltd handles design, marketing and distribution of LEDs and solar power chargers. It provides solar power chargers with foldable panels that reduce storage space. These models support double power loading speed when charging.

Corriga also offers solar power chargers that can be installed on both sides of the rechargeable lithium battery, mini USB and cable socket. The company provides multivoltage output solar power chargers that require 2000mAh maximum for fast charging and power storage. It also offers a portable solar power station that supports PV module with 20W up to 75W at 25V.

TennRich International Corp. provides solar power banks with 15 to 18 percent efficiency by single-crystalline Si or 10 to 12 percent using poly-crystalline Si. The company plans to delay its solar power bank development to 2009 and instead use its solar technology concept to external solar boards for its Li-polymer power banks.

To delay charger obsolescence as new mobile phone models are released, most companies in Hong Kong design ‘future-ready’ solar power chargers via adapter support. Companies develop new adapters for newly introduced handsets. The internal battery may be upgraded depending on the customer’s requirement.

After developing the internal solutions, interviewed Hong Kong makers said they rarely have to make further adjustments on the chargers’ internal circuitry. “Once [our] clients prove that our products work, most of them place orders for the exact models or with minor modifications on the external appearance,” said Eddie Law, sales director at EDP Worldwide Co. Ltd. According to Hankey Asia (H.K.) Ltd’s director Anthony Chan, “Only customers with large orders may require minor modifications.”

Most solar power charger suppliers in Greater China offer a wide range of charger products and consider solar power chargers as a secondary product line. The product is supported by a small supplier base that commands a small percentage of the region’s supply market for mobile phone chargers.

Suppliers in mainland China that focus almost exclusively on mobile phone solar power chargers currently number less than 20. This represents less than 10 percent of the mainland’s supplier population for mobile phone chargers, which exceeds 300 companies.

Out of the almost 50 suppliers of mobile phone chargers in Hong Kong, less than 10 companies carry solar power chargers in their product lineup. Most suppliers manufacture a wide range of mobile phone and computer accessories, and electronic novelty and gift items. These companies’ shipment of solar power chargers remains small compared to their exports of other accessories, so almost all suppliers treat mobile phone solar power charger as a secondary product.

Hankey makes solar panels and has expanded into solar power chargers to broaden its products’ application range. The mobile phone solar power charger is just one of its many applications for tapping solar energy technology and the line currently accounts for only 5 percent of Hankey’s total revenue. Products are made exclusively for OEM and ODM clients.

EDP Worldwide caters only to OEM customers and on a per-order basis. It refrains from developing new models on its own. Its buyers are mostly from the retail and promotions markets.

Taiwan’s solar power charger supplier base makes up more than 60 percent of its overall supplier base for mobile phone chargers. The region has about 20 suppliers of solar power chargers, but only a handful of these companies actually pursue mass production. The majority of companies continue to concentrate on Li-ion chargers and regard solar power chargers as a secondary product line. These companies do not plan to invest in new solar charger product development or start mass production.

Most suppliers that do pursue solar power chargers develop and produce their products in their own factories in Taiwan and have their own R&D teams. Many of them are capable of customizing products to meet buyer requirements. More than 80 percent are engaged in OEM and ODM business, and the rest are building their own brand.

The high cost of solar panels and the low efficiency of solar power remain major issues that makers have to address before the market fully takes off. Some companies have difficulty sourcing Si raw materials. Others are being derailed by the high cost of production equipment and the need to establish system technology. Companies likewise see the need to improve Si-based crystal cell turnkey technology and thin-film module detection, as well as expand module-capacity verification.

Despite their nascent status, mobile phone solar power chargers from Hong Kong are increasingly evolving into chargers that can work not just with mobile phones but with other handheld devices as well. Likewise, many companies are targeting markets different from those for standard mobile phone chargers. The target end-users for solar power chargers are mostly outdoor enthusiasts and pro-environment groups. These chargers, especially the hybrid models, are also suitable for travelers. A growing number of suppliers offer USB port and LED flashlight as optional functions.

EDP Worldwide first released mobile phone solar power chargers in 2007. It offers five models, with 10 more models coming in the next 12 months.

The CH-2018 is suitable for charging mobile phones, MP3 players and portable media players (PMPs). It can also be charged through a 12V car charger or AC wall outlet. It features two LED indicators and adapters for Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson phones. The device weighs 96g and measures 100x55x23mm.

Hankey, which released its first mobile phone solar power charger five years ago, currently offers two models of pocket-sized mobile solar power chargers.

Model HKS-MC007b is suitable for mobile phones, digital cameras and MP3 players. Customers can specify which mobile phone adapters to bundle with each charger, depending on the most popular models in their market.

HKS-MC007b is suitable for outdoor use and functions as an emergency charger. An add-on LED flashlight function is available.

For power-hungry applications, Hankey offers the Mobile Solar Charging Pack, which looks like a CD case when folded, but is actually fitted with an array of solar panels when folded out. It is suitable for mobile phones, digital cameras and other portable electronic devices, and even laptop PCs. It has no internal battery.

Hankey has also developed a portable charger that can be rolled like a piece of paper. The solar panel sheet can be cut to custom sizes by Hankey depending on intended applications, such as a backpack charger. The company’s five-man R&D team in Shenzhen receives technology support from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

FOB Hong Kong prices for mobile phone solar power chargers range from $4 to $22 per unit depending on features and add-on functions. Hankey’s high-power, foldable charger, however, is priced at about $203.

Interviewed suppliers from Hong Kong increased their prices over the last 12 months, albeit only by a small percentage, to recover losses from the continuing appreciation of the yuan. They intend to maintain price levels until the end of this year, unless the yuan’s appreciation accelerates drastically.

The majority of solar power charger makers in mainland China and Hong Kong are clustered in Shenzhen in Guangdong province. Because of the small demand, makers generally produce solar power chargers in small volumes. However, many of the companies maintain flexible production to accommodate larger volume orders in case of a sudden spike in demand. Some companies subcontract production, and others are still on sample or testing stage.

Shenzhen Rising Sun has been in the solar power industry since 2006 and has launched more than 40 models for use in mobile phones, MP3 and MP4 players, digital cameras and PDAs.

Rising Sun expects to increase its average output of 30,000 to 40,000 solar power chargers monthly by 50 percent in 2008. On average, Shenzhen Rising Sun can launch two to three models every three months.

Shenzhen-based Green Energy entered this line only last year. Aside from solar chargers, Green Energy also produces solar lights, solar modules and solar power systems for home, office and industrial applications. It projects at least three or four times increase in output this year.

Astech International Ltd subcontracts production of solar power chargers. Its core products include conventional mobile phone chargers, card readers and USB data cables.

Solar power chargers account for only a small percentage of the output of Hong Kong’s Hankey. The company manufactures its own solar panels. Its factory in Shenzhen can produce 20,000 units per month.

Established in 1998, EDP Worldwide is engaged in contract manufacturing of novelty items. It owns a 1,382sqm factory in Shenzhen, where it can produce up to 20,000 solar power chargers a month. Plans are afoot to ramp up the capacity, depending on supply of solar panels.

EDP Worldwide leverages its in-house plastic injection molding, mold design and fabrication, and tool-making facilities to accommodate customer modification requirements within a short period of time. It also has workshops
for assembly, silkscreen printing, pad and offset printing, and spray painting.

There are no special certifications required for mobile phone solar power chargers besides those traditionally required for electronic devices by the intended export markets.

The overseas market is still the driving force behind the solar power charger segment in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong as demand in the domestic markets remains low.

Mainland China makers mostly ship their products to Europe. The exported products carry CE and RoHS certificates.

Makers also see Africa as a potential market, although the market remains small because of the high price. Shenzhen Rising Sun is considering launching some entry-level products with basic functions in order to gain a footing in the Africa market. It exports all of its solar power chargers. Europe currently takes the bulk of its output.

Green Energy also exports most its solar power chargers to Europe.

The U.S. and Europe are the major export markets for Taiwan makers. In 2008, some makers plan to explore other markets, including Central and South America and Africa.

Hankey and EDP Worldwide of Hong Kong export 100 percent of their mobile phone solar power chargers, mainly to the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the U.S. and Japan.

Hankey exported 100,000 units in 2007, and expects to increase this to 150,000 units this year. According to Chan, the market potential is strong for mobile phone solar power chargers, and it will be boosted by growing environmental awareness and demand for green products.

EDP Worldwide shipped 50,000 mobile phone solar power chargers in 2007. It projects to ship 80,000 more units in 2008. The bulk of Sunny Solar’s exports are used in public installations and government projects in the U.S. and the Netherlands. Sunny Solar projects to export 12,000 units this year. It purchases LEDs from Taiwan and mainland China suppliers.

Sunny Solar’s SN-PL8/24 2ft linear lamps are quoted at $22 each, while the 4ft lamps are $37.50 per unit. A 500-unit minimum order is required. LED bulbs from Sunny Solar are from $3.70 for 80lm models to $17 for 400-480lm models.

According to Taiwan makers, continued growth in the mobile phone market is driving the mobile phone charger segment, including solar power chargers. However, this sector’s takeoff will be hindered by the high cost of solar panels and the low efficiency of solar power, as well as some technology issues.

Makers are optimistic that they can tap the island’s strong solar industry, which ranked fourth in worldwide output in 2007. The Industrial Technology Research Institute estimates that Taiwan has more than 56 manufacturers of wafers, solar cells and modules. There are also 20 system makers in the solar cell industry.

In Hong Kong, solar power chargers account for less than 5 percent of mobile phone charger shipments, according to makers. Suppliers, however, noted steadily rising annual exports.

Growth projections for this year range from 50 percent to 60 percent. Hong Kong suppliers are upbeat about the product line’s future prospects, citing the expanding end-user ranks for environment-friendly products.