Solar-Powered Dress To Charge Phone

Every hour your smartphone is idle in your pocket or bag, the sun is bathing the earth in enough energy to run the world economy for a year. The obvious fix here is to turn every square inch of your body into a power plant – solar power could be the ultimate accessory, more important than purses or satchels. On 5 October, a team of researchers said they developed a fabric that was made from cotton and two electronic fibers. One fiber generates power from sunlight, and the other, called a “fiber super capacitor”, stores the electrons and provides current, like a battery. The scientists said their fiber could withstand the bending, twisting and wrapping normal to industrial weaving.

Fixing rips in the fabric isn’t as easy as ironing on a new patch – connecting a new swatch into a garment represents a “delicate sewing process”. The new material has been tested at light intensities between 70% and 120% of the sun’s average, and works in natural and artificial light, according to researchers. The new technique can let them weave solar fibers and power storage into “many possible patterns and tailor them into any designed shape without losing their performance”. On the flipside, the wired fabric isn’t waterproof. The sun doesn’t always shine, making it only intermittent fuel. In summer, people wear sleeveless shirts and shorts. This means less surface area and less power.