Kickoff Summer With a Solio Solar Charger

Photo via Solio

Summer’s officially here! And the sunshine it brings with it means good news for outdoor concerts, backyard dance parties, and powering up your iPod or iPhone with a free source of energy.

Solio may look like a prop from the latest Star Trek movie, but it’s actually a solar-powered charger. Spread out the blades to expose the photovoltaic cells and soak up the sun – whether outside or through a window.

Even if you live in a place like…Portland, for example, where the sun can be so scarce that you sometimes doubt its very existence, Solio can still be a practical choice. It only takes one hour of sunshine to produce enough power to talk for 20 minutes or listen to music for 50 minutes.

When the clouds roll in, you can charge Solio by conventional means (i.e. plugging it into a wall socket or computer USB port). As an added bonus, it can charge multiple gadgets at once, including iPods/mp3 players, iPhones/cell phones, and cameras.

Better Energy Systems, the creators of Solio, put a lot of thought into how to design their product as eco-friendly as possible at each stage of its lifecycle. Besides using solar power, these chargers contain recycled plastics, are RoHS compliant, and have a long-life replaceable lithium ion battery.

The battery, as well as the entire device itself, can be sent back to the company for recycling. Better Energy Systems also plants trees to offset the carbon emissions produced by the manufacturing process, making Solio a green standout.

Get it here: Solio (H1000 $80, Classic $100, Magnesium $200)

The Klaxons Go Solar

Photo via MySpace

For a country that’s not exactly known for its plethora of sunny days, those Brits sure are excited about solar energy. Hundreds of individuals, companies, and nonprofits – including Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and 200 MPs – have already endorsed the U.K.’s We Support Solar campaign.

And the roster of solar groupies just increased by plus one, with “nu-rave” band the Klaxons’ recent announcement that they too have joined the campaign.

The We Support Solar campaign wants solar power to play a key role in helping the U.K. achieve its goal to source 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

The Klaxons are doing their part by recording the follow-up to their 2009 Mercury award-winning album – Myths of the Near Future – at the Premises in London, Europe’s first 100% solar-powered recording studio. Other artists who have recorded sun-fueled albums include Lily Allen, Block Party, and Hot Chip.

I am tempted to make a “the future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades” joke here, but I won’t. Even though I just kinda did.