Solar Cells May Supplement Smartphone Batteries

The New York Times

Why don’t power-thirsty smartphones incorporate solar cells, to reduce the reliance on batteries? Because in general, the kind of solar cell that can be fabricated in a lightweight, flexible and durable form does not capture enough energy per square inch to make it worthwhile.

But a Silicon Valley solar power company thinks it has found a way to adapt the highest-efficiency solar cell chemistry, gallium arsenide, into a form that can be attached to a portable electronic device like a smartphone or a tablet. And a panel the size of a cellphone or a tablet would add measurably to the device’s longevity.