LG's solar-powered e-book may leave Washington and Alaska readers in the dark

It's always sunny is Seoul. Credit: LG.

Pleasing vacation readers everywhere, South Korea's LG Display Co. on Tuesday announced a new e-book reader that comes complete with a 10" solar cell, so that you never again need run out of batteries while reading on the beach in Hawaii. 

Unless, that is, you're in Hilo. That's the gorgeous coastal town on the Big Island that, counterintuitively, is one of the cloudiest cities in the United States. It joins Juneau, Alaska, and Quillayute, Wash., on NOAA's short list of places where the sun shines as little as 30% of the year. 

When you consider cities like Yuma, Ariz., (90% sunlight), Redding, Calif., (88%) and even Los Angeles (73%), it's only fair to wonder if linking the availability of sunlight to literacy might be unfair to those relegated to less sunny climes.   

A cool four to five hours of direct sunlight would improve the device's run-time by about a day, meaning you could go a whole week without plugging it in if all you did on your tropical vacation was sit outside and read.

Sadly, the solar e-book won't be available until at least 2012.  That's because LG considers the 9.6% solar energy conversion rate inadequate and is holding out for something higher, like 14%.

As seen in the photo above, the cell is actually a completely separate panel from the screen -- a configuration that leaves the reader to stare at a rather unexciting black square at all times. But the point here is the potential:  E-books consume so little energy in the first place that a well-placed, efficient solar cell could make a reading device completely self-powered. 

You're on notice, print books:  Soon the only people that will read you will live in Alaska, Hawaii and outside of Seattle.

-- David Sarno

Comments

[Miloje]

There aren't too many readers in Alaska anyway. That state still hunts whales.

[Ed C.]

Wow, that's an "enlightened" comment. Alaska's so far north you can't get much sunlight.

[AK]

Your article assumes that the solar panels need direct sun light to work. There are currently many type of solar powered electronic devices that only need natural light to work. For years I have had calculators that use solar power and I was living in Minnesota and Michigan. It reminds of people I meet can’t understand why there is hockey in California and the south, but they fail to think that all organized hockey is played in doors and it has been for the last 50 years plus.

Your assumptions with out hard research on the technology misleads readers.

[David Sarno]

AK, thanks for your comment. In this particular case, LG has said the device requires "sunlight". You can check out more details in their press release about the e-book.

http://www.lgdisplay.com/homeContain/jsp/eng/inv/inv101_j_e.jsp?BOARD_IDX=1773&languageSec=E&kinds=IN1

[InfoCentral]

Obviously that is indirect sunlight because if it was direct sunlight you wouldn't be able to see the screen.