Has the Israeli company Sol Chip found the way to do it? The Haifa-based company has developed the world's first solar battery that is able to recharge itself to power wireless sensors and mobile electronics devices. Operable in sunlight and low-light environments, the batteries are a result of the cross pollination of solar cell and microchip technologies.
"The company offers the missing technology that will improve batteries' life or in many cases eliminate the need in a battery as a power source in low power applications," says CEO and founder of Sol Chip, Dr. Shani Keysar.
"The idea is that chips need power, so why not give them the power directly anyway?" Keysar tells NoCamels. Prior to Sol Chip, she had extensive experience as a researcher at the Technion, and later spent 15 years in the semiconductor industry. It was during the latter years that the idea for a solar battery was conceived, from her initial research on how solar energy can be used to combat growing pollution levels from Haifa's many industrial companies.
The company's current product is limited to an output of 8.4 volts of power. Though it is considered a relatively low output, it can provide power to a vast array of outdoor devices. As a first step, the company has been working on adapting the solar batteries into sensors that are used widely in fields of agriculture, farming, weather testing, as well as security related applications.