A new low-cost solar-powered phone charger, the SunStream, will be made available in South Africa through select Vodacom stores.
Products from World Panel, which owns SunStream, are claimed to be the first to stream electricity from the sun directly into mobile devices, without the use of a chipset or PC board.
The patented technology circumvents chipsets and PC boards which often break on solar charging devices.
"I originally visited Africa with a solar prototype for household purposes and was consistently asked by residents whether it could charge their phones," says World Panel CEO John Anderson.
"I've returned with a product that is essential for anyone who owns a mobile phone but who has limited access to dependable energy sources."
The chargers are fully water submersible and are drop tested up to 2m. They are made with a shatterproof glass face and a polymer case which is UV stable and cool in extreme heat.
The products charge mobile phones at or near the same speed as a wall plug.
The suggested retail price for the SunStream phone charger is R199.
All SunStream products are made at World Panel's production facility in Colorado. Anderson says the facility could scale up to 10 million units annually.
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