On November 1 consumer electronics company Logitech announced the availability of the company's first solar-powered keyboard, the Logitech K750.
The wireless keyboard is powered through an integrated solar panel which can be charged using indoor light. The company claims that the keyboard will work even in total darkness for up to three months. In addition to being powered by alternative natural resources, the keyboard is also free of harmful PVC-based materials and comes in fully recyclable packaging.
The keyboard is expected to be available throughout the USA and Europe in January 2011; the expected retail price is £69.99.
Other consumer electronics companies are also developing similar devices to meet the public demand for environmentally friendly products. Taiwan-based electronics company AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) has developed what it claims to be the world's first solar-powered touch keyboard solution for notebook computers, which is estimated to reduce power consumption by up to 20 percent. The device is expected to be presented at FPD International - an exhibition of flat panel
technology held in Japan November 10-12.
The SlimStar 820 Solargizer developed by the Genius company is also solar-powered. The wireless device, which is sold in combination with a power-saving mouse, was awarded the 2007 innovation honor by American consumer group CES.
Computer-related energy usage can also be reduced by purchasing Energy Star-rated products. The US Department of Energy calculates that computers conforming to this internationally recognized energy efficiency standard use 70 percent less electricity when in sleep mode than other computers without power-saving features.
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