Introduction
Laptops, notebooks, netbooks… these names are somewhat interchangeable, but the concept is still the same. A portable computer that can be transported from place to place and be used anywhere. It’s difficult to say who first invented the notebook, but one name that keeps being bandied about is Adam Osborne. Osborne’s “Osborne 1” was introduced in 1981 and didn’t look anything like the devices that are used today: thin, light, large screens can play slide shows (with the help from Power Point) and also play DVD’s and CD’s. This device weighed 20 lbs., had basic graphics, needed an external power supply, had only 64KB of RAM, had a basic CP/M operating system and cost…$1800.00.1 Lot of money back then.
Needless to say, many things have changed along with the cost. But one thing hasn’t. That thing is power. All notebooks need power and have an internal power supply consisting of voltaic cells or batteries as we call them. These devices also come with a power cord so one could connect the device to an A/C source. The cells are usually in multiple sets from 4 to 12 cells and they add extra weight. Once the cells are depleted, one connects to an A/C source or put in new cells or you’re out of luck. Many have wished to harness another source that’s cheap and plentiful. One name that keeps coming up is Solar Power.
Solar power would be ideal because nothing is cheaper and more available than sunlight. You could be just about anywhere and if the sun’s out, there’s your power. The notebook could recharge itself if you’re outside in the sunlight in say Phoenix or Nairobi or for that matter Antarctica and the charge could last sometime. Another issue that comes up is if the device is indoors. Well, many solar devices can take incandescent or florescent light from those sources and transform it into power that the devices could use. And so can a solar notebook.