Sharp shows first 'zero-emission' telly
Solar power to the people
If your electricity bills are getting you down, then perhaps it’s time you started living off grid? And, thanks to Sharp, you’ll still be able to watch TV while cuddling up to Mother Nature.
Sharp's 52in solar powered LCD TV
Photo courtesy AVing
The electronics giant has shown off what it claims to be “Earth’s first off-the-grid television” that’s powered entirely by a single solar panel.
The telly is being displayed at the CEATEC electronics show in Japan where, because sunlight’s not in abundance inside, the firm appears to be powering the solar panel by a floodlight, website AVing reports.
Nonetheless, a Japanese placard beside the 52in telly appears to describe how the solar panel generates up to 220kWh of electricity, which is then consumed by the screen. The net result: pictures and no damaging CO2 emissions.
COMMENTS
@Matt Thornton - Twatspert
Here's a 9.6kWh battery backup unit for solar panels:
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/pdf.folder/backupPower-folder/9220100.pdf
See the size of it? See the number of batteries? Doesn't exactly fit under the Telly or in the cupboard now does it? Now imagine it 22 times bigger to approximate the 220kWh figure mentioned by Sharp. Hmmm. Might need a bigger flat to keep it all in.
That's what's got those of us with a clue wondering just what the blue peeping HELL Sharp is trying to express with 220kWh, cause it sure as heck isn't that capacity of the solar panel or an hypothetical battery attached to it.
Mine's the one with a 220kWh battery in the (BIG) left pocket powering the antigrav unit in the right pocket that make the battery light enough to carry.
OK pedants
Oh FFS... fine, I should have been more explicit. Normal implementation of solar panel technology incorporates the a) solar panel and b) something to store the electric in. Like I said - I didn't want to state the bleeding obvious, whereas you poor saps seem to need it spelled out in every last detail. If you actually thought that Sharp would consider building a TV that required it to be sunny, then it's time you stepped away from the 'puter and went outside for a while.
Power consumption
Uh...
Even in the 80s, you could get LCD TV-sets which only took a few watts. Those sets only took about 2 watts total, which makes 48 watthours. Of course it's trivial to power an LCD screen with solar powers. Unless of course you have a badly designed active one with useless features like colour.
For the record
I have a 38cm. set with built-in Freeview and all-region DVD player which runs from a 12V adaptor. I have successfully powered this from a 12V battery charged by solar panels.
Dear fellow numpties
First of all, El Reg just ran a story based on a bunch of pictures, apparently. And apparently they didn't even bother to ask a Japanese speaking person to read WTF is written on those signs. They could only understand the 220 kWh part besides the few English bits here and there (me too).
So, even ignoring that, why be so stupid with the comments? Or have you forgot to put the "joke icons"? You make yourself look like idiots, really... It's a DEMO thing, FFS. How interesting/marketing gimmickish would it be if it said "Solar powered TV. The panel is outside, trust us"? And then, who said the final product would look like that one? Only a retard would believe someone nowadays would think of building a TV with indoor solar panel, on the floor, in front of said TV. While you're at it, why don't you just complain that it also comes with an ugly sign full of stuff written in Japanese right in front of the solar panel, as well as a bunch of other Japanese stuff on the wall behind it? Gee...
