PowerFilm: This Ultra-Thin Portable Solar Charger With Battery Bank Is Foldable for Easy Storage

PowerFilm Solar has just released a lightweight solar charger that will make tech geeks giddy. Not only does it has a small battery bank, but its charging "cells" are rollable, easily fitting in your pocket.

PowerFilm Solar's LightSaver USB charger boasts a small battery pack with solar cells that can be extended when in use, and quickly rolled in when not, allowing easy transport and storage. The LightSaver USB's compact tube design is a gamechanger too as it deviates from the bulky (and expensive) renewable energy chargers.

Retailed at only $99, the device only weights five ounces. It measures only 1.5 inches in diameter when not in use and 7.8 inches long when the solar film is extended. PowerFilm Solar said on its website that the LightSaver USB charger packs a 3200 mAh battery. Compared to solar banks available in the market, it's relatively small, but is a new revelation for solar-based compact chargers.

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Tree Hugger notes that the battery charges itself using amorphous silicon technology. PowerFilm Solar said this technology is effective even if you're under a shade or in low-light conditions, solving the problem of other solar chargers needing to be in direct contact with the sun.

There are two ways to charge the battery: via solar for six hours or electricity for three hours. It has a single 1A USB port on the battery pack that can be used for modern devices.

This is not the first time that PowerFilm Solar has unveiled one of its many marvels. Last year, the solar energy company launched a campaign to build a bigger version of the battery. Called the LightSaver Max, it has a whopping 15,600 mAh with a larger solar panel.

The impressive thing is that it takes roughly the same amount to charge as the regular LightSaver USB charger (about six hours). It weighs around 1.5 pounds and rolls into a battery set measuring 13.5 inches long. It has two 2.5A USB charging ports and a 5A 12V out port, and even a 660 lumen flashlight. Users can buy this for $275 via the Indiegogo campaign, though the full retail price may be $300.

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