Samsung announced thee launch of its new line of solar powered phones for India. For starters it has an entry-level phone, the Guru 1107, with all basic functionalities priced at an extremely reasonable Rs. 2,799.

It has every intention to introduce a more powerful touch-phones (called ‘Blue Earth’) with full functionality not very different from your average business phone or BlackBerry.

As of now, the Guru has FM radio, MP3 ring tones, embedded games and a torch light. Just the right kind of mix of features to entice rural users to buy it. The Solar Guru also offers a super-Indianized feature called ‘Mobile Prayer’: a collection of various religious prayers and wallpapers. Never thought religion could be marketed to sell renewable-energy friendly gadgets – but hey, no one is complaining. A good point to be noted for future endeavors. Next, we could have sudarshan-chakra styled hydroelectric installations, perhaps?

It must be noted that the primary charging power source of the phone is still electrical and the phone takes 8-10 hours of sunlight to charge for 4 hours of talktime.

Chinese mobile manufacturer ZTE recently unveiled the cheapest solar powered mobile handset called the Coral-200, a solar touch phone costing only $40 (Rs 1,890). Using Dutch-invented technology, the Coral-200 can give about 15 minutes of talk time for every hour of solar charging.

In fact, it was China’s Hi-Tech Wealth, which had manufactured the world’s first solar powered mobile handset, the S116 in 2007. The phone’s battery lasts 2.5 times longer than a traditional battery and can be solar-charged with one hour of sunlight to provide the user about 40 minutes of talk-time.

But what makes the S116 stand apart from other solar powered mobile handsets, is the fact that the S116 can even be charged indoors by candlelight. Now that is truly revolutionary.

But still, by mass marketing such tech in India, Samsung has taken yet another step in the right direction towards our goal. Hopefully it won’t be too long before Samsung figures quicker charging solar cells and more efficient storage of power (Koreans borrowing from the Chinese?!) Go Samsung.

The Samsung 'Blue Earth'

Advert for the Chinese S116

The Guru 1107

BHEL has commissioned two new solar power plants of 100 KWp each in Lakshadweep.making a total of 11 solar plants in the coral islands totaling 1 MW capacity.

BHEL’s Solar Power Plants cater to about 15 per cent of the Union Territory’s energy demand and Lakshadweep boasts of having the country’s largest solar power-based island electrification project.

Earlier, Lakshadweep was wholly powered by DG sets using diesel transported from the mainland.

As you are aware transportation of diesel is a cumbersome and costly process, largely depending on sea conditions. Continuous running of the diesel generators was also leading to noise and air pollution.

Besides, contamination of the ground water by the stored diesel was another factor that concerned the islands’ administration.

The projects will greatly reduce the problems faced in transportation and storage of diesel, besides safeguarding the fragile ecology of the coral islands hitherto threatened by the use of diesel.

Go Lakshadweep! That’s 1 MW of power that is entirely clean, and renewable. Another 5 MW, and an entire UT of India will be free of traditional energy sources and will go a long, long way in keeping the ecology of the islands intact - not to mention negligible power bills for the residents.

Farooq Abdullah is our new Minister for New and Renewable Energy. The National Conference leader takes over from Congress’ Vilas Baburao Muttemwar the erstwhile Minister of State. We never really knew much about him except that his hobbies are “listening to music and drama”.  Here is what he has achieved in the last 4 years.

On taking charge, Abdullah has said that his first priority is to spread awareness about the ministry itself, which is the ideal thing to do considering a very small number of people know about it (and we are talking about the government here; citizens have little or no idea). He plans on visiting every state and informing the powers-that-be what exactly it is that he is heading.

“I think I am small for New and Renewable Energy Ministry. This portfolio is bigger than me,” Abdullah told reporters after taking charge of the ministry when questioned if this portfolio was ‘important’ enough for him.

Good answer. Farooq Abdullah, you couldn’t be more right.