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Prototype SunCat batteries designed by Knut Karlsen show an easy environmentally friendly way for recharging batteries. Once the batteries are drained, just toss them near a windowsill that has good sunlight, let them stay for a couple of days, and you’re good to go. Flexible photovoltaic cells wrapped around the NiMH batteries gather sunlight and send a trickle of charge to the batteries. With recharge times that long, the process isn’t exactly efficient, but then it’s still a prototype.

Karlsen aims to work more on the design, include capacitors and some electronics to make the process more efficient. Efficiency is the key word here, because it needs dramatic improvement, and that’s what would make these batteries viable.

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Via: OhGizmo