johnnymk
12-13-2005, 10:51 AM
PORTSMOUTH - Dutch inventors have created and a Portsmouth company has begun to market in North America a breakthrough product that already has sold well in Europe.
But the question remains: Is the American public ready to embrace small-scale solar technology?
The holiday shopping season could prove crucial for the initial prospects for the Soldius 1 Universal Solar Charger. At a minimum, it should attract a fair amount of attention because, according to its inventors, it’s the first portable power plant that uses solar power entirely to charge almost all types of mobile electronic devices, including all iPod versions and more than 250 types of cell phones.
This "green power" concept is remarkably simple - plug in, for example, an iPod, cell phone or personal digital assistant to the Soldius during the daytime, open up the checkbook-sized device to direct or indirect sunlight and let the charging begin. According to company literature, the power from the sun’s rays are transferred directly to the handheld device in the most efficient way possible.
"Though the technology has been around for more than 30 years, until now practical uses of solar power had yet to be developed," said Donald Doney, the president of mysoldius, the Portsmouth company that markets and sells the units in North America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. "But we think this will become big because of the direct correlation to everyday life," namely the need to constantly charge mobile electronic devices.
Doney has been around the consumer electronics industry, he said, "for a long time" and also runs a computer supply business called Origin Micro. Through a former business associate, Doney had connection to Soldius, B.V., the Netherlands-based company that created the solar charger using a cutting-edge technology known as MSPT or Maximum Solar Power Tracking.
Doney acknowledges that Europe is far ahead of the United States when it comes to cell phone technology and quickly adapting innovations that support the mobile electronic industry. In particular, Vodafone, the largest cell phone company in the world sells the Soldius 1 in Europe.
Doney began setting up operations here during the summer, and mysoldius opened up a kiosk at the Fox Run Mall in late October.
"We decided to begin selling in a kiosk to get customer feedback," said Mark Michaud, the retail operations manager.
Michaud said that the first day of sales produced no order until one customer saw it as the perfect gift for her father who was planning to take a rafting trip down the Colorado River but wasn’t sure if he had enough battery power for his cell phone.
Other retail spots have been set up at the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester and the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem.
Doney said that mysoldius currently has a staff of four and more than 20,000 units on hand for sale.
"I think cost will be an initial hurdle and be an uphill battle because people will wonder ‘why do I need it?’" said Doney. Soldius 1 retails for around $100 and includes USB port adapters. "But we believe when people realize that they spend around $4 to $5 a month charging their devices, they will see this is as an investment."
The company is beginning to develop a global network of distribution partners. Closer to home, Doney said there is a large, untapped market for people of all ages often on the go - corporate and personal use, for hikers and golfers and workers in remote spots and companies looking to give unique gifts to their customers.
The company estimates that the Soldius 1 solar charger is good for 90,000 charges. That equals five charges a day, 365 days a year, for 49 years. And it charges much faster than a traditional electronic charging device.
Convenience may also prove to be another selling point. Michaud said that charging on the run in a car using a cigarette lighter attachment is limited by the necessity to keep a car engine running. By comparison, he said, the Soldius 1 is a plug in, point to the sun and forget about it device. It also allows people to use their devices while charging is taking place.
The company is confident enough that the Soldius 1 will break through that they are already planning to install the solar chargers in and market specially designed products, such as backpacks and golf bags.
But the question remains: Is the American public ready to embrace small-scale solar technology?
The holiday shopping season could prove crucial for the initial prospects for the Soldius 1 Universal Solar Charger. At a minimum, it should attract a fair amount of attention because, according to its inventors, it’s the first portable power plant that uses solar power entirely to charge almost all types of mobile electronic devices, including all iPod versions and more than 250 types of cell phones.
This "green power" concept is remarkably simple - plug in, for example, an iPod, cell phone or personal digital assistant to the Soldius during the daytime, open up the checkbook-sized device to direct or indirect sunlight and let the charging begin. According to company literature, the power from the sun’s rays are transferred directly to the handheld device in the most efficient way possible.
"Though the technology has been around for more than 30 years, until now practical uses of solar power had yet to be developed," said Donald Doney, the president of mysoldius, the Portsmouth company that markets and sells the units in North America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. "But we think this will become big because of the direct correlation to everyday life," namely the need to constantly charge mobile electronic devices.
Doney has been around the consumer electronics industry, he said, "for a long time" and also runs a computer supply business called Origin Micro. Through a former business associate, Doney had connection to Soldius, B.V., the Netherlands-based company that created the solar charger using a cutting-edge technology known as MSPT or Maximum Solar Power Tracking.
Doney acknowledges that Europe is far ahead of the United States when it comes to cell phone technology and quickly adapting innovations that support the mobile electronic industry. In particular, Vodafone, the largest cell phone company in the world sells the Soldius 1 in Europe.
Doney began setting up operations here during the summer, and mysoldius opened up a kiosk at the Fox Run Mall in late October.
"We decided to begin selling in a kiosk to get customer feedback," said Mark Michaud, the retail operations manager.
Michaud said that the first day of sales produced no order until one customer saw it as the perfect gift for her father who was planning to take a rafting trip down the Colorado River but wasn’t sure if he had enough battery power for his cell phone.
Other retail spots have been set up at the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester and the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem.
Doney said that mysoldius currently has a staff of four and more than 20,000 units on hand for sale.
"I think cost will be an initial hurdle and be an uphill battle because people will wonder ‘why do I need it?’" said Doney. Soldius 1 retails for around $100 and includes USB port adapters. "But we believe when people realize that they spend around $4 to $5 a month charging their devices, they will see this is as an investment."
The company is beginning to develop a global network of distribution partners. Closer to home, Doney said there is a large, untapped market for people of all ages often on the go - corporate and personal use, for hikers and golfers and workers in remote spots and companies looking to give unique gifts to their customers.
The company estimates that the Soldius 1 solar charger is good for 90,000 charges. That equals five charges a day, 365 days a year, for 49 years. And it charges much faster than a traditional electronic charging device.
Convenience may also prove to be another selling point. Michaud said that charging on the run in a car using a cigarette lighter attachment is limited by the necessity to keep a car engine running. By comparison, he said, the Soldius 1 is a plug in, point to the sun and forget about it device. It also allows people to use their devices while charging is taking place.
The company is confident enough that the Soldius 1 will break through that they are already planning to install the solar chargers in and market specially designed products, such as backpacks and golf bags.