Green Daily

If I had a nickel for every time I wished my laptop battery would last a bit longer, I'd have... Well, I'd have a lot of nickels. While Voltaic Systems plans to release a laptop case covered with solar panels that can charge a laptop, designer Nikola Knezevic's has come up with a concept that goes a few steps further by incorporating solar panels directly in a laptop.

The case is just a concept right now, meaning you can't go out and buy one yet. But here's how it would (theoretically) work. That thick solar panel you see on the top is also a battery. You can detach the panel and leave it out in the sun to charge while running your computer off of a smaller internal battery. When you run out of juice, you can plug in the solar panel/battery to keep on keepin' on.

The panel looks like it will add a bit of weight to the laptop, but the goal isn't to go after the Macbook Air crowd. Rather, this reference design would be ideal for people who spend extended periods of time working outdoors. The design also calls for integrated GPS and Satellite phone features.

[via EcoFriend]