SolarPC Announces the $100 Green PC & Promotes World Harmony*

*If SolarPC's were the standard PC in the US every year it would result in the saving of more than 138 million barrels of imported oil, prevent 25 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and landfills would have a reduction of more than 100 tons of e-waste!

This article, found on the Openflows website under "Analysis: Understanding the Network Society," describes a $100 personal computer (PC) called the "SolarLite" which is now available and targeted to help disadvantaged people around the world.

Development of the SolarLite has occurred in conjunction with an initiative that seeks to give away a million SolarLite computers to schools in poor countries around the world, called the "Global Education Link (GEL) project." The GEL seeks to "improve education in third world countries and thereby encourage self-sufficiency and promote world harmony."

The article quotes a K-12 education specialist Dr. James Johnson as stating, "The Global Education Link project has the potential to break down the barriers that prevent people in the developing world from getting a good education." Johnson describes a recent release of the FireFox Internet browser which provides "a solid foundation" for the development of non-proprietary educational software and can be used to facilitate the creation of thousands of educational programmes that can be distributed at no cost to millions of students.

A spokesperson from SolarPC likened this invention to the the "twenty first century equivalent of teaching people how to fish." He describes the SolarLite as being "key to unlocking the educational potential of the electronic age."

The SolarLite is described as having these features: standardised, recyclable, easy to maintain, inexpensive, weighs approximately three pounds and book size (9" x 7" x 1.75"). It is designed with no-moving-parts, a "Compact Flash drive loaded with dozens of software programs, plus links to free development software and educational programs." The SolarLite "operates on 12 volt DC power and can be run from a solar panel, car battery, or human powered (with a bicycle-based generator). The cool and quiet SolarLite uses approximately 10 watts of energy, just a fraction of what a standard PC consumes." It also includes a 20-year warranty.

For more information about the SolarLite, as well as the Global Education Link Project, go to the: SolarLite website. It should be noted that the minimum order quantity for the SolarLite is 100,000 units.