A Solar-Powered LCD TV for the G8 Summit

Sharp's Solar LCD Via New Launches

Watch your carbon footprint grow fainter with Sharp's completely solar-run LCD TV. The sleek 26-inch wide, 20 mm-thick prototype made its grand debut this week at the G8's Summit's Zero Emission House. Appropriate timing considering what a hot topic the environment has been at this year's summit.

The screen uses only one-third the power of and one-half the annual energy consumption of regular LCD TVs. And while there are other companies coming out with “green” TVs of comparable quality (Vizio, for instance, plans to introduce a line of environmentally friendly LCD TVs that use half the power of its competing counterparts) Sharp’s TV takes it up a notch with its solar-powered panel, similar in size to the surface area of the flat screen, and its battery system. The latter is able to store electricity generated by the sun, making the TV available for use even in off-grid areas.

It may not be ideally suited to those in developed countries, but Sharp announced it hopes its creation aids in improving the lives of an estimated 1.6 billion people who live without utility-supplied electricity worldwide. Yet with, presumably, a big enough wallet for an LCD TV.