On any given day, more than 8 billion mobile devices are powering up and connecting people around the world. No matter where or who you are, your mobile phone is a lifeline – keeping you in touch with work, family, information and entertainment on the go.
However, all that talking, texting, searching and posting takes power. It’s also not always easy to find a wall plug to charge up. And in excess of 3 billion people in the world either cannot afford electricity or simply can’t access it via the traditional grid.
Even if you are lucky enough to have abundant access to the grid, chances are high that you have had at least one instance where your phone battery died when you needed it most. Indeed, without a source of dependable power, the mobile revolution will fizzle out rather quickly.
Enter US-headquartered SunStream Energy, a fledgling newcomer determined to provide everyone under the sun with the highest-quality solar charging solution for mobile phones, batteries and other devices.
BORN IN AFRICA. MADE IN THE US
Company founder John Anderson made it his life’s work to develop a reliable solar solution after a pivotal trip to Uganda in 2011. While there, he witnessed energy poverty first-hand and realised the potential of mobile connectivity to create upward mobility.
With a background in solar module manufacturing, Anderson was asked to help people in Uganda with a solar-powered cooking device. He successfully developed a current strong enough to boil water using solar PV instead of solar heat, yet he was surprised by the response of the villagers when they asked him if the cooking system would be able to charge their mobile phones. They explained that having a connected phone was of the utmost importance as it enabled people to communicate with family, call for help if needed and conduct business. Initially, Anderson was sceptical – weren’t there products on the market already that fulfilled this need? The villagers assured him there wasn’t anything available that was reliable or durable enough to work consistently. So Anderson went back to his two-car garage in Colorado and focused on making a small, portable solar panel that would work for the larger market.
Anderson says that it was a wild ride in the beginning, but they kept building and learned from every failure.
Eventually, they were ticking boxes on functionality. As fast as a wall plug? Check. Works underwater? Check. Fits in a pocket? Check.
On 6 March 2013, Anderson charged a smartphone with a SunStream panel. Fast-forward to today, where the products – made in the US – are on shelves across Africa.
BUILT TO LAST
SunStream arguably makes the most durable and reliable solar chargers on the market. Their products are inspired by an enabling mission – to offer people a way to stay safe and connected everywhere, every day.
The result is revolutionary solar technology that streams electricity directly into devices, even in the harshest outdoor conditions. SunStream panels are portable, drop-proof, waterproof, and they’re able to charge many devices as fast as a wall plug.
A NEW KIND OF SOLAR
Other solar products require internal electronics, such as a chipset, circuit board, inverter or other charge controller to create energy. This results in an automatic loss of usable energy. SunStream panels are different.
With chipset-free charging, SunStream’s technology converts sunlight into electricity instantaneously at a 99% throughput rate, making it the most efficient and reliable portable solar panel on the market.
It’s also the first technology in the world to combine two extremely difficult international compliance standards into one unit. The technology is both USB 2.0 DCP-compliant and has a UL 1703 PV module certification.
The company was granted a US Patent and Trademark Office utility patent for the core power methodology innovation in July 2015, and has been given 47 design patents throughout the world.
