g'day macbirch,

what do the instructions say?

for solar collectors to work they need the direct action of the sun on them in most applications, so sun coming through a window may not be good enough?

sounds like the type of thing that could be used when you are somewhere say on a boat or not near 240v system to be able to charge phones etc.,.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

Well, I downloaded the fine print. The panel should be in direct sunlight. Its performance is dependent on orientation, temperature, season, cloud and shadowing. There is a warning that the item to be recharged may need to be kept out of the sun. We have plenty of north-facing windows. I'd love to be able to start taking more advantage of that. Is a one year limited warranty reasonable I wonder. Of course there are plenty of things one buys with a one year warranty but an expectation that it will last longer. This sort of thing is quite new and I don't know what to expect. I don't want something gimmicky that took more to produce than I'll save by using it. The website invites you to ring if you have questions so I think I'll do that. Wish somebody local was selling this sort of thing so I could have a look at it.

I found another one that goes in the window, stores the charge until you need it and the manufacturer claims to be carbon neutral. Expensive, but I want one! So then DS worries that it might void the warranty on the mobile phone. More research.