remember when everyone was using solar energy?

For 30 years, the technology to save the world has been in the hands of children.
Solar Calculator is a regular part of math class
After 1980, they hardly deserve any surprise or miracle today, even if one is mainly solar-
If the future does happen, it will take decades.
So why does solar appear in the calculator before the rest of everyday life, why today when we see it in the House, in the theme park, solar still looks so cutting edge, and combined recycling bin/wi-fi routers?
The first solar calculator was launched in 1976. The Sharp EL-
The 8026 nicknamed Sun Manor combines two technologies that evolved together.
The old calculator in his early 60 s is heavy and expensive (
By today\'s standards, they cost thousands of dollars), tube-
Desktop machine.
But with the rapid development of transistors and efficient LCD screens, they quickly become pocket monitors.
Only one size gadget for the processor chip is needed.
Released in 1978, Teal Photon is the first calculator to operate entirely on solar energy.
Unlike newer models, it requires bright light to work (
Pay attention to filters that protect the screen from excessive light).
Photons follow the sharp EL-
Released two years ago 8026.
It features an internal battery that can be charged via a solar panel on the back.
At the same time, advances in manufacturing have enabled solar panels to be first developed in Bell Labs in the medium term
The price is cheap and efficient and can be used on devices other than satellites.
Putting them on a calculator shows how low the manufacturing cost of the panel is and how little energy the processor needs to run.
The presentation of such technological achievements was fairly standard in consumer goods at that time.
When Texas Instruments wanted to push it-
The new transistor, they chose the radio as the first blockbuster application, said yeog Werner, who maintains the Datamath Calculator Museum Online.
Werner noted that the earliest computer chips followed a similar path, from rocket to pocket and wrist (
Maybe you have a cool solar LCD watch to use with your sun
Calculator).
The first solar calculator has their drawbacks: the solar panel of the Sun King is on the back, and the Teal Photon that appears two years later needs bright light to operate.
But in the early 80 s, sharp and Texas Instruments have developed solar panels that can operate under low or man-made light.
This drives low solar energy and connectivity.
Finally, the cost calculator has become the mainstream.
On 1984, a promotion for Texas Instruments provided free solar calculators for businesses that purchased TI computers.
A few years later, the Chicago public school paid $1.
1 million 167,000 solar TI calculators for classroom use. A 1989 trend-
Watch the column announcing solar calculator and astrology (
The same column announces the exit of cat Morris and kitten ducakis).
This model starts in the medium term.
Big, heavy and expensive.
Advances in transistor and screen technology have led to more compact calculators.
Newsweek quoted a solar calculator in 1990 to explain what solar panels are, while in St.
The Peterborough Times predicts that you will see more new solar products on the shelves in the coming year, including devices that scare away backyard moles and charge car batteries.
The technology that makes micro efficient calculators possible has also brought us phones, PCs, Game Boys, Tamagotchis and Furbys in just a few years, minus solar cells.
Some of these devices require small, constant power supplies to keep memories, while others just use a lot of juice, as anyone who tries to beat link on a long-distance car trip knows.
Although the solar calculator continues to exceed non-
Solar model of Texas Instruments, kids who insist on math classes often go to TI-
89 and other graphic calculators.
These are great for calculus and triangles, but they are too powerful to run on solar energy.
Created a low
The Power LCD screen makes the calculator efficient enough to be powered by early solar panels.
There were these models before that.
Instead, solar energy moves to less places.
Visible places such as lights and signs on the highway.
With the improvement of efficiency, solar panels not only appear more and more in large solar panels
But on the roof of the House and on the roof of the parking lot.
If Tesla CEO Elon Musk\'s plan is successful, we will all store solar cells for our families.
But that doesn\'t mean 80, 90, kids who are all busy making their house as green as a calculator today.
The solar calculator may have convinced a generation that the sun can power gadgets, but this is not the same as convincing them that the power of the micro calculator can flow out of the socket.
Professor and Futurist Cindy frevin says the problem is that people don\'t necessarily look at roof panels like they do with consumer electronics.
\"People accept their gadgets, but they accept their energy,\" she said.
They take it for granted: it\'s something in my house.
This could change as utilities and clean energy companies offer more consumers --
A friendly choice of solar panels and batteries, such as the Powerwall of tesla Motors, is a battery designed by technology enthusiasts and technology enthusiasts.
The next generation may not even want to plug their gadgets into the grid.
Texas Instruments, the manufacturer of all these school calculators, is working on circuits that draw strength from their user movements.
It\'s not too much power for the house, but as the tablet enters the classroom, it\'s a good excuse to take a long break.