Gallery: This Phone Charger Uses Crystal Orbs to Focus the Sun's Rays
Photos by RawLemon01sunlight-02
A $149 solar smartphone charger called [Beta.ey](http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rawlemon-solar-devices) features a ball lens and minuscule multi-junction solar cell that can charge a smartphone one and a half times per day.
Photos by RawLemon02sunlight-16
The theory underlying the project is that gleaming crystal globes can concentrate diffuse sunlight, or even moonlight, onto a tiny, hyper-efficient photovoltaic cell.
Photos by RawLemon03sunlight-12
The crystal ball is paired with a dual-motion tracking system that keeps the sun's energy focused on the cell throughout the day.
Photos by RawLemon04sunlight-10
The hope is that these innovations will make solar power a practical solution in parts of the world where it's previously been a non-starter.
Photos by RawLemon05sunlight-08
[Ball lenses](http://www.edmundoptics.com/technical-resources-center/optics/understanding-ball-lenses/) are a novelty in solar power, but they are commonly used as a coupling tool in laser-based applications, endoscopes, and barcode scanners.
Photos by RawLemon06sunlight-09
In order to prove out the concept and generate investment he has put the principle to work in consumer product form.
Photos by RawLemon07sunlight-01
Pigments would add color to the globes, but slightly reduce their efficacy.
Photos by RawLemon08sunlight-14
The science seems sound and the entrepreneur couldn't be more passionate, but be warned that the federal government lost hundreds of millions of dollars backing solar panel makers with flawless credentials and published papers.
Photos by RawLemon09sunlight-13
Risk aside, if you want to try and shock the power industry, Beta.ey is [raising funds on IndieGoGo](http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rawlemon-solar-devices) until February 8th.
Photos by RawLemon10sunlight-15
Photos by RawLemon11sunlight-07
The unconventional idea to employ ball lenses didn't come to inventor André Broessel in a classroom or solar energy symposium, but at his breakfast table.
Photos by RawLemon12sunlight-06
Bold claims are plentiful, and Broessel is quick to point to diagrams or [YouTube](http://youtu.be/GMshcZZfEN0) [videos](http://youtu.be/IPJ92NoLlPQ) that demonstrate the concepts, but published scientific data or even rigorous white papers aren't readily available on the RawLemon website.
Photos by RawLemon13sunlight-05
He noticed his daughter was playing, putting marbles into her egg cup, which to most parents would seem like innocent play, but it reminded him of the [Campbell-Stokes Sunlight Recorder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell%E2%80%93Stokes_recorder).
Photos by RawLemon14sunlight-04
The Cambell-Stokes Recorder is an obscure astronomical tool that was popular in the 1850s and recorded the amount of sunlight in a given area by focusing it through a ball lens, which would then burn a trace into a piece of paper.
Photos by RawLemon15sunlight-03
He realized that if that concentrated energy could be applied to a solar cell, higher gains could be achieved in much smaller spaces.
Photos by RawLemon16sunlight-11
Broessel believes his innovations could lead to massive, quantifiable gains. "Compared to the maximum theoretical efficiency ceiling of a silicon cell of 33.7 percent, the concentrator multi-junction cell has already reached 43 percent efficiency of its theoretical limit of 86 percent and this is expected to improve through further research."
