I desperately want Lenovo’s solar-powered laptop so I can work from the beach
Could the humble power cable face an existential crisis?
A solar panel baked into a laptop lid — it just makes sense. And now, in the hopefully not-too-distant future, we could see it grace our list of the best laptops, thanks to the unveiling of Lenovo’s solar-powered laptop at MWC 2025.
With a design reminiscent of the solar panels that graced Wayne Szalinski’s homebrew electric car in Honey I Shrunk The Kids, the unassuming grid pattern on the Yoga Solar PC’s lid is the only thing that really hints at anything out of the ordinary – it’s certainly no heftier than a regular notebook, weighing in at around 1.18kg and measuring under 15mm thick.
Designed to harness energy in even sub-optimal conditions, Lenovo reckons just 20 minutes of direct sunlight exposure can generate enough power for an hour of video playback — a rather compelling proposition for anyone who’s ever found themselves desperately hunting for a power socket during panicked moments when you’ve needed one the most.
This solid — on paper, at least — performance is down to Lenovo’s Back Contact Cell technology, which cleverly positions the mounting brackets and gridlines on the rear of the cells, allowing for a very impressive 24% solar energy conversion efficiency (for context, most standard panels achieve something along the lines of 18-22% efficiency). The system can reportedly generate power from as little as 0.3 watts of indoor light too, quietly topping up its 50.2 WHr battery whilst you tap away at your quarterly reports or indulge in a Netflix binge.
Lenovo has also created a bespoke application called Dynamic Solar Tracking that monitors light absorption and automatically adjusts the cells’ settings to maximise energy collection — a thoughtful touch that allows users to optimise their solar harvesting efforts.
Solar shenanigans aside, it doesn’t compromise on specifications either, with an OLED display, up to 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and a 2MP infrared webcam for Windows Hello authentication. Under the hood, you’ll find Intel’s latest Lunar Lake process running the show.
Sadly for solar fans, there’s no indication of when (or indeed, if) the Yoga Solar PC concept will ever hit shelves. But we’re remaining tentatively optimistic, especially as it was unveiled alongside more solar goodies in the form of a standalone solar power kit concept that can be attached to a backpack or stood up with its own kickstand. Shine on.
Esat Dedezade
Contributor 
