A few technology bloggers once wrote that they do not trust solar power computers because they believe that computers operating on solar energy are not powerful at all. Naturally, with technophiles, the more powerful the gadget is, the more useful it is. Unfortunately, it also goes that the more powerful the gadget is, the more power it consumes.

Desktop computers are known to be big power hogs. They consume around 150 watts of power on the average, and that figure changes depending on the hardware installed on the computer. The power usage also goes up if the computer is kept on all the time.

However, is it really true that solar power computers will not provide the kind of flashiness that technophiles love? Two years ago, Lenovo proved that computers running on solar energy can be sexy too. Lenovo was definitely in the right direction when it launched its Blue Sky A61e PC two years ago.

This ThinkCenter PC model is lightweight at only 8 lbs, Energy Star 4.0 compliant, can run on only 45 watts, and can run on solar panels. Is it an ugly and clunky PC? Definitely not - with an AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core or AMD Sempron processor, 4 GB worth of RAM, and ultra-small hard drives that can go up to 750 GB worth of space, it is as sexy as most flashy, power-hog PCs go.

But you do not have to replace your existing computers with solar power computers if they are still running perfectly well. It is possible to run gadgets and appliances, even power-hungry desktops on solar energy. All you need to do is to buy two or three solar panels and use them to power up your home. The cost of one solar panel is only a small fraction of the cash you will cough up when you buy a computer. By Ara Pekel

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