There’s nothing more frustrating than your laptop running out of juice in the middle of an important download, but if you are not on shore power sometimes electricity can be scarce and the luxury of plugging back in to the mains may not be an option.

Fortunately Global Satellite USA has announced the release of the new solar bag, the Generator. The bag produces enough solar power to fully charge a laptop from less than a day in the sun meaning you never have to be caught out again.

The new Generator features a sleek, high-efficiency 15 Watt solar panel. In about five hours of full sunshine, the panel recharges a custom-designed battery pack, which efficiently captures and stores solar power until needed. The battery holds the equivalent of a full laptop charge and can also be charged from a wall outlet.

For each hour in the sun, the Generator extends laptop run time by 20-45 minutes, depending on the efficiency of the laptop. An hour in the sun also generates enough power to fully charge most phones, MP3 players and small cameras.

The bag is stylishly constructed from fabrics made with recycled soda bottles (PET) which are tough, waterproof and UV resistant. It includes a protective frame and padded laptop sleeve with storage room for other electronics, notebooks etc. The solar panels come in five colour options:orange, silver, green, white and a more discrete black.

The bag is available at $499 and includes:-
High-efficiency solar panel that can generate up to 15 Watts of power
58Wh LiIon battery, about the same capacity as a typical laptop battery
Common adaptors for easy connection to most laptops, phones and other handheld electronics
Versatile computer bag made from recycled soda bottles (PET)