Lenovo unveils solar-powered laptop that charges itself

Chinese technology brand Lenovo has revealed a prototype of what it's calling the "world's first ultraslim solar-powered PC", which looks like a regular laptop but runs on energy from the sun.

On show now at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), an annual technology trade show in Barcelona, Lenovo's concept Yoga Solar PC swaps out the laptop's usual top panel for edge-to-edge solar cells.

Solar energy from the cells supplements the power from the laptop's charger, resulting in a device that could potentially run for a long time without needing to be plugged in.

Lenovo has said that its proof-of-concept design can absorb and convert enough direct sunlight in 20 minutes to power up to one hour of video playback.

At 15 millimetres thick and 1.22 kilograms in weight, it adds this functionality while remaining similar in size to Lenovo's current Slim line of Yoga laptops.

According to Lenovo, the laptop's solar panel has a very high conversion rate – a measure of efficiency that reflects the percentage of sunlight the panel converts into usable electric energy.

At 24 per cent, this conversion rate makes Yoga Solar PC's panel among the most efficient commercially available today.

The company says this was achieved by using back-contact solar cell technology, which means that the conductive gridlines and mounting brackets are moved to the back of the cell, freeing the front surface from obstructions.

The laptop has a solar-first energy system, so it will automatically adjust the charger's settings to prioritise using solar energy as it is harvested.

With a dynamic solar tracking system constantly measuring the solar panel's current and voltage, it should maximise energy savings and ensure stable operations regardless of light intensity.

It also works in low light conditions such as indoors but using ambient light from a window or artificial light will only provide limited power. Lenovo says this type of lighting will be enough to sustain the battery level in idle mode but probably not through active use.

The Yoga Solar PC received mostly positive feedback from visitors on the ground at the MWC, who said it was "suprisingly practical" and "actually works".

Lenovo stuck a solar panel into a laptop lid and I love it! #MWC25 pic.twitter.com/sLJdUVrwAb

— Alex Maxham (@alexmaxham) March 3, 2025

The concept was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

It was not the only innovation showcased by Lenovo. Another concept laptop, the ThinkBook Flip, has a flexible display that folds out vertically to create a double-length screen.

The Chinese company also showed the Solar Power Kit for Yoga, a solar panel and power bank that can be attached to a backpack, tent or tree.

These come just months after Lenovo displayed its "rollable" laptop at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, showing a production-ready prototype of a concept design it first revealed two years prior.

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