Charge the PC on the patio with a solar table
(Credit: Intelligent Forms Design)A fair amount of attention has been paid to the idea of solar-powered laptops as a perennial source of energy on the go, but there's no reason that the concept shouldn't be applied to desktops too as the greening of homes continues worldwide. Canada's Intelligent Forms Design addresses this need and--much to our liking--does so from the patio at the same time.
Its weatherproof "SOlo Lounge Table" (not a typo) not only charges the computer with built-in solar panels, according to Boing Boing, but it can also keep you updated on its status through Bluetooth signals sent indoors. The charging will continue even if the table is partly shaded, albeit in a diminished capacity, because other parts of the solar array will keep working.
None of this comes cheap, of course--$14,000, to be exact. But if you plan on expanding your solar ensemble, there's a natural matching lounge chair in the "Power Cube 600."
