The best of rigid and flexible solar panels combine in SunUp, a product for outdoor adventurers invented by Brunel University design graduate Bradley Brister.
The problem, as keen hiker Brister describes it, is that currently people heading off-grid need to choose between a solar-powered charger that is effective and one that is durable.
Rigid solar panels, which are made of monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicone, are the most efficient, but they easily break.
The flexible options, made with a thin film of amorphous silicone, withstand rougher conditions but are much less effective.

"Solar panels are primarily designed for stationary use and current attempts at making them durable and convenient enough for use on the trail have fallen significantly short," said Brister. His solution in SunUp is to combine a number of small polycrystalline solar panels with flexible joints. The system is designed to sit snugly over a backpack, but it can also be draped over other surfaces, such as the top of a canoe.
This way, SunUp users can enjoy the efficiency of a rigid solar-panel with the robustness of a bendable one.
"The actual technology driving this project isn't anything new, however, the way it is combined is unique," the designer added.

Brister completed SunUp as his final-year project in the Product Design Engineering bachelor's course at Brunel University, which had its students collaborate with the outdoor-equipment brand The North Face.
The design...