MAR 09

Wow, I'm really excited to hear this news too! It's definitely a small step, but a step in the right direction nonetheless. I'm very excited to start seeing more companies take the hint and start selling affordable, efficient solar products.

Interesting, indeed!
I just recently bought a Sun Jar myself, and though my wife was initially sceptical, it's now an essential part of our bedtime-routine to take it from the window sill, activate it and carry its candle-like light into the bedroom to use as a cozy night-light.

One thing having a solar-powered gadget certainly does is give you an object to remind you of renewable energy sources and general green issues. In a narrative, it helps to have an object to center the actions of the characters around. An object of desire, power or menace. Whatever. Solar powered desk lamps are a great type of object to center your eco-narrative around, if you're having trouble focusing on it.

This makes me wonder, though... The Sun Jar is 20 GBPs, and gives couple of nights at best of a weak-candle-like light if charged in direct sunlight for a day. Either the SJ is grossly overpriced (which I admit is very likely), or the IKEA lamps are really really weak. I also have an LED lamp (mains powered) with 21 bulbs in it. I would never use it as a study lamp. These ones look like they have 6-12 bulbs max...

Then again, IKEA usually makes a LOT of whatever they make, so they can afford to make them quite a bit cheaper than smaller sellers like the Sun Jar people. I'd love to hear from anyone who gets the IKEA lamps themselves.

Good news indeed. The lamps in the image look like they could provide top up power for themselves with the bulbs facing the solar panel. That is if solar panels react to artificial light. Not sure.
If it is the case, imagine a lamp with solar panels around the bulb. That'd be cool.

Wonderful. So many wonderful ideas out there seem like they're 100 years away. I really get most excited about options that can be done right away. Okay, so changing light bulbs is cool but we need more. Please, put more low cost items on the shelves of Wal-mart and Home Depot that can collectively make a difference. By the way, I wonder where one can purchase a low-budget exercise bicycle dynamo to recharge batteries, plug a printer into etc....?

These have been around IKEA's here in the Netherlands for a while. I've seen them and tried them in the store, and although I agree with all the above, I don't want one because: they're fitted with those ugly blueish LEDs, which are indeed quite weak. Not cosy or anything, and as you may have experienced yourself, they somehow do not create a type of light you can actually DO anything by.

Still, good steps, keep more coming up. What I found more interesting at IKEA, is that they sell kits of LED strips! Both in the blueish white and in multicolor versions (which you can set to any color mix).

I spotted this lamp on a recent visit to the College Park, MD IKEA and had to have it. Its portable, great design and holds about 6 hrs worth of moderate light [desk or pre-bed reading]. Its super handy to be able to pop out the panel to recharge. I'm a big fan!

These lamps look great - and they also show that there is more and more interest in using LEDs for interior lighting purposes, which is a really positive development.

If it is the case, imagine a lamp with solar panels around the bulb. That'd be cool.

And pointless, thermodynamically-speaking. You loose energy every time you change the form of energy, so converting electricity -> light -> electricity is inefficient. (If you didn't loose energy doing this, you could build a perpetual motion machine.) It's much better to just hook up to the wires that power the bulb and get your Work done.

I'm not saying that a device powered by solar cells powered by artificial light isn't useful, though. There are cases where this would make a lot of sense -- like, for instance, calculators, watches, cell phones, mp3 players, or anything else where the wires impede the function of the device. And a desk-lamp might fit into this category, too, if your desk happens to be located away from an outlet -- or in a place where the sun will hit the light during the day.

But combining a light-bulb and solar panels is like leaving the refrigerator door open -- you've just turned a useful device into a very-complicated heater.

That said, a light like this could still find its way to my night-stand. The cords make more things than necessary go flying whenever I bump the light, and running 120V extension cords around the bed feels like a fire-hazard, even if it's probably less dangerous than a chemical battery...

It is great to see solar power on the shelves of a major retailer. Even a desk lamp can get people fascinated with the fact that sunlight is being turned into electricity.
My only complaint: I was hoping for more exotic Ikea-like names for their solar lights (After all, I feel so sophisticated on my Sultan Fjordgard mattress).

I can't believe I am the first person to post a message here that actually has one of these lights! I also can't believe that the article above doesn't even give the name of the lamp. It is called SUNNAN and it is GREAT!!!
I have 2 of them (one on each side of the bed). They are the 'white' LEDs refered to above and there are 12 LED bulbs inside as someone above mentioned. The light however, is perfect for reading. LED light is directional, which means it shines in one direction verses all directions like an incandescent bulb. This is perfect for reading because all the light shines directly on what you are reading with very little waisted light eluminating the room, which can be annoying to someone else in bed.
As for the brightness, the SUNNAN has a lense that focuses the light even more and it is pleanty to read by.
If solar is just not your thing, I also have a JANSJO light I bought at IKEA. It is a plug in LED and is very bright.

Looks like i will be the second reader to have bought it :D
20 € at Ikea in France.

The demo lights were not giving any noticeable light and i was disappointed, until i tested one that wasn't on shelves.

Come on power outages ! I'm waiting for you :)

Yeah it would be cool to have a light with solar cells. It could charge the lights batteries and not need the sun.

I checked out the IKEA website. For the lamps pictured in the article (The "SUNNAN") the website says: "Light diodes are not replaceable; diode life approx. 50,000 hours."

In other words, this is a disposable lamp! I doubt it's more environmentally friendly to throw out a solar lamp every 50,000 hours, than it is to change the CFL in your regular lamp every 10,000 hours.

Greewashing indeed. We've been had.

First of all CFL's contain Mercury and can not be thrown away, they must be disposed of as hazerdous waist or recycled (by the way, IKEA recycles CFLs...not many palces do). So it is actually more environmentaly friendly to through away an LED light than any CFL.

And another thing..... :) ... if you used this (or any LED) for 4 hours a night, EVERY night, it would still last 34 years.....not bad for a light that has used NO electricity and only costs $20.

Also, just so everyone know, these lights uses rechargeable batteries that can be changed when they no longer hold a full charge. IKEA also sells teh rechargeable batteries and they are a MUCH better deal than most palces.

The SUNNAN lamps which are displayed in stores are usually depleted by the time you get to them; the very dim output that you see is from light energy gathered from sitting under the store lights. In most stores, the only place to charge the lamps without having them stolen or lost is on the roof of the store, which makes recharging them everyday impractical.

To get a better gauge of the potential brightness of the lamp, remove one from the package (they're in plastic pouches) and turn it on, as they're charged right before they ship. Then, of course, repackage it.

I'm really excited to hear this news too! It's definitely a small step, but a step in the right direction nonetheless. I'm very excited to start seeing more companies take the hint and start selling affordable, efficient solar products.

IKEA solar lights price are very low.I am sure they will sell a lot of solar lights.

I'm not surprised IKEA came out with this line of lights. They are always innovative when it comes to design, very forward thinking.

I'm very excited to start seeing more companies take the hint and start selling affordable, efficient solar products.

I'm not surprised IKEA came out with this line of lights. They are always innovative when it comes to design, very forward thinking.

To get a better gauge of the potential brightness of the lamp, remove one from the package (they're in plastic pouches) and turn it on, as they're charged right before they ship. Then, of course, repackage it