Yesterday, I finally crumbled and retired my Blackberry for an iPhone. So it was with utter shock that I scanned the news this morning to discover that Apple has filed a patent application for a solar powered iPhone and iPod. Just my luck – a solar energy writer missing the solar powered cell phone news by a day!

In all seriousness, this is an exciting advancement for solar energy. Believe it or not, a lot of electricity consumed in households and businesses across America comes from electronics that are plugged into the wall but are not powered on. Such devices continue to draw electricity and create something known as a “phantom load,” which can make up a large percentage of a buildings electricity usage. Unplugging devices and powering them by means of solar energy has the potential to decrease the demand on our power grid, which will face significant strain as our society continues to embrace digital technology and also electrifies the transportation sector.

Bringing electronics off the grid and powering them with solar cells is an attractive alternative in a world that is becoming increasingly energy conscious. Think of all your friends with iPhones, Blackberries, iPods, Kindles, etc. Our societal reliance on such devices is only going to get stronger. Apple is ahead of the curve by trying to find a renewable way in which to power our digital extremities. Let’s just hope the company will let me exchange my new iPhone for the solar one if it hits the marketplace.