It must be the year of the solar laptop. Or something…

Earlier this month, we relayed a few images of a solar-powered laptop concept by Italian designer Andrea Ponti.

Not to be outdone, Samsung yesterday confirmed that it will soon offer a solar-powered netbook in the U.S., parts of Africa and Russia.

Equipped with solar cells in its cover, the Samsung NC215S will gain an hour of battery life for every two hours spent charging in the sun. Under perfect conditions, Samsung says the netbook’s battery will last for 14 hours.

Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor of the Telegraph, has more:

Initially unveiled at the Africa Regional Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, the new device has now been confirmed for the Russian market. It is also likely to be popular in African markets, where permanent sources of power are often not available. Samsung Electronics Africa hopes to reach $10 billion in sales by 2015.

Those who are expecting an absurd amount of computing and graphics-processing power are likely to be disappointed.

If, however, you’re looking for a cordless, minimalist machine that can power itself using sunlight — which happen to think is pretty cool — the NC215S may be for you.

Ubergizmo reports the solar laptop should be available in the week of July 3rd with a suggested retail price of $399.

Regardless of how well Samsung’s new product is received, it’s clear that solar photovoltaic (PV) cells can power much more than homes and businesses…

RELATED READING: Be sure to check out One Laptop per Child, a Massachusetts-based organization that aims to provide school children in the developing world with a “rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop.”