Turkish farmers charge laptops using solar-powered donkeys

Village farmers in Turkey have launched what could be the latest trend in wearable technology: solar powered donkeys, the Daily Mail reported.

A group of forward-thinking herdsmen in the province of İzmir, Western Turkey, wanted to find a way to stay online on their long, lonely farming trips.

What better way, they thought, than to use the latest in cutting edge renewables and transport it on their trusty drove of donkeys.

In footage from Ruptly news agency, the farmers are shown attaching large solar panels to a donkey to power their mobile devices.

Farmers walks alongside the animal to help steady the solar panel, which can generate between five to seven kilowatts of energy.
When the farmers reach their destination, a man sits in the shade cast by the panel and opens his laptop to check the latest news online.

Mobile phones only use around two to six watts when charging, so in the right conditions, the panel will have enough energy to charge over 1000 mobile phones.

Shunning the simple life, the Turkish herdsman can now stay online, updating Facebook and catching up on the latest episode of Breaking Bad.

The farmers also claim that during birthing season, the panels are particularly helpful in providing extra lighting.