Solar energy is a well tested power source that is already being used around the world for numerous commercial, industrial, government and domestic applications. It is powering water pumps in African villages, weather stations in the Antarctic and satellites in space!

It works by transforming the energy from the sun into a reusable form of electricity, a process known as Photovoltaics (or PV for short). Your solar panel acts as a collecting tray, helping you catch the sun’s rays. The bigger the panel, the more energy you can collect. The energy collected is stored for your future use in a battery.

Clean and green, solar power is a renewable, sustainable and non-polluting source of energy. It is easy to see the appeal of solar power for domestic use. Low maintenance and long lasting, it is a highly cost-effective and reliable energy supply.

The Surge features an internal battery which your iPhone draws on when needed. The integrated solar panel will charge the internal battery, provided sufficient light is available. When you’re on the go and unable to plug in, solar charging is a great way to get some extra power to make it through the day.

The Surge uses a solar panel to collect sunlight, which it turns into electricity. If your iPhone is not fully charged, it transfers the charge to your iPhone. When your iPhone is fully charged (or when it is not inserted), the Surge transfers the charge to its internal battery. The charge from this reserve battery will transfer to the battery in your iPhone as necessary.

The built-in LED lights let you know whether you have sufficient light source for solar charging and approximately how much charge level remains in your charger. Please note that percentages indicated below are approximate and that fewer LED lights will light up when the iPhone is inserted into the charger.

The first LED will light up RED to indicate the Surge is charging. This is anytime the charger is exposed to sufficient light for solar charging, or connected to USB.

Indicates that your Surge is charging by Sunlight or USB cable

By pressing the button next to the LED lights, you may get the following light combinations:

	Indicates that your Surge needs to be charged because it is giving the last of its power to the iPhone or is out of power. USB charging is recommended.
	The battery in the Surge is almost depleted&mdashplan to recharge soon. USB charging is recommended.
	The battery in the Surge is about half full.
	The battery in the Surge is almost full.
	The Surge is fully charged. Please note: You will probably only see this light combination when the iPhone is not inserted in the Surge or when it is still connected via USB. When you insert your iPhone into the fully charged Surge, only three bars will light up as the Surge gives power back to your iPhone.

To see the charge on your iPhone battery, refer to your iPhone user manual.

You can charge your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS with the included USB cord to hook the Surge up to your computer or the standard Apple USB adapter for wall power. Or, when on the go, you can just use the sun! You never need to remove your iPhone from the case to charge it!

No, your solar panel is not defective, nor is it less efficient. Unevenly spaced lines on the solar panel are a common occurrence and don’t affect efficiency in any way.

Certainly! Check out our Solar Planner to get an estimate of how long you would need to keep your Surge in sunlight to keep it charged over a number of days. This doesn't take into account charging via USB.

No, the Surge is designed for the size, contour, and hardware of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

Absolutely!

Simple! Place your thumbs (please refer to the illustrations to the left) on the lower section of your iPhone and gently push forward to remove it from the Solar Charger case.

Yes, scratches will accrue over time but won't affect solar charging functions. We recommend that if you need to dust off your solar panel, that you use a soft, dry cotton cloth.

Battery life varies widely depending on how you use your iPhone, but generally the Surge is able to almost double your battery life if you keep the iPhone topped off.

This depends on the charge level of your Surge and whether your are charging it with or without your iPhone inserted in it. If the Surge is completely drained (no lights when pressing the button), it’s best to jumpstart it via the USB cable for at least 1 hour without your iPhone inserted. This helps the Surge get started with some power for the LED lights and then the iPhone.

Once there is at least 1 green bar, it may take 12 to 24 hours in direct sunlight, or longer if through filtered sunlight (such as through a window) to fully charge the Surge. It’s very difficult to say exactly how long it will take to fully charge, as it also depends on your iPhone usage. Given the latest available solar technology we were able to include in the Surge, you will not see it charge as fast as through USB in this product the Surge recharges your iPhone quicker than it can re-charge itself. So once the Surge has given up all its power to the iPhone, it is recommended to recharge the Surge without the iPhone inserted.

There are two scenarios when this can happen: 1) When your iPhone is fully recharged and 2) When the Surge is completely discharged. In Scenario #1, the Surge is just keeping your iPhone topped off. In Scenario #2, the Surge is giving the last of its charge to the iPhone and needs to be recharged through USB.

The Surge is an Apple-certified accessory, which means it has passed rigorous testing by Apple to ensure it does not interfere with normal iPhone operation in any way. We have gotten occasional reports of this message and are looking into it, but the Surge still is working normally if you simply dismiss the message.

Because how much power the Surge gets from USB ports may vary, it is best to double-check the charge level on the Surge by pressing the button.

The Surge is designed to hold the iPhone tight and snug in its original form without any case around it, even very thin protective case and covers.