The plug-and-play solar panel

Harvesting the sun's power to fire up a computer or tablet is an enticing idea in principle but challenging in practice.

But researchers at Intel have developed a chip which overcomes many of the obstacles. It allows solar panels to plug into and power a device directly, without the need for a battery.

The BBC's North America technology correspondent Richard Taylor caught a glimpse of the new solar charging technology in action.

You can follow Richard on Twitter @RichTaylorBBC.