Solar-Powered Picnic Table Unveiled, Charges E-Devices

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) - Students at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale have a solar-powered way to charge their electronic devices, just by sitting at a picnic table.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports crews last week installed the Solar Dok table made of recyclable plastics. It's equipped with an umbrella, four seats, a solar array, a 110-volt charger, a display box and two USB ports.

The table lights up at night and stores enough energy for two cloudy days.

A $3,000 device that provides solar-powered charging capabilities without the picnic table is being installed near the student center.

Michigan-based EnerFusion makes the tables at a cost of a little more than $10,000 apiece.

The charging-stations are funded by a fee students pay for environmentally projects.

*Copyright, 2014, Associated Press.