This morning, I came across this story over at Engadget, about the Green WiFi project. I think this is awesome! It’s just a prototype for now, but a couple of guys from Sun Microsystems have built a self-contained, solar powered wifi hotspot using off the shelf components. It costs less than $200 to make. They are currently testing the device right here in San Francisco, on the rooftop of one of the developers.
This technology could be used anywhere, but the initial objective is to bring internet access to developing countries where reliable electricity isn’t available.