Candle Charger

A California start-up has developed a device that can charge smart phones with candles. A power outage - it's an experience all are familiar with and everyone dreads. The lights go out, the TV goes black, the computers shut down as their batteries drain. And worst of all - your smart phone dies. This scenario was one of the inspirations for Andrew Byrns of California startup Stower to develop the candle charger. Its simplistic design is based on the principles of thermo-electrics, which have been around since the early 1800's. Light a candle, fill the device with water, and you have a charger. That diffusion outputs between 2-3 watts, about the same amount of power derived from a USB port - perfect for charging smart phones and tablets. In an emergency situation a small amount of energy can go a long way. The company has also developed a similar device designed to charge phones over a campfire. Stower has raised nearly $27,000 on Kickstarter for the candle charger with 30 days left in the campaign.