Anker brought a solar beach umbrella to CES 2025, making us immediately want something we never knew existed before: a solar beach umbrella.
Yes, a large parasol that protects you from the sun, while at the same time charging a portable (well, kind of) electric cooler with solar panels. The umbrella can be folded like any beach umbrella, as the solar panels on the top are flexible. The cooler below packs a removable 288Wh battery, and has small wheels for easy navigation, although we wouldn’t advise trying to carry this thing to a remote beach without access to a car.
And it’s not just the usual panels that Anker is using here. The company says it uses perovskite solar cells, which should offer 30 percent better performance than commonly used silicon cells. In fact, you can expect up to 100W of solar power in total.
Mashable Light Speed
The bottom line is that you can bring a bunch of battery-powered gadgets to the beach and charge them with Anker’s solar umbrella, without worrying about running out of power (OK, maybe don’t try Bitcoin mining).
Oh, and if it suddenly starts raining, this thing will protect you from the rain, as it has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.
A NASA solar probe survives a spectacular toss to the sun
Unfortunately, Anker did not share the price of the Solix Solar Beach Umbrella. The only thing we know (a vague availability date), as the device should be available in the spring or summer of 2025.
Do you really need that umbrella?
Credit: Anker
The cooler is called the Solix EverFrost Electric Cooler, and it can be purchased separately, without the sun umbrella. Available in three capacities: 23L, 40L, and 58L, in case you really need more cooling alcohol refreshing drinks. Its battery should provide 52 hours on a single charge, but you can also buy more batteries and swap them out if you need more power (and if you didn’t choose a sun umbrella). The Solix EverFrost Electric Cooler goes on sale February 21, starting at $699.