A Chinese company says it has developed a mobile phone that uses solar energy to recharge itself and can provide 40 minutes of talk-time after sitting in the sun for an hour.

Hi-Tech Wealth, a well-known telecommunication products supplier in China, claims its mobile phone is the world's first solar power to recharge its battery. The company says a scale-like solar panel on the top side of the clamshell-designed phone can also be recharged by light from other sources including candles.

Hi-Tech Wealth says it has developed the most advanced solar power technology and owns eight patents and has applied for numerous others. Many companies around the world are working on similar mobile phones but their products are still at the experimental stage, said an official with Hi-Tech Wealth.

Zhang Zhengyu, chairman of Hi-Tech Wealth, said the company began researching the use of light as an energy source in 2000 and has invested hundreds of millions of yuan. "With more than 400 million mobile phones in the country, China would save a great amount of electricity if all its mobile phones were recharged by light," Zhang said, adding that the lifespan of the battery in the new phone is 2.5 times longer that traditional batteries.

In March, Hi-Tech Wealth exhibited its light energy mobile phones at the world's largest electronic, IT and telecommunication products trade show CeBIT in Hanover, Germany. The company plans to put six of its light energy mobile phones on the market this year, and another 30 next year.