The inventors are still working on reducing the weight of the device

The device, which is set into a briefcase, generates enough energy to power light bulbs, charge mobile phones and boil a kettle.

Patrick McGovern, 30, Steven Bainbridge, 26, and Samantha Payne, 22, all students at Suffolk College, invented the power pack as a project for their environmental sciences degree.

Their aim was to create a practical item which uses renewable resources, and the concept was inspired by a trip to India, where Patrick McGovern saw renewable energy being used.

A work in progress

He said: "India is way ahead of us, and we could learn a lot from their experiences."

The device is packed with enough batteries to power 12-volt appliances, and there are four sockets on the outside to power larger household items.

So far the students have managed to run a music system for an hour with the existing solar batteries, but they intend to improve it to power a whole room.

Associate Dean of Computing and Applied Science Susan Spencer said she was delighted by the students' enthusiasm.

"At the moment you can buy laptops that run off solar power but this could run your computer, your stereo, charge the mobile phone and also provide a light to read by."