It sounds great... until you realize that the average person spends less than twenty minutes a day outdoors. That, added to the incredible amount that solar panels always seem to weigh, (I couldn't twirl it like a parasol! Gasp!) makes this idea a little less than feasible.

Great Idea the military have tents with solar panel roofs running to a storage bank of bateries.The technology you are looking for is thin film flexible solar cells. Thin and light weight, and can be folded and rolled

SOLAR UMBRELLA.AN UMBRELLA PROTECTS US .APART FROM THAT IT CAN GENERATE SOME POWER.BUT ONLY IS SUNNY DAYS.IN SUMMERS ONLY..........

CA has more than 243 Sunny days. Most parts of Tropical and theIndian Sub-continent have more than 250 sunny days. Please checkup the facts before making a silly comment.

Aren't we using umbrellas when it rains? Therefore, when it is less sunny, Therefore, less charging?

However, in Southeast Asia, many girls use umbrellas to protect their skin from the hot sun. So, it sounds very practical there (for the girls).