(Image credit: Rik Henderson / Future)

The remote control is an essential part of any device, putting the viewer on the couch in charge of the action. But remotes don't always get a tick in the sustainability box, because they often use disposable batteries. Google, however, might be heading in a different direction, with a new reference remote launching.

The new remote houses a solar cell from Epishine (via 9to5Google) which is double sided, allowing charging from the lights in your home. It means there's no need to change batteries and throw the old ones away.

Because the solar cell is double sided, the remote will charge whichever way up it is, which is a little more versatile than other solar-charging remotes. That's right, Google isn't the only company to be looking at this – other TV brands already do it, including Samsung and Hisense.

This remote isn't actually included with any Google TV devices, and it sadly can't be bought separately at the moment – it's a reference design. Manufactured by Ohsung Electronics, it's a design sample so that Google can evaluate it and consider changing this for Google products.

(Image credit: Epishine)

Currently, the Google TV remote is rather basic and a little funky, while this design is a little more conventional. It includes the Free TV button that Google is now pushing, while it also has YouTube and Netflix in place, there are blank buttons to be filled according to regional agreements.

That might see Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK for example, depending on the deals that Google makes with different providers.

(Image credit: Epishine)

Google's latest device launch was the Google TV Streamer, a set-top box that expands on the skills of the older Chromecast models, but offering full smart home support too. Google TV Streamer features more connections than previous Google devices, runs Google TV – but still comes with a fairly basic remote.

(Image credit: Rik Henderson / Future)

Whether we'll see this new remote making its way into the box with the Google TV Streamer remains to be seen – the closest design to this new reference is available with some Onn devices, the own-brand Walmart hardware.

Until then, this is just another step towards a battery-free existence.