Pretty, practical, photovoltaic! Solar goes mainstream
You’re a gadget geek but you’re trying to be better about being a resource hog. You’re juggling world-changing conferences, phone calls to rally voters, hikes to save the rainforest. What’s a hyper-connected greenie to do?
Enter the solar backpack. Light-weight, durable, and dare we say attractive (at least to fellow geeks), these trendy bags gather the rays while your schlepping around campus or biking to the vegan BBQ joint. Once fully powered, most will charge a GPS, camera, ipod, or cell phone for several hours using special adapters or, in some cases, even a good old USB cable. Rechargeable battery packs serve as back-ups on cloudy days or after marathon code sessions.
Several companies have come out with solar bags recently, including Voltaic Systems , Reware Products’ Juice Bags and Eclipse Solar Gear . Made primarily from recycled materials, all of the bags rely on similar, flexible solar technology and boast durable, waterproof construction. With prices ranging from $199-$599, it’s a little spendy to get your geek on, but you’ll surely be the hit of the next Burning Man festival when you’re the only one with a working cell phone. And the bags are quite practical for folks doing remote fieldwork or traveling abroad.
What’s that you say? You’re more of a homebody than a geek-on-the-go? Well, pretty up your place with solar plant pots . The rays of the sun charge an internal battery during the day: by night the plants emit a soft, glowing light. Perfect for strolls with your cyber-sweetie.
California-based Lumeta recently unveiled a peel and stick solar paneling , which makes adding solar power to a building much easier and less expensive to install. Watch a video of it being adhered into place – the process is darn speedy (just over half an hour!) The paneling is only available for commercial projects at present, but should be available for residential in the near future. In the meantime, you can buy photovoltaic shingles , which blend seamlessly with your existing roofline but still allow you to catch some serious rays to help offset your rising energy bills.
With the prices of solar solutions dropping, photovoltaic technology continually improving, and global temperatures steadily climbing, it seems now is a good time for sunshine.
Comments
Eric Lee Jun 25, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I’ve been reading along for a while now. I just wanted to drop you a comment to say keep up the good work.
TJ Sondermann Jun 25, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Solar plant pots too spendy? How about some DIY sunjars? http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/homemadesunjar
Adam Darowski Jun 25, 2008 at 10:52 pm
OMG, I think I’m in love with the Voltaic Generator.
Michelle Riggen-Ransom Jun 25, 2008 at 10:52 pm
@Eric Thanks so much for the comment! I’m glad you’re enjoying the articles — we aim to please (and educate, inspire, etc.)
@TJ Pretty! Cool link, we’re big fans of DIY, especially if you can give your objects a second (or third or fourth) life.
katy Jun 26, 2008 at 6:28 am
This is brilliant.
James P. Burke Jun 26, 2008 at 9:01 am
I know it’s going to sound nerdy, but this immediately made me think of the Fremen stillsuits in the novel _Dune._
Are we moving in the direction of a “generator suit” where we wear our own means to capture energy for daily uses? Probably not, but it’s great to see more affordable practical uses for solar.
Paula Riggen Jun 26, 2008 at 10:24 am
I’m thinking these solar pots are a great way to start teaching my kids about alternative energy sources. Explaining it is too abstract; seeing it in action makes it click. And they’re cute, to boot!
Social Media for Social Change » Pop!Tech Guest Blogger Jun 26, 2008 at 3:13 pm
[...] written two posts there and look forward to writing many more. If you like dancing and the sun, please check them [...]
andrew h way Jun 26, 2008 at 4:01 pm
hey, michelle - great post. thanks. question: in the list of ‘chargeable’ gadgets i didn’t see laptops… is this possible with these packs? require some sort of dc adaptor?
Michelle Riggen-Ransom Jun 27, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Hi Andrew - thanks for the compliment! There’s actually only one version that I saw that can power a laptop (although surely there must be more - anyone know?)
The Generator by Votaic claims it can fully charge a laptop from a day in the sun. Read more here:
http://www.voltaicsystems.com/bag_generator.shtml
At least two folks I work with want one (including my husband!), but at $599, they’re probably going to need a raise first
Guest Post: Voltiac Generator | The Satchelist Jul 7, 2008 at 9:39 am
[...] friend Michelle Riggen-Ransom is now writing for Pop!Tech and she recently penned a post called “Pretty, practical, photovoltaic! Solar goes mainstream”. In the post, she profiles solar powered backpacks by a few companies, including Voltaic Systems. [...]
Guest Post on The Satchelist | Adam Darowski's Traces of Inspiration Jul 7, 2008 at 12:50 pm
[...] aficionado, so I wasn’t sure what I would write. Then, Michelle made my life easier with her PopTech piece on solar laptop bags. So, I talked about my favorite, the Voltaic [...]