Solar trackers can increase power generated by a solar panel by orienting the panel towards the sun throughout the day. This decreases the amount (and cost) of PV required to generate a given amount of...
This post is out of date. Please head over to our updated Solar for Arduino guide for more information. We get a lot of questions about how to run an Arduino off of solar panels....
Have a solar panel and are looking to mount it? You have a lot of options, from the standard ground mounts, roof mounts, pole mounts, to RV mounts and a range of solutions that will secure your panel. We...
We recently read a report by the GSMA that lays out the economics for solar charging phones in developing countries. In one field study in Kenya, they found that phone users spend about $0.25 cents to charge a...
We love it when people mod our bags to suit their own purposes. A company outside of Alberta, Canada is taking our Converter solar backpacks, fitting it with a much bigger battery and connecting it to a...
We test-charged an iPad with our solar backpack and it worked, but with two caveats: 1) The iPad charges from a USB port like a phone, but its battery is 25 Watt hours (about 5x that of an iPhone), so charging...
Location: Sub-Saharan Africa Charges: MacBook Pro. Canterio International is an NGO that works with orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. As part of the Pangaea Project, they travel into remote villages without...
Location: The Australian Wildlife Conservancy Mount Zero / Taravale Sanctuary. The Backpack's owner is Jay Riedl, the Development Executive for Wildlife Australia Fund. Solar charges: While visiting the...
Location: Kwala, Tanzania Solar Charges: A variety of devices, but cell phones were the most critical. The solar Messenger bag was used by SmallBean, a non-profit that brings electronics to citizens in...
Location: The half-pipe at Cypress Mountain at the 2010 Olympics Solar Charges: AT&T Mythic phone, Samsung HMX-R10 camcorder and Samsung TL225 DualView Camera. Karl and Jeremiah are video makers with...
Location: Rural area of Les Cayes Solar Charges: Blackberries and Walkie Talkies (both Mini USB adapters). Joshua from goodeater was part of a team conducting interviews with refugees from Port-au-Prince to...
Location: Where: Sela (or Se pass), the mountain pass from West Kameng district into Tawang. It is all in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in North East India. Charges: The Oxford University Expedition Team...
Location: Jacksonville, OR, home of our friends at Rain Tech who make rain water control products. Charges: "I love this thing. I take it out in the field with me to keep my phone, camera and WiFi...
Charges: Cell phones and used in venom extraction (yes, that's a first for us) Location: South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Syria, Costa Rica, Fiji, Belize, USA and Bahamas. "Fell in the...
Location: Mt. Acongcagua, Argentina -- 13,300 to 18,000 feet Charges: Acer Aspire One, Yaesu Radios, Sat phones "and of course iPods" The Climb for Prostate team from British Columbia set out to raise...
Location: A poster promoting a bank's rewards program found inside the NYC subway. We found this amusing because one of our employees rides around Manhattan with a very cool Strida folding bike and of course a...
Location: Parramos, Guatemala Northwest of Antigua Charges: iPod, locally purchased LG phone and Kodak camera -- "We spend a lot of time in the rural villages and are always on the road so the...
