It’s summertime, the perfect time of the year to enjoy the great outdoors.
Camping is in itself quite a sustainable alternative to hotels, especially if we are very careful not to leave any trash behind and take with us gadgets that run on solar power rather than on dirty batteries.
I recently came across SolarPod, an impressive portable solar power generator which is perfect for areas that are not connected to the grid (such as remote camping sites). It is also good for sailing trips as a replacement for noisy diesel generators.
It can be completed with optional high performance solar panels and contains the latest in battery and invertor technology. MC4 cables connect solar panels directly to the device, which contains a high performance, green, lithium iron phosphate battery. The SolarPod is fitted with a 400W inverter, a UK 3-pin socket (or local required socket), 2 USB sockets and a 12V car socket. It’s small and light: 7.9 inches in height, 9.8 inches in length and 4.3 inches in width. It weighs 9 lbs.
The product’s makers promise a typical lifetime span ofGeneral lifetime span of about 10 years after 1500 cycles.
The SolarPod is much more than camping gear, and I think anyone who likes to be out in nature, has a country home or lives in a remote area could benefit from this mobile solar power unit.
If you want something simpler, a solar lantern is another great option. A solar flashlight is also really good as it is portable, and doesn’t require any special instructions. In both cases all you need to do is to make sure they get plenty of exposure to sunlight.
Camping involves cooking so why not use the sun as fuel, too? Solar ovens are great for people in emergency zones as well as people out in the wilderness.
There are three types of solar ovens.
First, there’s the Parabolic Cooker, whereby the sun’s rays are captured in a reflector which focuses them at a point under a pot. The effect is like a stove top burner or a campfire. Temperatures can reach above 400 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to fry food.
Another option is the Box Cooker. With these cookers, sun’s rays are received in an insulated black box with a transparent lid which lets in the sun’s rays. Inside the box, this sunshine turns to heat which is trapped in the box. The effect is similar to the oven in your kitchen. Temperatures can reach around 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
For other non-energy related tips related to camping, check out this blog post.
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