Electricity, what an amazing phenomenon! In scientific terms it is the product that is created by moving electrons and protons that either attract or repel from each other. In simpler terms, it is what allows all of us to live this modern life. A lot of products are powered by electricity from mp3 players to cars. The lights that are "on" in our houses glow because of electricity and allow us to see at night instead of using candles. We don't think about it too much until the power goes out and it usually happens in the most inconvenient time!
Almost everything that we deal with in the IT world requires electricity to work. So, we decided that it was time for us to try generating this electricity "off-the-grid" by using renewable energy. It's not an easy task to erect a wind turbine, so we decided to start small. During our intense research into portable solar energy, we came across a company by the name of Goal Zero. The company was started by Robert Workman in conjunction with Tifie Humanitarian a non-profit organization, "on the principle that all individuals deserve the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families" (www.goalzero.com/learn.html Goal Zero Story). Robert was inspired to create his company after visiting the Republic of Congo and seeing firsthand that many people do not have access to portable power. After reading the reviews and seeing that their equipment was tested and proven in some of the most desolate places on Earth, we decided to try it for ourselves.
Goal Zero has a few items to choose from but for our purposes, we got the Escape 150 battery to store power and the Nomad 27 portable solar panels to charge the battery. The Escape 150 looks like a teardrop and comes with a nice carrying handle on top. It comes with a built in USB, 12v, and AC output which makes it perfect to charge USB devices as well as laptops. The battery can be charged by solar panels, wall outlet, or a car outlet. The solar panels are super light and portable. They come built in a nylon sheet that folds up into a nice rectangle which protects the solar panels during storage and transportation.
It took about five to six hours to fully charge the battery on a beautiful sunny day. There is a nice display that shows how much "juice" the battery has and after it reached a 100% we started playing, I mean testing it. We plugged in many normal devices, charged our laptops, and had fun seeing our lamps light up. The battery does have limitations because an electric water boiling kettle was just too powerful to be turned on. Goal Zero has a much more powerful battery to do that by the name of Extreme 350. All in all, the Escape 150 and the Nomad 27 solar panels totally surpassed our expectations. It was very educational to convert solar power to electricity and we are glad that if there is ever a power outage, we will be able to continue using some devices that rely on electricity. It is also great to think that this world is on the right path to self sufficiency and clean power!
Goal Zero Escape 150 Adventure Kit on Amazon
