Hi there Anchor,
Good thread. None of my power here comes from anything off grid, so your post is a good reminder to start thinking about what might happen if our ageing power grid here in the midwest part of the states goes down. Well I'd be s.o.l. basicly, so I'll start looking at that initial investment a bit harder. I know current generation solar panels over their estimated thirty year lifespan, will pay for themselves many times over, but the initial investment right now is still just a bit too high for my current power needs. If we could cut our power consumption by a good bit, then this would probabaly be more feasible. I should really start trying harder to do that anyway.
I do have two of these portable magnesium solar chargers that I take on long campouts. They work surprisingly well. I just wrote about them in the Bug Out Bags thread. Maybe you could use one of these when you go on those long "walkabouts" (
sorry, almost all my knowledge of Australia comes from Crocadile Dundee).
Quote:
Originally Posted by raulduke
Magnesium solar charger
 
They'll charge literally anything that can be charged via usb or AC, and hold the charge for a year. 8 hours of direct sunlight is enough to charge my phone or ipod completely or about two hours of battery on the laptop.
They're kind of expensive at $150 and there are cheaper ones, but this one works very well from my experience w/ it.
|