Off the Grid
That was my office yesterday… I was completely powered by the sun, online via wi-fi. Macbook Pro battery never dropped below 100%, as I sat in the full sun and worked, connected to everyone via our chat journal. Talk about technology that will change our lives! The solar cell that made this all possible (on the right in the picture) is a flexible cell – folds up to the size/weight of a book – printed with some sort of crazy nano-tech process onto a rubber/plastic substrate. The solar cell, which you can buy here is about $600. So for about $2,500 per person, you can equip your team with enough gear (MacBook, solar cell, and EVDO card for internet access when there isn’t wi-fi) to relocate your business to the nearest beach. Look forward to many great pictures to come… LoveMachine-goes-the-beach, LoveMachine-on-a-boat, etc. Wouldn’t you really rather work for a company that can spend a day a week on lawnchairs in a circle at a park?
Great post! We need to hook you up with an energy storage solution so you can capture extra sun for those late night sessions.
hellois there anbody here i neeed to speak with philip rosedale about my second life account please reply to my email thanks ..
sean squire
That is pretty sweet but if you equip your team with a PC you could probable half the $2,500 price tag, lol ^_~
Awesome!
Yes. Of course.
Haha, awesome laptop Philip! Wish I had one with solar panel!!!!
My hero!
[...] lovemachine » Blog Archive » Off the Grid [...]
Are you using a voltage regulator? how are you connecting the macbook to the panel?
I’m looking to do this, combined with a hypermac external battery.
Phillip – Glenn with GoSolarLife sent me this link and I’m thrilled our portable solar panel is giving you the freedom to stay connected anywhere you want! Great photo, too! I hope you will allow us to use your message/content as a customer testimonial.
Everyone else – for more information about the portable solar panel used in this application, go to: http://www.globalsolar.com
Kristy Hageman
Global Solar Energy, Inc.
info@globalsolar.com
Hey Brian, you definitely need a voltage regulator with that wattage solar panel! We looked at Hypermac, but ended up going with Tekkeon power packs for more proven performance with the solar panels. Might check with the folks where we provisioned Philip’s setup.
So cool, and next step is of course sand proof computers!
Can I use my regular surge suppressor? Do I still need one?
Do I use my regular surge suppressor? Do I need one?
Wow Philip..this is so cool..what a contrast to all the power required for the Second Life servers..I have always wondered what the power consumption would be……Cheers Mate…Ginger
solar panels for homes are still expensive and requires some large capital to install*-:
solar cells these days are not yet very efficient in generating electricity.*-
Or I guess for the same $2,500, you can equip your team with better hardware than is available in a Macbook with a significantly better warranty, EVDO/Clear, Solar Panel, etc, and still have enough left over to buy everyone a monitor and lunch. Transparency isn’t needed to identify this level of wasteful spending.
amorphous type solar cells are the cheapest option that we cant get if we want solar power;~.
Interesting but where do you find a computer screen (or tv for that matter)you can view in sunlight without putting it in a box with black curtains and sticking your head in?? Now THATS the business to be in!
Love (btw you did get permission from the band of the same name?)
Also fix the twitter? note box obscuring text on site pages?
to date, solar panels which generate more than 100Watts are still expensive but hopefully they are getting cheaper each day ‘
even with the price drop, solar cells are still quite expensive if you want to get more than 500 Watts .
we have a solar panel at home that my father built, it can generate 500 watts of electricity :
i could only wish that solar panels cost only several hundred dollars, i would love to fill my roof with solar panels `*:
Interestling, could you update often?
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