Super Cat Alcohol stove

“The Super Cat is a small, lightweight and easy to make/use alcohol stove. Originally designed in 2004 by Jim Wood, this is considered as one of the smallest and most powerful alcohol stove designs available. Even better – it’s by far the easiest to make. A $.50 can of cat food and a paper hole punch is all that’s needed.”

http://www.supercatstove.com/

Lithium Battery storage for solar

2.6 Kwhr Energy Storage System – Lithium batteries 12 Volts connected in series. Pack Voltage Nominal 12 VDC; Pack Voltage Peak 16 VDC; Cycle life 3000 Cycles; Five year prorated warranty. Includes Battery Management system, cell monitoring of temperature and voltage control. Includes fuse and contactor [ battery disconnect]. Works seamlessly with most leading solar charge controllers and inverters. Max Charge voltage not to exceed 14.4 VDC. Cell balancing at .75 amps. $1650

http://www.balqon.com/store-2/#!/Lithium-Battery-Storage-2-6-kwhr-2-week-Lead-Time/p/38377246/category=2860254

solar indoor lighting for Baja living

Baja living encourages investigation of new solar technology. Paul at Zacs recommended a starting kit of 4 panels, 24 volt battery (Surrette Rolls are the best), an Outback power inverter and solar controller. This minimal system would cost $5000. A more appropriate alternative for those with limited need and resources is to use a Honda EU2000 generator to power tools and to use a small scale LED lighting system.

d.light S10 solar lantern

d.light S10 solar lantern

I ordered the d.light S1 and S10 solar lanterns. Both are in orange plastic with a stainless wire handle. I like the compactness of the S1 but the friendly lantern glow of the S10 also has an appeal. They seem to produce the same amount of light and I assume the battery life is similar. I also ordered the barefoot power firefly. I’m not as impressed with it at the moment. The main issue is the unwieldiness of a separate solar panel that connects with a long wire. Otherwise the firefly with 12 LEDs seemed to produce about the same amount of light as the d.lights. It was nice to have the gooseneck but overall is seemed like more of a toy and less of a tool. Barefoot powers larger light systems look interesting.

I’ll probably order a half dozen S1 and see how they fare. I would like to see a compact modular rectangular  solar lamp that you could daisy chain and control with a single switch. with larger panel and battery than the S1, perhaps a brighter lamp would also be possible.

 

http://www.dlightdesign.com d.light S10 solar lantern $15.95

http://www.barefootpower.com/ firefly mobile lamp 55 lumens and phone charging. Powapack kits to light a hut.