The Power is Out: Grab your Solar Backpack

If you live in or around Washington, DC or one of the other many areas affected by the ice storms in the last couple of days, you may have woken up without power—which could make your home cold and not a lot of fun. So what do you do when you are out of power? If you need a quick jolt of energy, you can go and get your solar emergency system.

It may simply be coincidence but at SolarTown we have been receiving a lot of orders for portable solar modules and solar bags in the last few days. It may be that people are shopping early for solar gifts for the holidays–or it may be that they are preparing for the next ice storm.

These solar energy systems were rudimentary even just a few years ago, but now are much better able to provide you with exactly what you need in an emergency.

If all you are looking for is something to power a mobile phone or a tablet, then by far the easiest option is a solar bag. We have a large selection of these solar bags. The larger device you want to power the more capacity you will need in your solar bag.

Solar backpacks will be able to power your cell phone with just 4 watts, but don’t rely on 4 watts for a laptop. Voltaic, which makes the best-selling solar bags on the market, designed its Voltaic Array Solar Laptop with 10 watts of power for a small laptop, and just came out with an 8 watt bag designed for a tablet.

Just remember that you can’t simply take your solar backpack from the closet and start using it to charge your small electrical devices. It will only charge when the sun is hitting the solar panels on the bag.

If you are gearing up for something a little more substantial to provide more energy, then you will need a little more technical savvy and look into solar kits. We offer various designs of these solar emergency kits from 97 watts all the way to 272 watts, and these kits will provide enough energy for some small appliances or even one of our solar refrigerators or solar freezers.

And if cooking reins supreme in your mind for an emergency, you should also consider a solar oven. But remember, the solar cookers work on an entirely different principal. Or almost entirely different principal, they still need the sun’s rays to work. If you going into the wilderness or even if you may be going on roads off the beaten path, then you may want to think about how you may have to start a fire. The Tinder Hot Box Solar Fire Starter can start a fire using solar energy, and you can also use the device as a signal mirror. Don’t leave home without one.

Don’t be left out in the dark or without food during the next emergency and think about how solar can help you prepare for the next emergency.