Today I took a big step forward on my path to solar independence. I was able to recharge all of my devices.
I heard my solar generator turn off and I went in to check why. I thought maybe there was a problem with a loose cable or something simple. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that my solar generator was filled and that it stopped because it couldn’t charge anymore. I was thrilled.
Having a solar panel is an emotional rollercoaster. Days that you think will be sunny are cloudy, and days, where it is supposed to be cloudy, are sunny. The truth is that the weather forecast is a very poor judge of the weather. I did not expect to fill my solar generator today.
You have seen that I have increased from a 100W panel to a 200W panel which has given me less stress in keeping as charged as possible. My goal first in having solar power is to have a backup since my apartment power is not reliable. The second goal is that I use it to decrease the damage that I am doing to the environment. I have used 200W to charge: two iPhones, two ipads, two laptops, various electronic devices like Bluetooth mouse/speakers, headphone/mic, entertainment center, electric vacuum cleaner, massage tool, power bank to store electricity on the go, and other devices.
Right now so that I didn’t waste the solar power that I could be getting I plugged in my bug zapper so that it could use the spare electricity. I don’t have any other devices that I need to be charged. I have considered buying a small portable fridge that could easily power so that if the power goes out I could move the food to it to stay cool. I am not ready yet to invest in that until I have a more permanent housing situation. Once I do however I will have a backup fridge that is solar-powered! Yeah.
Now my next step is to either buy another solar generator which I don’t want to do or a power cord so that I could bring the electricity to my work devices. I am strongly leaning toward buying the extension cable since it would allow me to further use the electricity that I am generating constructively. I never thought that buying the 200W panel would give me the situation where I have everything charged up. I am so glad that I upgraded my solar panel.