At the recent Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, BioLite gave everyone a sneak peek of their new SolarHome 620 system. It consists of control box, 6w solar panel, motion sensor security light and two ceiling mounted lights. Designed to produce household power for off-the-grid dwelllings in India and West Africa, it will work just as well for those who have hunting cabins, DIY van campers and have to set up regularly in austere areas.
The heart if this system is this control box which not only gives real-time feedback on power, but also serves as an light, MP3 player and terrestrial radio.
They’ve already deployed thousands of these systems in emerging markets, and they plan to launch it here in the Spring. However, a limited run of 500 will be offered in November. Based on the existing deployments of the SolarHome 620, the World Bank has issued this spec sheet which gives some realistic performance data.
Tags: BioLite
This is such a perfect kit for off the grid hunting cabins. I’ve been arguing with my father about exactly this. He has a generator, but no battery bank, so, to run his LED tube lights, intermittent microwave, and a radio, he needs the generator running, which is noisy, and the excess power generated isn’t stored.
This is a really cool package. You guys did your homework on this one…