SOLAR POWERED WIFI
by Jill Fehrenbacher, 08/16/05
We pretty much love anything that is solar powered. So, geeky as it is, we were very excited to hear that solar-powered WiFi has been born in Boulder, Colorado.
Lumin Innovative Products recently set-up a solar-powered WiFi access point in Boulder ? making it the first city in the US to have a solar-powered WiFi network. The LightWave AP-1000 takes 5 hours of sunglight to charge, and then emits WiFi for roughly 72 hours.
Lumin thinks that the real demand for this technology will be for use in remote locations, or as a backup energy source when the power is out. I imagine that this technology will also appeal to fans of energy conservation, whether or not they have access to electricity from the grid. Apparently the folks running the Pearl St. wireless network have already noticed improved coverage and reduced energy costs from the solar power.
I hope this will be the first of many. Now all I need is a solar powered laptop charger and I’ll be ready to start blogging in the woods!
Via Engadget
What a fantastic peice of kit. It makes me smile to think that there are people out there joining up existing technologies in this manner.