I see Instagram photos, blog posts, and status updates on a daily basis that show incredible solar systems in place on tiny houses, travel trailers, small homes. Heck, even the beautiful sailing vessels shown on this site as of late have solar power. I awe at the engineering, the understanding, the translation, and the implementation. Two years ago it was all I could do to purchase a small kit from Harbor Freight, hook it to my ATV battery, and get it to turn on a lamp. I was dumbfounded. Unfortunately, times have not changed and my family still is not on solar in a way that would pull us off grid for any amount of time. We make do though with the help of some very clever products that work without being part of a larger system. One of those is our current lighting discovery: MPOWERD Luci solar lamps.
Perhaps what I think is most admirable about Luci is that its mother company MPOWERD™ “aspires to empower people everywhere with innovative and affordable personal clean energy products. Inspired by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that left millions without power, MPOWERD was founded by a group of like-minded individuals in 2012 who wanted to ‘do good by doing well’.” Not only do they sell a very affordable, efficient, and clever product, but they do so with a conscious and a desire to provide clean energy products and solutions for people living and playing on and off the grid.
I invite you to spend the next 4 minutes watching this short video on the ease and effectiveness of Luci solar lamps. Just hover over the video image and click on the red, centrally located, standard YouTube play button to view.
After having watched the above video I hope you’ll consider subscribing to the Tiny r(E)volution via the button below for a weekly video uncovering more topics of tiny houses and life on the road.
By Andrew M. Odom for the [Tiny House Blog]
Ultra cool lighting idea. Also good for emergency situations. Keep a couple in an emergency bag, ready to grab and go in a disaster.
I saw one and commented that I liked it. In the tent, it doesn’t get ‘lost’ under jacket or bag. It creates a pleasant and usable area light, much nicer than a headlamp and it doesn’t blind your companions. Keep in mind that you still need to carry a flashlight (or headlamp) too.
After expressing my admiration, I received one as a gift but my “gifter” chose the model that has seven colors . Consequently every time I want to use it I have to press the button seven times to cycle thru all the colors thus I don’t envision ever using it. Except to demonstrate it to a preteen who might trade me her simple, useful warm-white Luci for this silly toy.
In the tent, it doesn’t get ‘lost’ under jacket or bag. It creates a pleasant and usable area light, much nicer than a headlamp and it doesn’t blind your companions. It packs up but keep in mind that you still need to carry a flashlight (or headlamp) too.
After expressing my admiration of the first one I saw, I received one as a gift but my “gifter” chose a special model that has seven colors . Consequently every time I want to use it I have to press the button seven times to cycle thru all the colors thus I don’t envision ever using it. I would like to demonstrate it to a preteen who has a simple, useful warm-white Luci (and perhaps negotiate a trade for this silly toy).
I can see using these on a boat as evening lighting; they’d charge automatically all day long. Great design in the way they pack flat, too.
The Standard are $15 and the the color ones are $25 on Amazon. Nice review
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=MPOWERD%20Luci%20Inflatable%20Solar%20Lantern&linkCode=ur2&tag=opesougun-20&linkId=HG6WHSI4XDM35SAT?
All of the Luci lights on Amazon are sold through a third party that obviously inserts a markup. Go directly to the company site at http://www.mpowerd.com and purchase. They start at $9.99 and move upward.
It takes eight hours to power up and how long will the light stay on
When I got my first light I charged it in full sun and then turned it on just after dusk. It remained burning until I woke up just before 5am and shut it off. I had it on the low setting.