“Photovoltaic Cruiser” Provides Portable Solar Power
[a child in rural Pucallpa, Peru; Creative Commons photo by sdpuckett]
What started as a dinnertime conversation could revolutionize disaster relief. Chuck Cooper and his friend Jim Shamp were chatting about a neighbor’s free-standing home photovoltaic system. What if, they wondered, you built something like this on a truck that could help out areas in need to electricity? Cooper, a North Carolina environmental entrepreneur, took that idea and ran with it.
He developed a prototype trailer equipped with 12 solar panels that produce about 2,400 watts of electricity: enough to power a small water filtration system, a satellite phone, and a small medical clinic including medical-grade refrigeration. A typical, fossil-fueled home generator produces around 3,000 watts. Conventional generators are also noisy and produce greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide.
Cooper nicknamed the trailer the “PV Cruiser,” short for photovoltaic cruiser, and has co-founded Solus International with his son to market the invention. The PV Cruiser has had humble jobs, like powering appliances in Cooper’s farmhouse, and fancier gigs, such as giving juice to Bonnaroo’s solar stage.
While showcasing solar power at venues like Bonnaroo is pretty cool, that isn’t exactly Solus International’s main mission. Cooper was looking to lend out the Cruiser free of charge to a nonprofit for field testing. This Fall, the Cruiser is headed to Peru for its pilot mission. The plan is to bring water purification, medical care, and power to Peru’s needy rural areas. Currently, about 70% of Peru’s rural and isolated communities are completely without electricity.
The PV Cruiser can be customized with a number of “modules” to meet the needs of the area where its headed. Customizations include:
- Water Purification and Desalination Systems
- Medical Supply Storage and Refrigeration
- Advanced Wireless Telecommunications
- Mobile Irrigation Systems and Water Pumps
- Mobile Veterinary Solutions
- On-Board Radiography and Portable X-Ray Units
Pretty exciting! By providing dependable, sustainable power to poverty-stricken areas, the PV Cruiser could change the face of disaster relief and the war on poverty.
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About the Author
Becky Striepe Hi there! I'm Becky Striepe, a green crafter and vegan foodie living in Atlanta, Georgia with my husband and two cats. My mission is to make eco-friendly crafts and vegan food accessible to anyone who wants to give them a go. If you like my work, you can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
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