6 Solar Appliances Designed to Save Money and the Planet
6 Solar Appliances Designed to Save Money and the Planet
Solar appliances make it possible to live your life more sustainably, both in the sense of improved financial health and a positive impact on the environment. While everyone knows that solar energy is free to use, few people take the initiative to embrace the cost and carbon savings of a solar-powered life.
If you’re looking for a quick life-hack, you can easily turn all of your electronic devices into solar-powered appliances with one of our plug-and-play solar kits. For those that want to start a little slower, we’d like to showcase a few of the great all-in-one solar appliances that can help bring more sustainable energy into your life.
#6: Solar Lights & Lanterns
The amount of commercially available solar lights and lanterns in today’s world proves that you don’t always need a 400 watt solar panel to take advantage of free solar power. From small, ambiance-setting porch lights to high-powered security lights, there is always going to be a solar panel solution waiting for you.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are a few of the most popular categories of solar-powered lights and lanterns:
- Solar deck and fence lights
- Solar string lights
- Motion-sensor solar security lights
- Solar floodlights
- Solar camping lanterns
- Solar holiday lights
- Solar pathway lights
- ‘And more.
Most solar lights are designed with a small solar panel attached to the system that charges an internal battery. If you need a little bit more power and versatility, we suggest the Rockpals 2 in 1 LED Camping Lantern, which can be recharged both indoors and outdoors with traditional home power or portable solar panels.
#5: Solar Cookers
While some people may claim to live in areas that are so hot that you can fry an egg on the sidewalk, few people actually utilize solar energy to cook their breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Today, solar cookers may just be the largest solar culinary advancement since sun-dried tomatoes.
Solar cookers make it possible to prepare foods with no fuel costs or emissions. Commercial solar cookers are available in all shapes and sizes, most of which feature a large, reflective, solar parabolic metal surface that is contoured for optimal heat transfer to a central cooking location.
As one of the most sustainable ways to prepare food, solar cookers have been the focus of many initiatives. Solar Cookers International is a 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to improving health and community in impoverished communities with the free and abundant energy of the sun.
#4: Solar Fans
When the sun is beating down and making it unpleasantly hot in your living space, turn the tables by using solar energy to cool yourself down. Solar-powered fans utilize panels that are either directly mounted on the system or externally attached and placed in full sunlight.
Running on costless, emission-free energy, solar fans can always be run completely guilt-free. In some instances, solar fans can be great for permanent installations in backyards, attics, or mobile homes. Alternatively, with a small portable system, solar fans can be the perfect accessory for camping, tailgating, days on the boat, and wherever else cool air needs to be delivered.
#3: Solar Pool Skimmers
If you’d like to make sure your life of luxury is sustainable, solar pool skimmers can save you time, money, and energy on typical pool maintenance. Solar-powered pool skimmers are essentially just “Roombas” for swimming pools that are equipped with an onboard solar panel and rechargeable solar battery bank.
As many pool owners know all too well, traditional pool filtration systems can eat up a lot of electricity which translates to higher utility bills. Solar pool skimmers mitigate these costs, with silent and free operation throughout the entire season.
#2: Solar Powered Calculators
We’d like to take a second to remember most people’s first interaction with a solar appliance: the calculator. For decades, calculators have been one of the smallest and most widely used examples of off-grid, all-in-one solar energy generation, and distribution.
While cell phones may have phased out a lot of the everyday uses for calculators (there’s an app for that!), some modern scientific calculators are still built with a few small onboard solar panels.
#1: Our Favorite Solar Appliance: Solar Generators
At Shop Solar Kits, there is no solar appliance we love more than a solar generator. Also known as a “portable power station,” solar generators make it possible to turn all of your appliances into solar appliances with the ability to store and distribute large amounts of renewable electricity.
While many are quick to argue that they are “not technically generators,” solar generators essentially serve the same purpose as gas-powered generators. The only real difference is that “solar generators” are powered by a portable battery that can be recharged with solar energy.
Small Solar Generators
Many portable solar generators are designed to easily deliver small amounts of electricity to remote locations. A truly portable solar generator typically weighs no more than 10 lbs or so and is equipped with a carrying handle, internal battery, and a handful of sockets, plugs, and outlets.
To charge a small solar generator, most systems are typically rated to handle direct input from a 100 watt solar panel. Charge times may vary depending on sunlight conditions, and most systems can also be recharged with USB, DC, or AC power cords.
Large Solar Generators
With a large enough solar generator, it is possible to run an entire household’s worth of electricity on nothing but solar energy. With today’s technology, solar generators built with high-powered inverters and multiple kWhs worth of available energy storage are able to do anything that a gas-powered generator can do and more.
While we could talk all day about the possibilities of large-scale solar generators, we will save you some time and simply direct you to our list of the top 6 solar-powered generators ranked for all-in-one portable storage.
Final Thoughts
We hope that this article has helped inspire you to take action towards a more solar-powered life. Getting started can be as simple as looking into small solar appliances, but the possibilities are truly endless. With solar-powered generators, it is now easier than ever to power all of your appliances with emission and cost-free solar energy.
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