01 Sep South First Food Court Sporting a SolarPump™ Solar Charger
Now, charging your personal electronic devices has gotten a bit more ecofriendly with the SolarPump™ Charging station off of South First Street. Yesterday's Austin Independent Business Alliance newsletter featured an article about South Austin's Solar Charging station that we are drooling over here at AEN.
"South First IBIZ District is home to Austin's only stationary solar recharging station at the South First Food Court on the Corner of South First Street and Live Oak. SolarPump™ will allow the public to experience the future of renewable energy while charging electric bikes, scooters, cell phones, laptops, iPods, and lights. The SolarPump™ not only helps keeps Austin green but also promotes the benefits of shopping locally circulating money in Austin.
Designed in 2011 by Beth Ferguson and Dallas Swindle of Sol Design Lab with solar wiring work by Maverick Solar, the SolarPump™ was created to help people re-imagine the future of carbon-free cities, using the reclaimed body of a 1950's gas pump retrofitted with solar panels, the SolarPump™ harnesses solar energy to charge any item using a standard electric plug.
In collaboration with SXSW, the SolarPump™ has been developed and refined as a charging station suitable for outdoor events, college campuses and permanent installations. It has charged phones, bikes, and other electronics at the Cochella Festival as well as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and SXSW.
The project has proved to be a true community collaboration from conception to reality, involving the businesses in the South First IBIZ District, the Austin Independent Business Alliance, Sol Design Lab, SXSW, Maverick Solar, the South 1st Food Court, Department of Art & Art History, University of Texas; 4ms Pedals; City of Austin Cultural Contracts and Austin Energy.
Highlights
· Created from reclaimed gas pumps and other recycled scrap metal
· Uses two 175 W SunTech Solar Panels to generate 325 Watts of power
· Contains a 1000 Watt Inverter
· Outputs 110 V to a standard outlet
· Has a digital read out panel to show solar energy stored in the batteries and electricity used while charging electronic devices
The South First IBIZ District is a group of 89 locally owned businesses, located just south of the river to Oltorf. Follow the district at facebook.com/southfirstibiz or twitter.com/#/southfirstibiz. IBIZ Districts are a program of the Austin Independent Business Alliance, a nonprofit supporting and promoting locally owned businesses."
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