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Sustainability News

March 10, 2015

RentDevices1A phone charger powered by the sun, a lantern with state-of-the-art solar panels, and a kinetic USB or laptop charger that powers up in your pocket while you walk are just a few of the devices you could checkout through the Household Independent Power Project’s (HIPP) Personal Power Lending Library at ASU. HIPP has chosen ASU as one of three US project sites for spring 2015 under the “PowerUp” slogan. The PowerUp Lending Library facilitates access to renewable-energy-powered electronics and communication devices and investigation of the potential for mainstreaming such devices in the US and, ultimately, across the world.

Students, faculty, and staff that have an ASU ID are all eligible to check out these devices for up to two weeks. As this project is also being used for research, those who check out these devices will be asked to complete a short follow up survey to gauge each participant’s experience using the devices. To see what’s available please follow this link.

Elisa Graffy, project director of the HIPP, seeks out devices with proven market success and high approval ratings to include in the PowerUp Lending Library. In a recent report by Clapway, the Solar JOOS Orange, one of the devices available to rent, was noted as one of the best solar power chargers available. This device is designed to charge all personal electric devices, such as cell phones, smart phones, laptops, iPads, portable game devices, and more. With only one hour of charging yielding two hours of 3G talk time, the Solar JOOS Orange tops the list due to its ability to capture up to 20 times more energy than any other solar charger device on the market today. Graffy carefully selected all of the renewable energy devices available through the PowerUp Lending Library to make sure that users were being presented with only the best options. You can check out the Solar JOOS Orange here.

The purpose of the HIPP is to conduct investigations and engagement around personal and household-scale decisions, innovation, and behavior related to broader questions of sustainable energy system transitions. Because most renewable energy products available are rarely seen outside of niche markets for outdoor recreation enthusiasts, HIPP is interested in how these devices fit into the modern day household. Previous surveys have already indicated consumer preferences for convenient and “green” options to their devices yet have not necessarily been presented these options through the market. The project therefore systematically explores factors associated with availability, uptake and scarcity of these sorts of products to derive hypotheses about policy, market, R&D and educational advances in this arena.

LightWorks is committed to delivering market-ready solutions that integrate renewable energy and technology. By investigating which devices are most useful for modern-day households through the HIPP PowerUp Lending Library, we are able to gain a better understanding of which devices will be the most practical for today and for future markets. To learn more about the HIPP PowerUp Lending Library please visit this website.

Written by Gabrielle Olson, ASU LightWorks

Additional Information:

http://archive.wired.com/geekmom/2013/03/joos-orange-solar-charger/

https://sustainability.asu.edu/research/persbio.php?pid=8247

http://cspo.org/