What do you do when a power outage strikes? Chances are your coping mechanism involves getting reacquainted with your collection of candles and flashlights or connecting a few appliances to a heavy generator.
Kurt Hinds says he has a better way. Earlier this year he built a prototype for a 21-pound generator with a 12-volt battery. It includes an LED light, three standard electrical outlets and two outlets comparable to a car's cigarette lighter.
Hinds, who runs an alternative energy company called Kur Technologies, says it produces 264 watts. That's enough to run a small radio or TV for at least five hours. Personally, Hinds uses the generator to charge his cell phone and power the lights at his home office in Chambersburg. The device can be charged while plugged into a car's cigarette lighter, with an AC/DC adapter or with a solar panel that has to be purchased separately.
Since his generator is small and quiet, Hinds says it's not just for power outages. It can also be used in remote areas with little electricity or by anyone who wants to run a few electronics with solar energy. “Somebody who wants to lower their carbon footprint would use it,” he says.
For now Hinds plans to build a few generators and give them to people he knows, like a store owner he knows and an acquaintance joining the Peace Corps in Ghana. He'll then gather feedback and improve the device.
Source: Kurt Hinds, Kur Technologies
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen