There are many niches that could be served with an off-grid, portable, renewable power generator. This discussion will focus on those that do not have reliable power as a result of not being served by an electrical grid.
Most, if not all of the readers of this blog have never experienced life without electricity, yet over a third of the world's population is not so fortunate. This is primarily due to an absence of power "grids" in many parts of the world and it's unlikely this will ever change, given the cost to connect all the remote regions and islands with power transmission lines.
So, take a minute and imagine life without reliable electricity. No electrical sockets, no light switches, no refrigerators and certainly no power for the computer or smartphone you're reading this on. Kinda scary, isn't it?
I'm writing this post from San Diego, CA, where one year ago, we experienced a county wide power outage that lasted almost 2 days. Being in the business of portable, renewable power, I often imagined what life would be like without the electrical conveniences most of us take for granted. Well, I can tell you that no amount of daydreaming could equal the experience we had. Let's just say, the day after the outage, my phone has never rang so much. It was the veritable splash of cold water to the face, so to speak.
So without utility power, where do these people turn to serve their needs? Well, many rely on diesel generators, which are reliable and easy to use... if you have diesel fuel. That last part ends up being the bugaboo for a lot of these unconnected people.
Sure, petroleum has the clear advantage of superior energy density and ease of use, so it's no wonder this form of power is so ubiquitous but the knowledge we have today paints a much better picture of all factors involved.
Until recently, petroleum was abundant and affordable but not anymore. Petroleum prices have been rising faster than most commodities, largely due to it being a limited resource. At today’s cost of diesel, plus the difficulty of refueling in remote regions, a kilowatt of electrical power will cost anywhere from $1 to $40. At these prices, economic viability of diesel generators gives way to alternative methods. Then there's the environmental issues associated with extracting and burning fossil fuels, putting an exclamation point on the need for renewable energy sources.
Modern sciences are proving many power needs can be accommodated and be
economically viable thru use of renewable energy. And of course, there's environmental benefits of generating power thru renewable sources as well.
Uprise has assessed the entire spectrum of energy needs. Who needs power, where they are, what can they afford and what their constraints are. This exercise has illuminated the need for a small power generator, that is easily delivered, requires no site improvements or machinery to set up, is renewable, makes meaningful power and is affordable. Serving this need was the inspiration behind the Uprise Energy 50kW Portable Power Center.
The machine that Uprise has developed applies a number of modern technologies to produce a small wind machine that is portable and excels in low wind speed environments (where most of this market lives). The Uprise machine is truly like none other and stands to revolutionize the wind and renewable power industries.
Thanks for reading and please use the comments section below to keep this conversation going.