Let there be light, and there was light, ... after half an hour
18.5.2018
Translation: machine translated
I have an allotment garden that's not connected to the mains. As I don't want to be left in the dark in the evening, I need to install a solar panel. So I tested Biolite's Solarhome system.
Biolite is an American company with an important mission: to ensure that every person on Earth has access to electricity. It oversees projects in India and Africa in which its products are used. Buying its products helps to support these projects and helps to finance others too. Reason enough for me to take a closer look at their new Solarhome system and test how it works in our latitudes.
What Solarhome is all about
Solarhome is a mobile and compact system consisting of a 6 Watt solar panel and a 20 Wh control box, capable of powering three suspensions and a radio. According to Biolite, the system has already been deployed in 5,000 Kenyan homes. In theory, it would be perfect for my allotment garden. In practice, I need to test it on site directly.
Importance of positioning the solar panel
First stage of assembly? The solar panel, whose installation needs to be carefully thought through, ideally high up, on the roof for example, where the sun shines for at least four hours a day, away from trees and other shading buildings. It should be placed at a slight angle so that pollen accumulated on the surface is washed away when the rain passes and the collectors can collect solar energy smoothly.
Installation is child's play: using a hammer, the two nails supplied are driven into a wooden batten, around which are fixed two thin steel wires that hold the solar panel in place. You don't need a drill or a screwdriver. Despite my slight scepticism at first about the installation, the panel hangs well enough to withstand heavy gusts.
Easy as pie installation
A two-nail fastening system is used to hook and unhook the control box, which must be kept out of the rain. In my opinion, the cables connected to the solar panel don't really look waterproof.
Connecting the solar panel to the box couldn't be simpler. The electrical wire is already attached to the panel and plugs directly into the box. No more, no less. The current flows, the battery charges.
The solar panel is connected to the box using the supplied clamps.
The clamps supplied with the device allow the cable to be fixed to the wall. My installation is admittedly temporary and could have been more aesthetically pleasing, but it all works.
Light be! And may the radio be too!
Connecting the three pendant lights to the box is as simple as connecting the solar panel. I placed the two lights outside under the pergola, and the third, LED, inside. One of these hanging lights has a motion detector that can be deactivated.
The control box has two USB ports for recharging your smartphone, among other things. According to the manufacturer, a full battery should be able to fully charge three smartphones. Another feature of the box? The integrated radio. You shouldn't expect the best audio quality, but the small speaker delivers enough power to listen to your favourite show or MP3 music, depending.
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Conclusion
I'm won over by this product, I have to admit. Installation was very straightforward and only took me half an hour. Admittedly, I could have arranged the cables differently for better aesthetics, but then it would have taken me a quarter of an hour longer. Besides, installing a complete power supply in my garden shed couldn't have been quicker.
I'm also amazed by the performance of the battery, which on a clear day requires an hour for a 15-20% charge and five hours for a full charge. Biolite's Solarhome exceeds my expectations and will suit anyone looking for a compact, inexpensive system for lighting and charging the smartphone.
And the icing on the cake: part of the purchase price is used to support Biolite's humanitarian project in India and Africa.
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Riding my motorbike makes me feel free, fishing brings out my inner hunter, using my camera gets me creative. I make my money messing around with toys all day.
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