Got a forklift, 25G, and a desire to live wherever you want? Then the PowerCube from Reluminati is for you! Actually, with its ability to deliver 600-watts of continuous energy, the weight (1 ton) and the cost are the only two negative things I can say about it.
Now, if the PowerCube and, say R2D2, were to have a baby—then, goodbye forklift—it’d have leg-like appendages with wheels, giving it the ability to transport itself. Also, the cost would be justified if said offspring had R2’s sweet demeanor (and his ability to stop trash compactors from crushing people–like he did for Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode 4!). I think people would pay $25,000 for a cute, trusty sidekick that can power a home when needed. But, until R2D2 and the PowerCube create such a lovely little love-child, I will focus on the great qualities that the PowerCube actually possesses.
- Houses three 200 watt solar panels with the ability to put out 600W of electricity
- Has six 200 amp hour batteries
- It’s portable. Bring it to a remote tropical island and live like a modern day Swiss Family Robinson.
- Completely water tight (unlike R2D2)
- Ready to use the minute it leaves the factory
- No heat, noise, or emissions
- Excellent warranties on all of the PowerCube parts
- Can be used on-grid or off-grid
Optional
- Six additional batteries
- 35-foot telescoping wind turbine—for MORE power!
- WiMAX-compatible satellite uplink for wireless internet (so you can read Cleantechnica from anywhere!)
Another plus about the PowerCube is that when people are given a fixed amount of anything (in this case electricity) they tend to pay attention to how they use it. Focusing on needs vs. wants, this creates an important lesson in energy use, ie. I need to turn on the computer to do some work vs. I want to turn on the computer to see the Cubs score. Anytime we are made aware of our patterns of consumption we become more responsible consumers. A world full of responsible consumers-of-electricity would do more good than a million PowerCubes (no math involved in that proclamation)…
…even with R2D2-like features.
Photo credit: R2D2 courtesy of Discovery Channel.
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