Enviromental Protection Blog

Archive for September, 2011

I’m a huge fan of rechargeable batteries. I’ve been using them since the late 1980s. At the time, it was to keep from spending enormous amounts of cash on batteries for my boom box. Now I use them in everything I can. And rechargeable batteries have come a long way since Ni-Cad (nickel cadmium) batteries were introduced. I’ve since graduated to NiMH (nickel metal hydride) for my portable electronics that use standard size batteries like AAA, AA, C, and D.

Whenever possible, I choose electronics that actually use standard size batteries, particularly my digital camera, a Fuji Finepix S1000, which uses 4 AA batteries. This means I can keep 2-3 sets of rechargeable AAs hanging around ready to go as back up. Of course, this doesn’t preclude me from using regular, one-shot batteries. I keep those in case of emergencies and for my smoke detectors!

Rechargeable battery packs aren’t new. I have one for my Dell Inspiron 1000 laptop. However, finding a quality, universal rechargeable battery pack isn’t easy. And you still have to plug them into the grid. What about accessing a renewable energy source directly, like solar? (a wind powered portable charger would be an interesting feat of technology!)

Now, I haven’t purchased a personal solar charger yet. I find that when I’m on the go, in the middle of the day, I’m not going to be in the position to leave my netbook, battery charger, cell phone or other portable electronics sitting in the sun, out in the open; not to mention the damage direct sunlight may cause.

Here comes the Energizer Bunny to the rescue with solar powered energy for on the go!

The Energizer® Energi To Go® SP solar driven power pack (see photos below) offers another option. It’s small enough to take with you, so you can leave it in the window of your car to charge up while you’re doing other things or let your office lights do the charging for you. Not enough light? You can also use the AC adapter to plug it in.

Need a charge? Plug in the unit and away you go.

Unfortunately, neither the SP1000 or SP2000 are powerful enough to charge your netbook. For netbooks and laptops you have to turn to the Energi To Go® XP AC power packs, XP8000 (netbooks only) or XP18000 (both netbooks and laptops)