{"id":198,"date":"2011-10-04T09:25:08","date_gmt":"2011-10-04T13:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.equipmentlink.org\/blog\/?p=198"},"modified":"2011-11-29T13:56:50","modified_gmt":"2011-11-29T18:56:50","slug":"tech-tip-tuesday-1042011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.equipmentlink.org\/blog\/?p=198","title":{"rendered":"The Sun Will Come Out\u2026 And Charge Your AT Device? : Solar Power Chargers"},"content":{"rendered":"

September was National Preparedness Month. As part of those activities, MD TAP attended the FEMA Region III Summit on Emergency Management and Assistive Technology Reuse. (http:\/\/www.passitoncenter.org\/EmergencyManagement\/EMATReuseSummitFEMARegionIII.aspx<\/a>).
\nToday\u2019s tech tip comes from that conference.<\/p>\n

If the power goes out due to bad weather or some other problem, how do you recharge your phone, tablet, and AT devices? A traditional charger that relies on electricity won\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

One solution for this problem could be getting a solar power charger.<\/p>\n

Solar-power chargers are not assistive technology, but can be used to help you keep small, battery-powered assistive technology devices charged when the power goes out.\u00a0 Solar power chargers use solar energy to recharge batteries or power devices that
\nconnect using a USB cable. Not only can these chargers be useful in an emergency, but they are also popular with people who like outdoor activities such as camping, and people who want a more environmentally-friendly way to charge their technology.<\/p>\n

Solar-power chargers vary in strength and price. \u00a0Some of the smaller, more inexpensive ones can be used to recharge AAA or AA batteries. Some of the higher powered ones can recharge items such as cell phones, mp3 players, and laptops. Depending on what
\nyou would need the charger for, the price can range from under $20 to several hundred dollars. Solar power chargers can be found online and in a variety of stores.<\/p>\n

If you want to have a solar power charger as a back-up, it\u2019s important that you find one capable of charging your particular device.\u00a0 These chargers won\u2019t work for all AT devices. And they won\u2019t be useful during a hurricane or a big snowstorm, so it\u2019s also a good idea to keep fully-charged back-up batteries on hand for non-sunny emergencies!<\/p>\n

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