Solarpunk

Every Sunday this Discord of solarpunks has discussions, which are often thoughtful and interesting. We are about to start a new book, Solarpunk Creatures. Now is the perfect time to join us.

Sharing this here, because tumblr and reddit have login-walls and I don't want this gem to get lost.

Hi all!

We’re a fledgling movement with a handful of members in Africa and then me who is currently in Sweden. We have some plans for various projects in Africa that align well with the overall ideas of the solarpunk movement. I’m here hoping to make new friends and learn about what everybody else is doing. I believe that change is possible on a global scale, and that the hegemony of the mainstream, greed fueled, centralized status quo can be challenged most effectively by a global movement of decentralized, grassroots communities working together.

I got a little inspired by the solar powered EDC post and it made me think about my computing setup. I use a modern smartphone and a higher-end desktop that is almost always on. I also have an e-reader and some ear buds. I often charge the smaller devices with a power bank. It would be interesting to see if I could move my computing from my desktop to a (preferably second hand) laptop and find a means of charging all of these devices without using the electricity from the utility company.

I already have a small 250W solar array on top of my garage with three golf cart batteries. It runs some lights and occasionally charges devices via USB on the controller. The issue is that it is a bit of a hassle to use due to the garage not being well sealed or climate controlled. It's dusty and there's grease and other things from my mechanical projects and it's always very hot or cold depending on the time of year.

The perplexing part of this for me is charging laptops. Inverters are wildly inefficient but I'm not sure of a way to sufficiently charge (or power) a laptop without one. What are some solutions here?

Additionally, what are some solutions for a potentially portable (or luggable, I guess) setup for these devices? Build a battery box myself and keep it charged on the garage array? Pick up one of those larger "solar generator" pre-made battery boxes that are so popular on the big eCommerce sites now? What about small panels I could put in a window or take outside?

I know the energy used by these devices is far less than things like my fridge/HVAC/laundry machines but it's an interesting rabbit hole for me. Sorry if this has been posted already but I scrolled through a couple of pages and didn't see a similar question.

Thanks!

Edit: Please watch the video before commenting or reporting this... it seems like a lot of people assume it is some right-wing BS based on the title alone, which I can assure you it very much isn't.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20625279

From the description:

"I'm Andres Acevedo and this is The Market Exit. During the migration crisis of 2015, the small country of Sweden admitted a very large number of refugees. What effects did this surge of migrants to Swedish have on the Swedish economy? To find out, I met professor Peo Hansen, author of the book "A Modern Migration Theory" and from our conversation, I realized that many of the economic models we use for assessing our economy and society are deeply flawed.

In the conversation, we talk about the field of research called the fiscal impact of migration. We talk about the difference between real resources and financial resources. We talk about the so-called brain drain within the European Union. We talk about why politicians are so afraid of speaking the truth about migration."

Hope this fits here.

It's not much in the grand scheme, but all of my everyday carry electronics are all solar charged.

Left to right: Cat S22 Flip smartphone, Bluetooth earbuds, rechargable pen light/laser pointer/black light/dog toy, and my Kobo e-reader.

They're mostly charged / topped up overnight from my 12W / 8000 mAh solar battery bank. I just throw it outside or in a window during the day and plug a USB hub into it to charge my devices overnight. My phone will usually go 2-3 days on a charge, but I've also got a 6W panel I stick in the window if it needs a little battery boost during the day. I also top off other things from the 6W panel, but those aren't exclusively solar like my EDC stuff.

Thought I was going to have to cheat a week or so ago. It was rainy and cloudy for nearly 2 weeks, and the solar battery bank was struggling to stay above 50%, but the clouds finally broke and my solar bank was able to fully recharge with a few hours of sunlight to spare.

Like I said, it's not much, but these have only ever been charged from solar**, and I think that's pretty cool.

** Except the bit of charge my phone and e-reader got from my laptop when I had it plugged into USB to flash firmware and add files.

My solar battery bank. (Not the best design with an integrated, non-removable battery, but has worked well enough)

I know very little about in-depth electrical work so I would definitely need professional electrician assistance, but I am looking for a sort of "how to disconnect from the power company" and go full solar? I understand that it's becoming much less expensive to purchase and maintain, and I would like to free myself from $300/month electrical payments on my residence.

If it helps, I live in the mideast USA.

Any help is really appreciated! :)

Accompanying article [fr] https://bonpote.com/la-carte-des-pensees-ecologiques/

Sorry this is in French but I think many movements have a similar enough name that English speakers will understand what "écosocialisme" or "écologies anti-industrielles" means. A note though: "libertaire" is not "libertarian" it is closer to "liberal" with a stronger left-wing bias.

I found it interesting because while they mention that it is extremely hard to make such a map and that it has tons of very debatable links and placement, I still see solarpunks being all over the left 2/3 of the map.

I've only seen a couple reviews on it, not the piece itself, but my general impression is 1) diabetes-inducing adorable, 2) probably as anticapitalist a message as we're gonna get from a capitalism factory.

I'm sure similar things have been shared here before because I saw this and thought it was possibly the most solar punk thing possible.

A 3D printer that:

• Is solar powered
• Is open source
• Can be run using FOSS
• Can use recycled plastic as its material
• Can print most of its own parts, including the solar panel components

A fixation on system change alone opens the door to a kind of cynical self-absolution that divorces personal commitment from political belief. This is its own kind of false consciousness, one that threatens to create a cheapened climate politics incommensurate with this urgent moment.

[...]

Because here’s the thing: When you choose to eat less meat or take the bus instead of driving or have fewer children, you are making a statement that your actions matter, that it’s not too late to avert climate catastrophe, that you have power. To take a measure of personal responsibility for climate change doesn’t have to distract from your political activism—if anything, it amplifies it.

Wondering if anyone’s been to solar punk summit. If you have, what was your experience ? Do you think it’s worth the money to attend?

Liebe Solarpunks aus DACH (Deutschland, Österreich, Schweiz),

ich überlege gerade, ob es sinnvoll sein könnte, hier auf Lemmy eine deutschsprachige Solarpunk Community einzurichten.

Mögliche Themen und Ziele:

• deutschsprachige Ressourcen austauschen
• auf Veranstaltungen aufmerksam machen
• evtl. lokale Communities finden/gründen
• Menschen erreichen, die nicht supersicher im Englischen sind
• die Bewegung in DACH größer und bekannter machen.

Hättet ihr Lust auf sowas?

With every solution, and even in the title of this newsletter itself, I emphasize the number one thing individuals can do that most of us are still not doing: talk about it! Use your voice to explain why climate change matters and to advocate for climate action.

A new Tailor joins a community which has lacked one for years. In a world of distributed manufacturing tailors are no longer just artisans, but educators, material and sustainability experts, fashion designers and translators of cultures, making sure no garment offends others when traveling. Seeing that they’re much less traditional than their predecessor, will they be accepted by the community? Which bold statement surprised everybody?

Recorded by Tomasino, with the CC-BY-SA 4.0 art from The Lemonaut!