Design Inspirations · April 21, 2024

Attention, Renters: You Don’t Need Access to a Roof to Benefit From Solar Power

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leather chair in sunny living room
Photography past Andie Diemer; Styling by Julia Stevens

Back in 2019, Krystal Persaud and her hubby were living inward a 400-something-square-pes flat on Manhattan’second Lower East Side. While the space was pocket-size, it had i seriously redeeming lineament: actually large windows. The natural low-cal was ideal for keeping houseplants happy, merely Persaud, who was working every bit a toy designer at the fourth dimension, wanted to become more out of her infinite. She wanted free energy. “I had a big aha minute,” says Persaud. “You mean that a solar panel has to be outside on a roof at a perfect angle to run. It’second really but not truthful at all.” After some serious tinkering, she designed a xiii-past-10-inch solar panel that tin hang inward a window via a suction loving cup claw together with, afterward 10 hours of sunlight, tin can power upward whatever USB-connected device. 

While in that location were other portable solar panels on the market place at the fourth dimension Persaud launched her company, Grouphug, almost of them are made for camping ground—in addition to look like it. Persaud guesses that Grouphug’second solar charger probable solely saves you $5 to $ten on your utility nib, but she sees it more every bit an introduction to renewable free energy. The panel makes it possible for renters, apartment dwellers, too really anyone on a budget to harness the sun’second ability. “It’second a baby footstep into solar that people can adopt inwards minutes,” says Persaud. 

solar panel in window
Courtesy of Krystal Persaud

woman hanging panel
Courtesy of Krystal Persaud

When Persaud too her married man moved from the Lower East Side to a railroad-manner rental in Brooklyn, she began experimenting alongside even larger panels. The company was once once again sparked past a personal require: There were null places to plug in a TV or a charger inwards the centre of the flat, so she leaned a iii-past-4-pes panel in a window that could juice upward a portable battery that could then power a fan or a laptop. “I was doing a ton of footling experiments like that merely to come across how much power you could become from a window,” she says. 

Grouphug Window Solar Charger

bamboo frame around solar panel
Courtesy of Grouphug

So far, Grouphug hasn’t released any XL versions—start, Persaud hopes to replenish its currently out-of-stock inventory inside the next three months. In the meantime, she’sec focused on Wildgrid, a platform she cofounded that primarily serves every bit an educational resource on energy efficiency, electrification, too renewable energy. There are as well rebate calculators, production recommendations, in addition to a directory of experts in addition to contractors on the website. “We’re really only trying to demonstrate free energy efficiency in a new low-cal…that it tin live fun as well as sexy too slow,” says Persaud. 

woman looking out window
Courtesy of Grouphug

If yous’re hoping to secure a portable solar panel ASAP, Persaud notes she’s likewise a large fan of BioLite, a fellowship aiming to provide 20 million people with access to make clean free energy by 2025. And patch Goal Zero’s panels are similarly designed for off-the-grid living, Persaud has used its batteries for many of her makeshift apartment setups. 

Hopefully, the adjacent time mortal tells you lot it looks like you got roughly Sun, they’re talking most your fully charged ring battery.

Shop Other Portable Solar Panels

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BioLite SolarPanel 5+ two.0 With Onboard Battery, REI ($100)

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Goal Zero Nomad 5 Solar Panel, REI ($60)