]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2016/05/12/solar-ready-gregory-baltoro/feed/1From The Engineers | The Nomad 7 Plushttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2016/04/08/from-the-engineers-the-nomad-7-plus/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2016/04/08/from-the-engineers-the-nomad-7-plus/#commentsFri, 08 Apr 2016 14:52:58 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/?p=10078We recently released our new Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel, a panel that we feel is a big step up from our current product offering. We sat down with a few of our engineers to hear what they had to say about the panel, the design process, and the tech behind it.

Where we stand with solarKeyvan Vasefi, VP of Engineering

When you think about a solar panel and how we capture energy, there are a few components. At the very basic level there’s the cell, which is this silicon wafer that’s about 5 inches wide and is designed to take light and turn it into electricity at its most basic level. So everyone in the solar industry is trying to do a lot of research and figure out what the next step we can take in terms of efficiency; if you have X amount of cells with light hitting the surface, how much power are you actually getting out of it versus what you should theoretically get out of it.

There are improvements being made by the industry and things have changed a lot in the last 15-20 years; however, recently it has been only small incremental improvements in efficiency. Some of these improvements take you from 20% to 25% efficiency but they can cost you five times as much. It’s important to find the balance between cost and efficiency, but in a lot of situations it is just better to have a little more surface area than to pay five times as much.

Much of our focus and innovation happens beyond the cell. We find the best cells that we can for our application, then a lot of the benefits you get from our work happens after you turn solar energy into electricity. That’s where we’ve done a lot of interesting work with our new generation of panels. We’re worked to answer the question; how do the electronics maximize the capacity of the solar cells. That’s where we’re at right now because the technologies out there seem to hit this wall of efficiency and cost, but we are always working on more efficient cells.

The new panel Keyvan Vasefi, VP of Engineering

The easiest way to explain the new panel is to compare it to the previous version. When you think about the current Nomad panel on the market, it’s a fully integrated product. But I like to think of the Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel as more of an ecosystem. We decided to break down the panel further to better optimize it for certain use cases. What we ended up with was instead of just one panel with everything on it, you now have three subsystems.

The first subsystem is just the panel itself that takes the photovoltaic energy (sunlight), captures it and turns it into electricity. We worked to make this subsystem the best that we could and took it from the 16 oz. on the V2 to now be 4 oz.

The second subsystem is the junction box. On the old panel it was built onto the back pouch, with the Nomad 7 Plus we decided to split that off and make it a modular component. Technology is constantly changing, especially with USB and mobile devices, so we wanted to create a way, if we need to, for people to upgrade without having to buy a whole new panel. The other thing we worked on was to build a level of optimization into the electronics.

Think of a solar panel as a car. The engine is designed to work at an optimal amount of horsepower at a certain RPM and if you didn’t have a multi-gear transmission, you would have a really hard time getting that car to both go up a hill at 10 mph or fly down the freeway at 70 mph. The only way to get that engine to work efficiently is to use that multi-gear transmission. There’s a technology in the solar industry called Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) which is effectively an automatic transmission for a solar panel. The solar panel is designed for a certain peak and the MPPT controller effectively makes the panel feel like it is operating at peak performance even if there aren’t optimal atmospheric conditions. It basically allows us to use all available energy coming from the panel while minimizing waste. This technology hasn’t traditionally been put in portable panels, so we challenged ourselves to get some level of MPPT tech into our electronics and we now developed and patent-pending process to do just that in the Nomad 7 Plus.

The third subsystem is the kickstand and we worked to build a few different solutions into it. By nature, panels are trying to capture as much solar energy as they can so they heat up. Batteries don’t like heat so you can easily run into problems putting a battery right on the back of a solar panel or built-into one. We purposefully designed the kickstand to provide a buffer from the heat of the panel. It also allows users to set the panel out at a nice little angle without having to find something to lean it against.

The need to change Sterling Robison, Electrical Engineer

Everything we did on the Nomad 7 Plus was to get around certain pain points we found with the older version. One of which was improving the charging experience for phones. What we did to address that was first, the dynamic auto-restart feature. There’s a few other products out there doing something similar, but they don’t directly solve the problem. We’ve actually got an algorithm in there that watches for your phone to say, “Hey, I’m not going to charge anymore. There’s something wrong here,” which usually happens as a result of a cloud or something interrupting the supply of power. Instead of waiting around for things to sort themselves out, this algorithm takes over, communicates with your phone and gets things moving again.

The other thing we did was the MPPT, where we have the ability to measure the available solar power coming from the solar panel and then, through another algorithm, we can match the available power with what your phone is asking for. We developed a way of helping your phone take less power by manipulating the level of power on the output of the USB.

We also wanted to help people use the panel more efficiently so we added the Solar Intensity Indicator. It’s not just a light that shows you the sun is out, it actually shows you how much power is available for use. Hopefully that fixes the situation where people aren’t positioning their panels correctly and takes the guesswork out of charging times from solar. Another thing I’m really excited about is being able to know not only how much power is available, but how much power is my device actually taking. What a lot of people don’t know is there are quite a few variables when it comes to how much power is going into their phones; like how long your cord is or how you even plugged in the device. We set up the indicator lights to communicate through blink rate on those same LEDs. We wanted people to be able to quickly recognize what is a fast or slow charge.

Basically you’ll put the Nomad 7 Plus in the sun and you’ll see some number of the LEDs light up. Roughly what that means is for a single LED you have about two watts of sun and when you have all four lit you have about five watts or more. So those will be solid lights. On top of that, to get the information about how fast your device is charging we’ve got a blink rate. We feel like we’ve nailed a frequency there that people just inherently understand. I think after people use it a few times they will quickly pick up what’s a good charge and what’s not.

The combination of all these developments will hopefully help people have a better experience when charging from solar.

Look and feel Hank Howell, Industrial Designer

The Nomad 7 Plus was actually a very challenging design project because it’s a solar panel. There are so many solar panels out there now; it’s a flat 2D design project. So it was difficult to find a way to make it really jump forward and be innovative. We looked at a whole bunch of different ways of doing it; we tried to break out of the box of sewing and stitching. We didn’t want to do it the same old way. We stumbled on this technique that we’re using now which is a lamination process. We can make the panel super flat and thin which takes a lot of the weight out while also improving the durability, water resistance, and temperature regulation. So it’s pretty exciting to see it come together.

The main feature from and industrial design perspective is the leg which acts as a kickstand. It can hold the panel up at the right angle, it has a pocket built into it that you can put your rechargers or phone in, and if you don’t want to use it, you can just pop it off.

This design was really driven by the lamination process. We really had to get a good grasp on how this lamination process was going to work and then we had to work within those confines. What layer gets the graphic? Is it laid on top or is it laminated within? Things like that kept the project really interesting and it was a lot of fun to get into a different world of design. Also figuring out what we could do with the kickstand to not add weight or complexity but still make it really user-friendly and easy to understand. That whole process was a lot of fun and it did take some time.

The panel is lighter mainly because we were able to change the PCB that we stick the solar wafers to. It’s thinner, but it doesn’t sacrifice much strength and it’s a very rigid material. We got rid of all the extra fabric, stitching, zippers, cords, and junction boxes and really consolidated everything.

The Nomad 7 Plus is a lot more refined and simple. So it’s a lot smarter in every way.

As you may have noticed, we use Watt Hours to explain the capacity of most of our products. For many of us, a Watt Hour isn’t something all that familiar. So, here’s a brief explanation of what it is.

A Watt Hour is a unit of measurement for power over a period of time (an hour), or in our case, a way of measuring capacity. One Watt hour is equal to one Watt of average power flow over an hour. One Watt over four hours would be four Watt Hours of power. As an example, a 100 Watt light bulb on a 400 Watt Hour battery (like the Yeti 400) would last, on paper, 4 hours.

A Watt, the measure of power, is usually calculated using this equation: Watts = Volts x Amps. To explain a little further, we will use a plumbing analogy. If we have a water pipe; Volts would be a measure of the water pressure (force) in the pipe, Amps would be a measure of the current or flow through the pipe. A Watt would be the measure of of what you can do with that water, like turning a water wheel. So, how do we determine Watt hours?

Watt Hours are calculated using a similar equation when dealing with batteries. An example of this would be that the Yeti 400 contains a 33 Amp Hour battery operating at 12 Volts. 12 Volts x 33 Amp Hours = 396 Watt Hours or roughly 400 Wh. Not only are Watt Hours a good unit of measurement for capacity, but it is also pretty universal when finding out how many times one of our GZ products will recharge something with it’s own battery in it (like a phone, tablet, or laptop). The Equation to find the Watt Hours of a battery gives us a universal measurement despite batteries on the market varying greatly in operating voltage and mAh.

After sitting down with some of our Engineering team in the video above, we decided to go a little more in depth with our Senior Electrical Engineer Sterling Robison.

What do you do here at Goal Zero?

I’m Sterling Robison and I am an electrical engineer here on the product development team at Goal Zero. I spend part of my time designing new products that will go out on shelves and the rest researching core technologies that will be building blocks for later products. That’s basically what I do here.

What is the Venture 30?

So the Venture 30 is designed to be the all around, greatest, most rugged, smart power pack that’s out on the market. We’ve put a lot of attention to detail on all the different electronic features and mechanical features making it tough and weatherproof. We made sure it was compatible with anything out there under the sun that you would want to charge. We also wanted to make it charge just as fast as any of your original equipment would. It has some fun little tricks included in there with the lights, different operating modes and things like that which give it some differentiation from all the other generic stuff that’s out there.

who was it designed for?

I think everybody had the rugged outdoorsman in mind, people that need to rely on this stuff in harsh environments. That definitely shaped what the product became, but in the end I think anyone can benefit from those features which for some are a requirement, and for others are a nice benefit when using the product in their day to day lives.

What was your involvement with the project?

They handed me a list of specs and basically said, “do this”. There was a lot of ground work that went toward figuring out the best parts, circuits and other components that could meet those specs. I did a lot of hardware design up front, followed by all the firmware design. The Venture has some brains built in – a microprocessor talking to a bunch of components and sensors which make the whole thing work.

What do you mean by brains?

One of the key features that separates the Venture from all the other power banks out there is its ability to emulate ten different manufacturers charging profiles. So, regardless of whether you have a Samsung, LG, Apple or any other device, the Venture can go through the profiles and apply the quickest charging one to your specific device.

Other than that it has a bunch of other lighting modes packed into it that you can select and set up. It has a lot of built in protection built in so you can’t kill it or the thing you connect to it by plugging things in wrong. It has some smarts in there to update the programming in it if need be. It also has some programming to keep the idle usage power down really low so when it’s not in use that you can be sure the power will be there for you when you need it weeks or months down the road. It’s constantly checking for fault conditions and reacting. It also has a unique user-interface which gives people information about power in and out in a way most people will find intuitive. That’s all I can think of off of the top of my head right now.

Other than that, what makes it unique to the market?

I think the main thing is that most other power banks out on the market have a static USB port. It does one thing and one thing only. It’s not trying to figure out what your device wants, it doesn’t care how slowly your device is getting charged. If it has a light it is usually next to useless, whereas on the Venture you have a really bright light built in that will last forever and that has a lot of different modes built into it that you can use for whatever the situation demands.

On the mechanical side, it’s really rugged. It can stand up to a lot. You can drop it or leave it out in the rain. Basically you can count on it. It’s not just some cheap “fly by night” no name product with the cheapest electronics and battery stuffed in it.

What were some of the challenges with the project?

There’s always the usual challenges, trying to balance features, cost, schedule and all that stuff. That was especially hard with this one since we had such an aggressive schedule and a really tight price target that we were trying to meet. On top of that, the nature of the device being sealed inherently presented some challenges. There was a lot of attention that went into the thermal performance of the thing, to where you can actually run those high currents into your device without any ventilation. That was probably the number one challenge.

What was the most fun part of the project?

There were a lot of ups and downs, a lot of late hard nights. There were times where I thought it was done and then some bug comes up and I’m back to square one. I think probably the most fun part, and this still happens, is when we get feedback in from people that are out using it in exotic places doing crazy things and a lot of their gear quits but the venture is still going strong. I love hearing things come in from people in the real world using it.

Why buy the Venture?

The battery is pretty future proof. As technology moves along, or if you switch devices, you know that with the Venture and it’s broad base of support that it will still work. You don’t have to worry about moving on to something else.

I mean, there’s the electronics side where you have the compatibility where it will charge as fast as anything out there including what comes with your phone. Then you have the rugged mechanical side where you don’t have to mess around with plugs or anything. You can drop it in a puddle, pull it back out and know that it’s going to still work. It can fall off the ledge, fall down the stairs and it is still going to work. It really is a cut above everything else out there.

How will you use it in your personal life?

I’ve been using it as kind of my only charger for about 6-8 months at this point, all along the prototyping cycle. My favorite way to use it is as a reservoir between the wall and my phone. Your wall cord doesn’t reach the patio but your phone’s dead? No problem. I know I always have power whether I am headed to the airport, out mountain biking or whatever. It’s just every day, every way.

What do you like the most about being an engineer here?

I like the opportunity to make a difference in a little bit broader way by creating products that people not only enjoy or appreciate, but that they can really benefit from. I like having a voice in shaping what products Goal Zero does, what technologies we use, and how things work. It is fun trying to make sure everyone has a great experience with our product.

Anything else you want to say about the venture?

I mean, read your manual, it is all in there. One of the cool features we put in there was the shipping mode. If you’re going to be boxing your stuff up and sending it to the other side of the world and you’re going to show up a few months later, there’s a way to hold down one of the buttons and get it to completely turn off. Once you get there, plug back in to wake it up and you can count on it being just as charged as when you put it in the box.

One of the best experiences I have had with the Venture was when I was out with my family. We wanted to explore these lava tube caves, so we drove out across the desert to them and when we got there, we realized we had forgotten any type of flashlight or headlamp. As that occurred to me, I thought, “I’ve got my Venture and it’s already got a great light”. It worked amazing and it had a very broad, nice warm light that saved the trip.

When my husband, Sean, and I tell people that we live in a yurt, their reaction usually falls somewhere between Clueless and Stoked.

Clueless: They have no idea what we’re talking about. It’s like they mis-heard what we said. “Oh. [Concentrating real hard] What is a… urrrt?”

Disbelief: They know what a yurt is, but have only associated such things with summer camp, ski resorts or hut trips… in the movies. “Seriously? Why would you want to live in a yurt?”

Stoked: They have been researching how to get their own piece of heaven and build a sustainable home, and are super interested to learn more about yurt life. “How did you guys do that?”

This trifecta is the basis of a theory created by our buddy, Chris (also a yurt dweller). He calls it the What, Why, How Theory surrounding alternative living. Essentially, by choosing to stray from the status quo, we encounter three levels of awareness when interacting with the world.

Typically, the first encounter with people (especailly Mom and Dad) when we decided to live off-the-grid in a “glorified tent” had a theme of WHAT. What are you doing? What is a yurt? What will you do for a toilet and water and power? What is wrong with the traditional homes? What does something like this cost? To this stage, we say, “Haters gonna hate.” We will always have these people in our life, and sometimes they stay in this stage and never leave. If you truly seek a simpler way of life, push past inquisition and help Mom and Dad move to the next phase…

WHY. Eventually, after we had done our research, and especially after the yurt was physically built, our friends, family and acquintances started changing their tune. With curiosity piqued by our persistance, they inquire to uncover our motives. Why a yurt? Why off-the-grid? Why move away from traditional structures? Why is it important to be sustainable? Sean and I feel this stage is an incredible opportunity to educate others. Most will appreciate us taking the time to explain, and go on living life. But a few… and I mean, VERY few, will go further into the last sphere…

HOW. How can I do what you’re doing? We are not living in a yurt to convert others to do the same. However, we’ll admit that we get a teensy bit stoked when someone actually asks about the nitty gritty. Presumably, something about the way we live has inspired someone else who–like us–seeks simplicity and is willing to sacrifice creature comforts to attain it. To these guys? We are happy to tell all.

This way of life that we’ve created for ourselves–literally, by building this yurt with our bare hands–has been the most eye opening, team-building adventure of our lives. People told us building a home together would ruin our marraige. People questioned why we would move out of a perfectly good on-the-grid home, to a smaller structure that required more “work.” But through it all, we put aside what others thought, complied with all the rules and laws of the modern world, and ended up with a lifestyle that has a slow, steady pace and keeps us grounded to the Earth and connected to nature.

We can lay in bed and listen to the owls hooting across the canopy. We spend more time on dishes because we don’t have a dishwasher. We carry in wood from the woodshed each day together to keep our heat source alive . This life… yurt life… has shown us that despite the pace of the world today, it is possible to slow down. It is possible to harvest sunshine for power. It is possible to get what you want, communicate why you have it, and tell others how to do it, too.

Once you make peace with yourself and your decision, other people’s whats, whys, and hows fade away, leaving just you, your space, and your greatest question yet. “What’s next?”

When she’s not writing, Mollie serves as the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization called Riding On Insulin. Sean is a professional backcountry snowboarder. Follow Sean and Mollie on Instagram at @SeanBusby and @TwoSticksAndABoard, or through their website: http://TwoSticksAndABoard.com. Questions about Yurt Life? Shoot them an email at twosticksandaboard@gmail.com.

The world’s a vast and fascinating place. As such, the opportunities for adventure are endless. Yet, the further one roams from the beaten path, the more difficult it becomes to relay a story to the outside world. Until now, that is—the age of mobile power solutions.

As TV Producer, On-Camera Host and Photographer, I’m a storyteller who regularly drops herself into varied and remote locations to communicate their stories to outsiders. I’ve worked on six continents and journeyed through over forty nations, telling the tales of each location and the people that live there. Whether I’m in the mountains of Patagonia, the arid reaches of East Africa, or the wind-whipped Aleutian Islands of the Bering Sea, one thing remains true—I have to find the story, and get it back to others.

On shoots where a storyteller must carry all technical gear on his or her back, there’s no room for extra weight. Every ounce matters, as a backpack must hold food, water, cameras, hard drives, and all other expedition and storytelling essentials. That’s why the world-roaming documentarians of my industry rely on lightweight, portable power solutions to juice their cameras, laptops, and phones from even the remotest locales.

Take, for example, explorers Justin DeShields & Bryan Morales, who traversed 1000 isolated miles of the Baja Peninsula by foot and stand-up paddleboard on a documentary grant from National Geographic. Or, adventure storytellers and climbers Bryan Long, Michael Ash, and Aron Ralston (of *127 Hours* fame), who summited and skied China’s Mustagh Ata this summer, high in the Tibetan Plateau.

These adventurers not only proposed to successfully complete their far-flung journeys; they also set out to document them.

It’s on expeditions like those that many adventurers turn to Goal Zero to keep cranking on the narratives. Goal Zero’s solar panels are lightweight and highly portable, strapping onto the back of a backpack or top of a tent, and gathering power while we storytellers focus on capturing the tale at hand.

Just pack those babies up, and you, yon adventurer, are in business. More power to you.

Rachel Rudwell is an Emmy-nominated producer, photographer, and writer. You can find her on twitter, instagram, or on her website.

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2014/01/24/when-the-batteries-die-so-does-the-narrative/feed/0Year In Review: 2013http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/31/year-in-review/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/31/year-in-review/#commentsWed, 01 Jan 2014 00:02:50 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=6093Over the course of 2013 we were able to be there to power and support moments. The type of moments that are life changing. The kind that stick with you. We were with Eric Larsen as he tried for the South Pole on a bike. We were with Mike Libecki in Kyrgyzstan as he put up first ascents in the Tien Shan Mountains. We powered Renan Ozturk as he shot photos of Alex Honnold free soloing in the Bugaboos.

You came together to help the Philippines. You helped us raise enough to get power to those in need and you gave our partners the ability to work through long nights giving relief. You were there to help us achieve more than we thought possible.

“2013 was a defining year for GOAL ZERO as we released 13 new, innovative products and we began several initiatives to support our key retail partners” said Joe Atkin, GOAL ZERO CEO. “Every year brings its opportunities and challenges and I believe that after this year, GOAL ZERO is better positioned to achieve its mission of empowering people by putting power in the hands of every human.”

We were there to support you and on your adventures and we are grateful that you have been there to support our big moments in 2013. Here are some of our biggest moments of the year:

We proudly introduced 13 new products among which were; The Lighthouse 250, Yeti 400, Yeti 150, and the Rock Out 2.

Our team of ambassadors grew to include Mike Libecki, Alex Honnold, Ueli Steck, and Chris Burkard. Our products have helped them stay out longer to get the shot, send their project, and explore remote parts of the globe.

We are grateful that we were able to be there with you when you needed us. We are glad that we could bring light and comfort to those in need when the power went out. Thank you for taking us on your adventures and for sharing your big moments with us. We look forward to a big 2014. Get out, stay out, and keep living the solar life!

“If not now, when? If not you, who?”- GZ Founder Robert Workman

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/31/year-in-review/feed/012 Days of Power Giveawayhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/17/12-days-of-power-giveaway-2/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/17/12-days-of-power-giveaway-2/#commentsTue, 17 Dec 2013 18:31:16 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=6091The holiday hustle is now drawing to a close. Egg Nog consumption is on the rise and final preparations are being made. The time has come to wrap up our 12 Days of Power Giveaway and announce the winners of the final six days. We want to thank everyone who participated and wish all of you the best this Holiday Season!

To all of you, we raise a glass of our favorite holiday beverage and say “Cheers”!

Day 7: Lighthouse 250

Kasumi Mori

Tonie King

Jeremy Enzweiler

Sherry Elmore

Robert Reid

Jeanette Tyson

Day 8: Nomad 7

Conor Caruth

Tyger Garcia

Tim Ducharme

Stephanie Campbell

Daniel Sellman

Day 9: Switch 8 Solar Kit

Tony Quintus

Samantha Johnson

Charles Terrell

Roy Payne Jr.

Day 10: Guide 10 Plus Kit

Mell West

Devon Weiss

Erica Smith

Day 11: Sherpa 50

Aziza Camacho

Merton Parsons

Day 12: Sherpa 50 Kit

William Tungate

To claim your prize email us at Social@goalzero.com

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/17/12-days-of-power-giveaway-2/feed/0SUN SAFETYhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/17/sun-safety/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/17/sun-safety/#commentsWed, 17 Jul 2013 23:06:28 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=5951As the heat of the summer brings it’s abundance of sun to our lives, we thought we’d give you a friendly reminder. Believe it or not, your solar panel is stronger than your skin when it comes to the suns powerful rays.

‘Tis the season of yard work, BBQ’s, and beach days. This also means prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays. Although the sun provides a valuable source of vitamin D, it also has a few negative impacts for you and me. If we implement certain practices while in the sun, it can prolong youthful health and appearances for years to come.
-wear clothes, hats, and sunglasses to cover exposed skin
-use at least SPF 15 before and during outdoor activies
-limit your time in peak sun hours (10-2)
-healthy diet fuels your skin for proper defense

Please take the time to review the basics of staying safe in the sun for you and your family. The following link tells you what you need to know in a short 2 minute video about sun safety. As we harness the power of the sun, let’s be responsible in how we allow it to affect our bodies.

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/17/sun-safety/feed/0SOLAR POWER ON WHEELShttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/10/solar-power-on-wheels/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/10/solar-power-on-wheels/#commentsWed, 10 Jul 2013 19:36:04 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=5942‘Coffee to go’ has a whole new meaning for JR Harrell and Natalie Taylor, founders of Camptime Coffee Company. You may see these guys rollin’ around Denver and the surrounding areas in their little coffee cart- completely powered by the sun.

Camptime Coffee Company is a small batch coffee roaster based in Denver. Each small coffee batch is hand roasted, hand bagged, hand stamped and hand signed one at a time. The brand blends together the world of outdoor adventure activity and a passion for outstanding coffee.

Their goal is to teach people to just slow down and smell the coffee. They believe that the things they make should have a meaningful space, purpose, and home in the lives of other people. They even teach people how to brew delicious coffee the way that folks did one hundred years ago.
Their coffee cart is 100% powered by Goal Zero. Their gear consists of 4 solar panels, the Escape 150, and 4 Guide 10 Plus battery packs which they use to light their cart, power their iPhones, iPads, and speakers. Behind the scenes founder JR is equipped with a Yeti 1250 Solar Generator in case of an emergency. He runs a design company as well (drawnn.com) that will now, just like the Camptime Coffee, never be powerless.