Page 47 - Silver Lakes_Issue 9_2022

Photo by Vije Vijendra nath on Unsplash Start with the outdoors. Solar lights stock of everything you need to power and
consider a combination of gas and solar
that soak up the sun in your garden are
affordable and readily available at garden
energy if you’re on a budget.
centres and DIY retailers. You can also use
5. Go camping
a touch of solar power to keep your TV,
Even if roughing it isn’t really for you,
computer, cell phone and a light or two on
camping gear can be pretty helpful during
using a small UPS.
power outages. Portable power stations –
These vary in size and cost. For a small,
like the Jackery Explorer 250, for example
smartphone, tablet, computer and small
on loot.co.za), you’re in for around R1 300.
appliances. And there’s no installation of any
This type of unit is good enough for light
but won’t power major appliances. Around
kind needed because all the power points
working day or quiet evening at home, solar-powered 84W/h kit from Ellies (found – carry enough power to charge your
you don’t need to sell a kidney to power R700 - R800 more will get you a similar unit you need are on board. You can pick one up
them. with enough juice to charge your laptop. at a camping store for between R6 000 and
R7 000.
If you work on a modern laptop, you’ll get For around R3 000 (Takealot), you can get a
between one-and-a-half to four hours’ TG 1500 W sine wave inverter, which can be
battery life, depending on the brand and charged via mains or solar panels and will
battery capacity. If you’re at the higher power bigger appliances.
end of that scale, you’ve probably found
that your laptop generally outlasts load 4. Got gas?
shedding, which usually lasts between Gas appliances are relatively affordable
two and four hours at a time. and come in many shapes and sizes. You
can pick up a two-plate gas burner stove
While your laptop can power itself, your for under R400 at most major retailers for
Wi-Fi router can’t. But if all you need is basic cooking purposes. Gas lighting is also LED lanterns, also available at most
light, a laptop and an internet connection, affordable and easy to set up. You’ll find reputable camping shops, are excellent
just switch on your rechargeable globe, loads of options online or in camping shops. light sources powered by lithium batteries.
make sure your laptop charges when the Certain brands also come with built-in USB
power is on and add an affordable mini- If you want to take it one step further, ports, which are handy for charging your
UPS or inverter into the mix to run your consult an expert to see which of your cell phone. And most LED lights are easy
router. appliances can be converted to gas. Certain to charge via USB or, in some cases, they
fridges and geysers, for example, can run come with optional solar attachments.
Small UPS units, made exclusively to on gas. It might be worthwhile to take
power internet connections, range in price Let the light shine
from around R700 to R2 000, depending Besides being vocal about our discontent
on their capacity. And they’re available with load shedding, we South Africans
from most tech specialist retailers. are also known for our resilience and
resourcefulness. With those attributes
3. Small-scale solar driving us to find simple solutions to
A solar-powered geyser is a great start. complicated problems, we can equip
Getting one installed will probably cost ourselves to set aside the annoyance
you between R15 000 and R20 000. But and take back the power (no, that’s not
you don’t need to go quite so large to take a metaphor)! Ultimately, it’s the little
advantage of solar power. You can do it in investments we make that will get us
smaller ways. through these power cuts.

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