Portable Solar Battery Charges Your iPad, iPhone, Maybe One Day Your Whole Life

Most experts in the field will say the issues holding the solar industry back aren't necessarily about the technology, but more about the lack of national infrastructure.  And while vehicles like hybrids and EV's are enjoying a slowly expanding market, without the kind of fuel availability enjoyed by the oil and gas industry, the solar alternative will always be relegated to just that: an alternative.

Laying down the groundwork for a nation-wide solar energy grid of charging infrastructure is going to take awhile, as well as legislative efforts and private investment risk-taking.  In the meantime, however, investors may want to look at products in the field that don't necessarily need a grid to create sustained solar energy.  One such product? The SunJack (From Gear Review):

"Both the 14-Watt solar panel and the 20-Watt solar panel have dual 5V/2A output USB charging ports. That’s more than enough power to charge two iPhones, two iPads, or one of each (if you have direct, bright sunlight that is). Luckily, SunJack happens to also include one high capacity 8,000mAh lithium-polymer battery with the 14-Watt panel."

Portable solar cells are nothing new, but portable solar cells that are versatile with enough capacity to power the notorious energy-eating Apple devices?  That's a step forward.

SunJack's kickstarter campaign was a resounding success, signaling how much interest is out there to escape the traditional restrictions of energy consumption.  Or maybe, people just don't like wall outlets; either way, if there's any product with the potential to quickly generate momentum in the consumer market, this could be it.  Mobility has always been valued by Americans, and SunJack fits right in with that narrative.

And just think what more refined versions in the future could do?  What if the SunJack 2.0 could power a whole laptop?  The next version, a travel heater?  Or a motorcycle?  The prospects of independence from the grid may not be at the forefront of the American consumer's mind, but the SunJack could change that quickly, and permanently.

Donal Thoms-Cappello is a freelance writer for Rotor Clip Company (www.rotorclip.com).

Maryland Invests In The Future of Manufacturing

By 2011, Baltimore's once vibrant manufacturing port was reduced to five percent of its peak level in 1950.  All hope of a vibrant factory community seemed lost.

Nowadays, that diagnosis seems a bit premature.

Perhaps more than any other state, Maryland has been the most pro-active when it comes to long-term manufacturing investment.  Two developments are at the forefront of this surge:

Firstly, the Land of Pleasant Living is going all in on additive manufacturing, or 3D Printing.  State initiatives like 3DMaryland along with the Howard County Economic Development Authority are cooperating to foster engagement and community building among 3D printing start-ups and potential investors.  One such success story the state can already point to is M3D, a Howard County-based plant that produces desktop-sized 3D printers for consumer use.  The printers, called "Micros", don't need to be assembled and are versatile in application; as founders Michael Armani and David Jones tell the Baltimore Sun:

M3D's signature product: The Micro

"Jones and Armani see potential customers everywhere: children, school teachers, hobbyists, home cooks, engineers, home maintenance do-it-yourselfers.

A video on their website shows a woman using a Micro at her kitchen counter to create cookie cutters, and children playing with Lego-like interlocking plastic blocks that can be made on the Micro.
 

'The list of applications is as long as the number of users,' said Armani, adding that he imagines children will be quick to embrace the Micro, which runs on game-like software designed to be easy to use.
'Think of it as your Lego factory,' said Armani, adding that the printer is ideal for making figurines, including toy solders. "Kids — they'll want to lock their door and print an entire army."

While the product side of Maryland manufacturing is grown, the future of its labor class has renewed interest from local business leaders.  Carver Vocational-Technical High School now offers a Computer Numerical Control Manufacturing class track designed to prepare students for the transition from a factory floor job to operating computer-based robotics, a skill more and more mandatory in any industry.  The program was designed by local manufacturing businesses like Maritime Applied Physics and Chesapeake Machine and reflects the Maryland industrial community's desire to directly invest in "farming" competent machinist labor of the future and retain them with high-wage, benefit-included employment.    

Carver Vocational students enrolled in its new CNC program visit Maritime Applied

The formula may not produce results immediately, but no one seems to be under any illusions it should.  If anything, Maryland's strategy should be pursued by more states; imagine what the US could look like in ten years if this was a true, national campaign. 

Donal Thoms-Cappello is a freelance writer for Rotor Clip Company (www.rotorclip.com).