Truth be told. What a statement about our solar power industry that we can’t look people in the eye when we talk about REAL deliverables and compare them to what the ratings say on the panels. I’m talking about what the majority of consumers perceive to be a “disappointment” when they are given one set of figures and their devices deliver another in the “real world”. (Finally, the law is taking things into its own hands in the UK and I do hope that this sends out a warning message of things to come!)
Whereas we are so focused on “sun hours of irradiation”, who has thought of snow, leaves, bird poop, dust and all the other variables which come into play when the true output of your system will be read on the meter?
And what about “portable solar power”? Are you to carry your solarbag always facing south? (you might discover new neighborhoods this way yet you probably won’t get to where you really want to go!). ICP Solar sold AA solar chargers back in the 1990s and I’m dismayed to see low power AA chargers still on the market today when we had discovered long ago that we were simply fooling ourselves. People did indeed buy them as neat gifts, yet I can bet that a large majority ended up in some trash (how environmental is that!) because they were simply NOT practical.
So when I see solar powered AA chargers, I wonder whether or not the fact is that 99% of people want power on WHEN they want it and don’t have the time to wait for a solar recharger to do its work. Or that people carrying solar cell phones are not likely to leave them on their desks or by the window suddenly changing their habits of keeping them in their pockets or bags. (Note that I am not commenting on newer, higher power AA chargers that have recently made it onto the market, albeit at higher price points. Just do the math…typical AA rechargeables hold 2A of current today. Anything therefore charging at a rate of under 1amp in full sun will take the better part of a normal day to recharge that type of battery.)
We are still trying to fit a round peg into a small hole. These foolhardy sales companies which do this are in fact discrediting the entire solar industry which wishes to establish for itself a brand of serious power delivery. Truth be told..not many of us are out there telling the truth when it comes to what solar can really do for you…and isn’t that sad…
Sass
1 Comment
Sure, after you made your money off of us small solar companies, now you are dissing us. ICP has never really cared about the small solar company like me that is selling your products and others.
That small AA charger was great when we were buying it from you, but now it’s not good anymore!
We try to inform our customers about the reality of what the small chargers can do even though they are a slow charge and let them know there are faster AA chargers we can sell them.
Just think you are putting us down and we helped build ICP by selling your products years ago. Just my 2 cents worth!
SASS NOTE:
Ed I am sorry if you feel that I am “putting…down” anyone who participated with us in selling those AA chargers. All I meant to convey is that we have learned a lot since we developed those items in the late 1990s and that if we are to be taken seriously as an industry, it’s only through honest, ethical and consumer-centric reporting of “what will this solar thing really do in my real life world” that counts. We all learn as we move through life and it’s safe to say that ICP Solar made its share of mistakes from which we have taken lessons and hopefully will not replicate in the future.
Although I am sure you could continue to sell lots of those early-model AA chargers, in the end, your brand as well as anyone else’s in solar will be determined by lasting value that it gives to its consumers. As one of the leading channel partners in solar, I am sure that consumers have enjoyed their experiences with your company otherwise you would not have built-up the successful business that you have.
I hope this note responds to your concerns which, as you see, I have published in the name of transparency and the democracy of free speech that my blog is intended to support.
Regards
Sass