Solar Battery Charging A.K.A. Living Off The Grid, yo....

[honozooloo]

Aloha from Hawaii everyone,

I've recently accepted an assignment that will be taking me to a remote, small island via boat. There is no dock in the area I am going to, so best case scenario I'll be landing at a beach via zodiac (motorized dinghy). Given unfavorable weather or waves at the beach, the worst case scenario involves throwing our food/water/supplies/etc out of the boat and swimming to shore with it, about 150 ft or so. There is no running water, no access to electricity of any kind, and since I'm cramming 7 days worth of everything I need to you know, survive, into a large dry bag weight and size are a major factor when I consider everything I bring with me.

Right now, my plan is to take an X Pro 1 and backup XE-1 along with a few lenses (35mm XF, 18mm XF, Zeiss Planar 50 M w/adapter). That should fit in a medium sized Pelican for the boat ride over nicely, and slip into my day pack without problem. I'm expecting to do a lot of hiking and overnighting away from our basecamp (10-20 miles a day) while carrying food and other supplies so not having to haul a massive DSLR with me would be very nice. It's almost a requirement since carrying two days worth of water with you is heavy enough as it is. Given the nature of the work I'll be doing I anticipate draining at least 2 or 3 batteries a day.

So this was a long-winded explanation leading up to a question: Does anybody know of a reliable, not-too-heavy, reasonably-sized gizmo that will charge my batteries using a portable power source? I'm imagining this mostly means solar power, but hydrogen fuel cells, LI-air cells, cold fusion, goat sacrifice, and voodoo magic are all viable options as long as the cost and weight are kept to a minimum. 😛

My logic regarding cost/weight is this: If I average 2.5 batteries a day times 7 days, that means I will need 18 batteries to cover me for the entire assignment without charging at all. I already own 6 batteries for my X Pro. If I simply went to amazon.com and bought 12 more Wasabi batteries at $13 each that means I'd be spending about $156, and since each X Pro battery weighs in at about 1.6 oz, that's 3 lbs of weight carrying 18 batteries. Not bad at all, for the most part.

It would kill me to own 18 of the same battery, because I usually only carry 2 spares when shooting Fuji X (I almost never need to go a week off the grid with any camera I own). Since the batteries would cost me $156, I'd be willing to invest say, $180 in a solar charging system that could also charge a variety of batteries for a variety of cameras that I use. This seems like a more sensible investment to me.

The charging systems I've come across online all seem like crappy options. The Voltaic Systems kits are in budget and small, but the few online reviews and forum strings I've found seem to indicate that charging is painfully slow (6-8 hrs per battery depending on how sunny), and none of the kits seem rugged enough to endure the tropical salt air and rain I'll be facing on this outing. It looks like most of the existing kits can cough up the voltage for iPads, iPhones, etc, but lack the grunt to charge large camera batteries in a reasonable amount of time. If I go through my max of three batteries a day, that means I'd need to be charging their 3 replacements for 18-24 hours that same day (!!!).

There were bigger kits that seemed to run in the $200+ range that would probably faire better than the smaller cheapo kits but again, what's the point when I can buy 12 extra batteries that weigh only 3 extra lbs for a mere $160?

Other alternatives I've considered:

Taking my 1D mkiii and three fully charged Canon battery packs...that's probably enough juice to shoot for 2+ weeks at the rate I'd be working. But the 1D and three equivalent lenses would significantly increase weight/size. Cost: FREE, but my back will pay the price.

Take my Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini Lithium battery pack with me to charge my batteries (LOL). It only weighs 3.5 lbs and its capacity is like 130 Watt Hours, or more than enough for my needs. My concerns mostly involve taking something not designed for the outdoors into the extreme outdoors. Especially when its potentially explosive and can probably electrocute someone. The thought of jumping out of a boat and into the ocean with one of these wrapped up in the dry bag that's strapped to my back does make me cringe just a little. Cost: FREE, but it could also do some really expensive damage.

Go old school dammit: Take a Nikon F, Bessa R3A, or other film camera and shoot emulsion for the whole freaking assignment. This way weight's minimized and spare batteries will be easy to carry, assuming my camera needs a battery at all. I really liked this idea till I realized that I'd be shooting in conditions ranging from pre-sunrise dawn to tropical daytime to pitch black night, and would need to pack the appropriate range of films. Also this is a paid assignment so scanning/processing a week's worth of photography (not to mention cost of film and processing) would likely exceed my $160 battery budget. Finally of course there would be the problem inherent in making a variety of ISO/brand films fit into a consistent color profile (ugh). This last option seems pretty darn cool but since this needs to be turned around a week after my trip, it seems like it would turn into a huge headache.

So what does everyone think? I've been tossing ideas around in my head for the past week and I keep coming back to 18 batteries being my best option...even though I wish it weren't. Does anyone have any experience with solar chargers/Li-Ion battery packs to charge their stuff? Thanks everyone.

 

[AdamJ]

I've looked into this before, it's not easy or cheap.

You can build your own kit using something like a solar cell charger with battery pack that charges during the day, then at night you use a voltage-boost inverter to convert the 5V output from the battery pack to 12V so you can run a wasabi car charger. You'll need a 'setup' per battery so for 3 batteries each day you need 3 solar charger/battery/inverter combos. You are looking at around $100each if not more.

An easier way is to use a Goal Zero 27W solar panel and their 50Whr pack which can provide a native 12V output, you can use a cigerette lighter splitter and run and charge 2 wasabi chargers off the 12V - 50Whr should give you about 4100mah and each NP-W126 is around 1750mAh. I'm not sure about the third battery, you could try keeping one or two online during the day so that the unused solar power pre-charges a battery or two. Your looking at $150-250 for the goal-zero solar panel, another $200 for the goal-zero 50Whr pack, so about $400 plus misc parts.

I would choose the latter setup, I think the 27W panel can easily charge up the 50Whr pack as well as a couple w126 batteries before the sun sets, then over night you can fill up at least two more batteries, thus giving you 4 full battery charges every 24hrs.

It's all more expensive than buying more cheap wasabi batteries, but I just think you can get more use from a solar kit instead of being dedicated to a single camera system...

Good luck!

 

[gustavoAvila]

Sounds like an interesting adventure!

My suggestion is go for the simplest solution that you KNOW will deliver the goods.

Do NOT take anything you have never used previously!

If the simplest solution is eighteen batteries, well, than that's the cost of doing business.

If extreme humidity and rain is a possibility, you may want to reconsider the Canon.

 

[Dunn]

I met a landscape photographer once that would go into very remote areas for about a week or so at a time, and he told me he used a solar charger. I don't know any specifics, but I think that would be a good way to go. It might be more expensive than you would like to get a reliable one, but, like the other poster said, it should be a good investment if you were to need one in the future and useful for other things as well.

Also, I would consider bringing a film camera and maybe 10 rolls as a backup. You never know when your digital gear will fail whether it be your camera or your solar charger.

 

[f16sunshine]

12v is easy!

Systems exist for sailors and others.
7days really? Not very long to stay and research for so many miles per day and so much effort.

 

[dbarnes]

I had reason to ask much the same question this summer -- how to keep a non-photographic, battery-powered device with significant power draw going on a camping trip.

In the end, much to my surprise, there was AC power more or less at our campsite! This took the fun out of having bought a largish solar charger from these folks. Seems to be good quality, FWIW, and very light weight. My test runs at home were very positive, especially on days with truly bright sun.

Part of my strategy did work well on the trip: Having multiple batteries to run the gear from. But charging the batteries was much easier than I expected.

 

[JSU]

I am the last person on earth or at least RFF I can imagine saying this, but I have always believed in using the best tool for a given job/task.

If I was in your position I would question why shoot digital if you aren't filing daily or more often. If I was out in the boonies for a week I would consider a film camera system (two bodies with at least one completely manual, no batteries to function). A Nikon FM2 and FE2 with a 24/2.8, 55/2.8 Micro and 105/2.5 will cover numerous bases and for not a large outlay of money.

I would budget 10 rolls of film per day but probably carry more, broken down into 20 rolls to a ziplock bag. Spare ziploc bags for cameras and lenses in case the inclement weather turns really bad. Also another couple bags to put exposed film into, as you empty a bag of fresh film it can eventually be reused. Also, max of two emulsions, one per camera.

Upon return ship the film as securely as possible to a nationally known processor and have scanned at the same time.

Digital is the only way to go when time is crucial, but if you are shooting for a week, it sounds as if time is less an issue.

Otherwise, I would allow 4 batteries per day and buy 30 total to cover the duration, and plenty of media cards, too.

I just finished three days at Disneyland shooting 1400 images spread over a pair of Canon 5D2 bodies. I recharged batteries for both bodies once, that is, I needed 4 batteries total. I also carried a 21, 40 & 135 mm lenses, a lens on each body and the third in a small belt bag with a spare battery and a couple of extra CF cards. But 3 days with Mickey Mouse isn't the same as a week in the wilderness.

Good luck and carry sufficient spares.

 

[DNG]

Well, for $129 for a 4v 2 panel solar cell, + $20 for a Camera Bat adapter
there is this one

Voltaic Charger $129
^^^^^^^^^^

Camera Bat Adapters $20 Scroll Down
^^^^^^^^^^^^^

as suggested, it is as buying enough bats to cover your time...
You could always sell the extra bats when the job is over.

 

[Jack Conrad]

Goat sacrifice might work for daylight battery longevity, but extensive night work may require virgin sacrifice, which I don't recommend. The long term consequences of virgin sacrifice can be a real downer. :angel:

I'd probably go with 18 batteries. Use them and when you get back home, sell em on eBay to get at least some of the money you spent on them back. 🙂

By the way, awesome post, and good luck.

 

[shimokita]

Maybe longer term a DIY wind or solar solution ;-)

http://www.mdpub.com/

I have no connection to "Mike", but it looks like fun... and you should have good wind in the islands.

Casey

 

[JSU]

This guy is a wizard, I like the way he thinks, and does!

Maybe longer term a DIY wind or solar solution ;-)

http://www.mdpub.com/

I have no connection to "Mike", but it looks like fun... and you should have good wind in the islands.

Casey

 

[GaryLH]

I would assume that u are going to have a base camp while on the island. Given the charge time related issue vs the number of batteries u are going to use u may use up per day, it sounds like no matter what u are going to buy more batteries anyway. Having 3lbs of batteries if we are talking about at base camp, should not be bad.. If on the other and u are constantly moving around and establishing camp temporarily for no more then a couple of days, then a compromise between solar recharger and some more batteries maybe the better choice.

The biggest issue I c is that the Fuji cameras xp1 and xe1 are not weather proof. I would consider substituting one of them for a a weather proof camera. There are plenty of digital cameras out there that could work. Some are even good being submerged as deep at 30ft.

On the idea of a film camera.. I think the other alternative would be substituting one of the cameras for a weatherproof film camera. A couple of good choices would be Minolta weathermatic dual (35mm version not APS) or a nikonos v w/ 35mm. The weathermatic is dual focal length 28/50 if I remember correctly.

Personally I would be tempted to go totally film given your description of the environment.

Good luck w/ your assignment..
Gary

 

[N.delaRua]

Just for peace of mind take the 18 batteries or the 1D....

Sell the extra batteries at $10 piece and re-coup most of your money back

 

[sevo]

The area of solar panel you need to directly charge a cellphone or camera battery is quite impressive - the one depicted above claims 4W peak (i.e. 0.8A/5V), which can be too weak to charge some devices (whose chargers are designed for 2A operation), and would mean 3-4hrs per battery at the very best.

So you might need at least twice that area to get enough power to drive a regular charger, in ideal conditions. And that is the main snag, in less than ideal conditions they'll deliver dramatically less power (about 20% on a overcast day, less than 5% in heavy rain or fog) - in bad weather, you are SOL with any amount of portable solar chargers you can carry.

There also are thermoelectric generators integrated into camping stoves, but the one I have in mind costs a arm and a leg and will nonetheless require you to maintain a small fire with driftwood all day long just to keep the iphone or GPS charged - cute, but no option if you get through several camera batteries a day.

Personally I suspect that your Vagabond battery is the best bet, by capacity and availability. Sure, it might get wet and die in poor weather, but if you take enough care of it, that can be avoided - while solar cells won't work in rain regardless what you do and how waterproof they are...

Whatever you use, put it in a Pelican case, and stow that in a Ortlieb rafting bag for beaching, to be double safe.

 

[honozooloo]

Thanks for all the feedback folks. Here's where I'm headed:

It's a small island off of Maui called Kahoolawe. It's about fortysomething square miles. It has significant cultural value to Native Hawaiians, but access to the island/development has been kept firmly at zero because the US Gov't used it as an aerial/naval bombardment range from WWII to the 80s. There's unexploded ordinance (UXO) all over the place because the US has dropped virtually every non-nuclear weapon in it's arsenal on Kaho`olawe in the past 4 decades, and not all the ordinance detonated when it hit the island. See the orange pylons in the photo above? Those are "safe zones" AKA a trail that has been cleared of UXO down to 6m underground. 60% of the rest of the island is cleared to only 1m if at all. Last time I was there a 500 lb bomb washed up about 600 ft from basecamp after a day of heavy rain.

The assignment is for a magazine distributed statewide; I've got a modest travel budget for gear ($200, originally allocated for camping gear I already own). I'd really, totally love to load up on Ektar and Portra and shoot all film but there isn't any pro lab, or other lab in the entire state of Hawai`i that I'd trust with this one, and quite frankly there isn't enough budget to cover mailing out to a lab for processing/scanning and I definitely don't want to scan this at home (it would take forever). At one level I'd love to shoot film, but I know it just won't be cost or time-effective. The same goes for why I'm spending a week there; it's a function of being under a limited budget based on the client.

I love the idea of the solar charger and know that its inevitable I will purchase one someday. It makes total sense, I mean why buy batteries when you can own something that recharges them with the sun? But right now, the kits are looking too expensive/bulky given their not yet up to par charging performance. And I don't want to gamble on an untested rig during this trip. I know they'll work, its mostly a question of whether or not a small, reasonably-priced solar charging system will be able to charge 3-4 batteries a day (it looks like they will not, unless I can get 16 hours of sunlight a day). Especially when the simple, easy to carry, and deadfire sure way to guarantee I'll have juice onsite is to simply buy a whole crapton of batteries. Right now the charging tech just doesn't look up to my unrealistic demands, and apparently animal sacrifice isn't going to cut it either. Bummer.

I'm covering Native Hawaiian cultural protocol on the island during a transition into what we call the Makahiki season. The protocol happens in different phases during the day and night for a week. I'm aware of the risks of carrying the X cameras in adverse weather but am leaning towards that option because I'll be on the go a lot covering activities all over the island. Also I think I'll get better results with a smaller, less disruptive camera, as these are religious ceremonies and this is the first time a photographer is getting access. Discretion is key. And I really, really don't want to lug a 1D, probably a 16-35, and a few primes all over the place in mostly shadeless, 90 degree weather for a week.

At this point I'm considering the X Pro + a ton of batteries. If I'm thinking I need 18 I may actually end up buying 22 batteries just to be safe. If I go the Fuji route I'm taking a soft water housing (originally for a canon rebel but it fits the X Pro) in case it rains too badly. To be honest this time of year heavy rain isn't expected unless there's a tropical storm on the way, and if there were the whole trip would be scrubbed anyway. Haha, also if that happens I'll probably resell surplus batteries at RFF for $10 a pop to recoup a little cost (that idea was a stroke of brilliance N.delaRua!).

Thanks for the comments and feedback. Does anybody actually own a solar charger that they use? When searching, I really liked the Brunton line of chargers and panels, but spending almost $800 for a serious set of panels and a massive battery to store collected electricity just doesn't make sense.

Check out the Brunton Website, their products looked to be the most robust and viable option for pro level needs.

My nerdier side was REALLY interested in alt tech like Hydrogen fuel cells, Lithium Air batteries, or other more portable, energy dense charging options. Anybody play with anything like that?

Thanks again for all the ideas and research folks!

 

[sevo]

My nerdier side was REALLY interested in alt tech like Hydrogen fuel cells, Lithium Air batteries, or other more portable, energy dense charging options. Anybody play with anything like that?

If the thought of a wet battery pack scares you, the thought of carrying a few canisters of purified methylene and 30% hydrogen peroxide, or pressurized hydrogen bottles to similar weight, should scare you even more...

By the way, after killing a few pro video cameras and camera lights (or their power packs) by inundation I can tell you these die a slow, silent death and don't explode - even sea water does not short out things completely, but creates a short circuit of higher resistance than their regular payload.

 

[honozooloo]

If the thought of a wet battery pack scares you, the thought of carrying a few canisters of purified methylene and 30% hydrogen peroxide, or pressurized hydrogen bottles to similar weight, should scare you even more...

By the way, after killing a few pro video cameras and camera lights by inundation I can tell you these die a slow, silent death and don't explode - even sea water does not short out things completely, but creates a short circuit of higher resistance than their regular payload.

Thanks for the feedback, actually the Vagabond is a third option I haven't given much thought to...I don't know much about higher-voltage power sources like an external battery for large strobes, but assumed anything with the voltage/amperage to feed a few Alienbees would be quite bad in a short circuit situation. Do you think there would be serious electroshock risk, or would something this hazardous also have significant failsafes designed into it? The Vagabond just seemed like a dangerous idea on the face of it.

The fuel cells seemed cool but yeah, flammable gases in pressurized liquid form aren't all that safe either; I guess I just felt safer about it because getting a fuel cartridge soaking wet wouldn't cause a short.

 

[sevo]

Do you think there would be serious electroshock risk, or would something this hazardous also have significant failsafes designed into it?

It certainly is no item you ought to let get wet, as that would corrode the electronics way before you could unsolder the cells. But it won't blow up unless you open it and short-circuit the terminals behind the protective electronics with some metal object. And it will not electrocute you unless you put your bare right foot on one terminal and touch the other with the left hand.

It has no ground terminal, so there is no shock risk from touching only one terminal (as there is in the case of the live terminal in grid power) - most accidents with high power batteries involve touching two adjacent terminals with a hand, arm or leg, which may cause local burns, but no shock. And all Lithium power packs have fuses and load monitors as a uncontained short would cause the batteries to explode, so their external connectors are quite safe.

 

[DougFord]

I like the vagabond option as well. Low weight, familiarity with its operation (yours not mine) and demonstrated reliability.
Seal it in a plastic container for transport.
Of course you realize that you could also make 'batteries' out'a coconuts like on Gilligan's island 🙄

 

[honozooloo]

It certainly is no item you ought to let get wet, as that would corrode the electronics way before you could unsolder the cells. But it won't blow up unless you open it and short-circuit the terminals behind the protective electronics with some metal object. And it will not electrocute you unless you put your bare right foot on one terminal and touch the other with the left hand.

It has no ground terminal, so there is no shock risk from touching only one terminal (as there is in the case of the live terminal in grid power) - most accidents with high power batteries involve touching two adjacent terminals with a hand, arm or leg, which may cause local burns, but no shock. And all Lithium power packs have fuses and load monitors as a uncontained short would cause the batteries to explode, so their external connectors are quite safe.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge, it's good to know that electrocution shouldn't be possible without significant effort on my part...I figured that by virtue of it being portable there would be failsafes designed into the Vagabond to protect it from causing shocks after sustaining water damage. That being said this is a different category of battery vs. all other batteries I use based on its size and capacity alone and I guess I've always been a little wary of the Vagabond. Do you think a short circuit could cause heating to the cells which could cause them to expand and possibly rupture, allowing the Lithium to contact the air and combust? My understanding of this kind of failure is that it's what causes those "exploding" cell phones and laptops. I know most of the cell phone and laptop battery explosions were likely due to manufacturer's defects/poor quality control at the factory (hopefully that wouldn't be the case for the Vagabond's cells). And that was one of my other concerns in taking the Vagabond along: the island is mostly dry grassland and without water or a fire department an accidental brush fire would be a bad thing.