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How do you keep electronic objects charged with limited access to mains electricity?

In countries like Uganda we’ve seen solutions ranging from car batteries to street charging services and a relatively small amount of solar. One potential solution is the pull-cord charger - demonstrated by the Potenco team shortly after the Street Hacks talk - billed as generating enough power for 20 minutes of talk time from one minute of pulling. The design is still evolving - based on feedback from the field. In retrospect given the mechanical nature of the solution and the likely geography of its deployment perhaps it should have been part of the talk?

Writing from San Francisco | April 12, 2008 | Permalink