Solar Powered Wifi at the Park

Solar Powered Wifi at the Park

Since I first read about the potential for solar powered wifi at the park a few weeks ago, I have been dying to blog about it!  I mean, these are my two favorite things brought together – like chocolate and peanut butter!  Solar powered park benches that also allow me to use my laptop at the park, while my kids play.

Could it get any better?  No – that’s not a rhetorical question!

This ingenious design, which could only be made better if the solar panels could be strapped to my portable camp chair, is something that I would personally fund through the city budget if I had the means.  Not only does the bench use renewable energy for its power requirements, but the frame is made from recycled materials.

Solar powered wifi at the park is brought to you by designers Seon-Keun Park, Byung-Min Woo, and Owen Song, who created the Solar Inside park bench.  The design includes thin-film solar, which is rain and wind-proof.  Not only can the rechargeable battery incorporated into the bench provide wifi access, but the seat also glows at night for emission-free lighting.

If only I had solar powered wifi at the park!

Currently, where I live, I have to negotiate the playground time for my kids.  That is, I need to get a certain amount of work done on the Internet before we leave.  I sadly lug along my newspaper or a magazine to peruse while we’re there.  If our park had one of these solar powered park benches, I would gladly stay there for hours, however!

Rest assured that the solar panels on the bench will not overheat your own seat!  And future designs may include a back, although as the angle of the sun shifts, optimum exposure to UV light may be compromised.

So, what is stopping municipalities and park districts from investing in this great solar gadget?  At a cost of less than $300 per bench (based on comparable models), it could pay for itself many times over.

How refreshing to spend your day outside, at a local park, and still be able to get some work done?  I’d say that the guys at Solar Inside are thinking the same way I do!  Just combine outdoor renewable energy technology with free wifi offering.

That’s how to get things done.

What do you think about solar powered wifi at the park?  Would you use it?  If not, why not?

Tags: free wifi, solar inside, solar powered park bench, solar powered wifi