Going Solar

Janterm Class Builds Mobile Solar Charging Station

Beth Ferguson 96F returned to campus to co-teach a January term course with applied design professor Donna Cohn in the Hampshire College Lemelson Center. The 16 students who enrolled in their Urban Eco-Design class created a solar charging station for the campus.
Complete with pop-out seating and table space, the charger provides a handy outdoor spot to recharge laptops and other portable devices, including power for speakers for outdoor concerts. On wheels, it can move where needed, although it will most often be near the community garden. Built on a 4-foot by 8-foot boat trailer, the portable charger has many green features, such as recycled materials and a set of vertical hanging pockets for growing plants.
The designers also took care to be true to their school: the solar panels are arranged in the H of the Hampshire logo, and glow at night.
Ferguson’s company, Sol Design Lab, is based in Texas. A colleague from that state, industrial designer Dallas Swindle, provided assistance in the Hampshire course. A renewable-energy electronics company, Outback Power, donated the inverter for the charging station.

Faculty and students presented the newly completed charging station in the HCLC shop on Tuesday, January 25th.

Listen to NPR’s coverage of the charging station on WFCR.