Job well done, my friend. I think your biggest weakness was actually in the battery capacity -- had your solar system charged a battery 2x to 4x the size, I think your life would have been golden. Work is work -- hand cranking 50 watts of power for hours isn't easy. The best bet is a bike. It's still work, but much more comfortable.

Anyway, nice job!!!

Hey Steve:

That's it? That's your report for the week? You contacted us to send you the Solar PowerPAC II, which is even being used by the U.S. military, and you promised credible testing and reporting during your week off grid. Instead you're cooking marshmallows with a mirror.

Maybe your readers shouldn't buy anything you have reported on, they can decide, but they certainly should not trust that you will provide them technically accurate reporting. Do the math. The unit has over 400 watts of reserve power in the internal battery and recharges with 100 watts of power per hour of direct sun. That's almost two hours of operation of a notebook for every hour of sun and reserve power for night use for the notebook or to watch a DVD etc. And it comes with a 15 foot power cord, not 10 feet as you stated, which is typically long enough for 8' ceilings to mount on a roof and have the base unit indoors or it can be used portably.

If you're too lazy or incompetent to properly test and report on a unit of this type, then you shouldn't be asking companies to send them to dvice.com. You need to limit your technical reporting to playing with marshmallows.

Carl McClellan
Advanced Energy Group

@CM: Hi Carl,

Sorry to hear you didn't like Steve's reporting about the PowerPac II. My apologies if there was a misunderstanding — although Advanced Energy Group’s solar panel and generator were obviously major highlights of DVICE’s five-part “Off the Grid” series, the idea was for Steve to get his power from multiple renewable energy sources, and not just rely on a single product.

Still, the PowerPac II was clearly a great thing for him to have. I find it surprising you didn't like his reporting considering he called the system "glorious," his "main power source" and a "beacon of hope" — not to mention his implication that using it continually throughout the week for all his energy needs would be tantamount to cheating.

The spirit of “Off the Grid” was for Steve to live out the experience of relying on solar and other renewable energy sources as most people would — with limited training and performing typical tasks (including charging cellphones, running a laptop and, yes, cooking some Smores), and reporting about the hands-on experience of it. I find it confusing that you accused Steve of being inaccurate about reporting the PowerPac’s abilities in direct sun, when he plainly said he got very little of the kind for most of the week. If any readers wanted to know how many watts the panel could provide in any given weather, Steve provided a link to the product page in his first post — that wasn’t what this series was about.

Again, I’m sorry “Off the Grid” wasn’t what you expected, and that having Advanced Energy Group’s product cited in four of five parts in a series about using renewable power was a disappointment to you. And if we got the length of the power cord wrong, I apologize.

If you have any further complaints about DVICE’s coverage, I would appreciate it if you would contact me directly at editor@dvice.com. Best,

Peter Pachal
Editor, DVICE

CM,

I followed this all week and it's clear that your product works only under special conditions.

I'm glad that this blog isn't a covert marketing site for your product, and am glad that you're disappointed. Perhaps that will inspire your company to make practical versions for people living in a city.

Total agreement is never your friend!

Stumbled!

I wasn't expecting covert marketing for the unit, but to report 1/2 page on a mirror that cooks a marshmallow, something my 10 year old daughter knows how to do, and not more thoroughly report on a unit that offers meaningful business and personal functionality for many people using renewable energy during NBC's Green Week is not in the best interests of the public. Yes there are design limitations, and it's not a magic bullet for everyone, but it is a credible product and at the very least deserved more discussion, both positive and any negatives, so that we could consider ways to improve such a unit for more people. Obviously, a person in an apartment in the city is at a disadvantage with a unit like this compared to others with better access to the sun, and for certain uses it's too clumsy or too heavy or not powerful enough, but the Solar PowerPAC II reflects the possibilities, and has earned the respect of countless consumers, Fortune companies, the military, universities etc.

My earlier comments are not personal in nature, but if we want to continue encouraging the use of renewable energy, then we need to separate the men from the boys, so to speak, or the toys and gimmicks from credible devices.

We donate several of these units every year to school science departments and the unit supplied dvice.com was one of these units for 2008. So I believe we've missed an opportunity to continue to help educate the public, which is what NBC's Green Week is supposed to be about. Perhaps I over estimated the reporting intentions or capabilities of dvice.com, OK fine, my mistake, and I'll settle for the very minimal discussion given the unit, but then at least donate the unit to a school so others can more thoroughly understand the benefits and/or present technical limitations of using solar electric power. As IT companies and other industries continue to improve the energy efficiency of their devices, and as units like ours continue to evolve there can be even greater solutions in the future.

The fact is the unit generally works well except for special conditions, not only under special conditions. Regardless, thank you for at least bringing it to the attention of dvice.com viewers, and I'm hoping you will honor my request to donate it to a school science department instead of storing it in a closet with a bunch of toys or junk.

Carl McClellan
Advanced Energy Group

CM,

I believe that your product works and your obvious passion for it is admirable. In spite of any seeming unpleasantness, I think that the exchange made here has been educational.

THEADLERIAN:

In retrospect, I was not familiar enough with dvice.com and misunderstood the overall intentions and limits of Steve's reporting. I'm used to a much higher level of engineering scrutiny and technical reporting, being beyond the intended scope of the 5 day series. However, I agree, this has likely been educational for many.

Steve, I apologize for implying laziness or incompetence. I was wrong to expect detailed technical discussions. You are right that in many areas using both solar and wind works well since it is common for the winds to increase during periods when the solar production decreases.

Peter, thank you for recapping our unit. There are so many products with false claims or misleading information, it's not exactly easy to break through all the B.S. with a credible device. Thank you, and Steve, for the overall complimentary report.

Respectfully,

Carl McClellan
Advanced Energy Group

Wow... Carl McClellan's attitude in this really make me think twice before going to Advanced Energy Group for off-grid energy sources. The fact that he was disrespectful and tried to shame Steve by posting such comments in the blog rather that direct contact to the Editor of DVICE.com... it's very disrespectful, and I wonder how they'd treat their paying customers if they had technical issues with the products. His final comment on 04/27/08 is just blatant back-pedaling... bad form, Mr. McClellan.

Steve, you did a great job!

~Rich Sanders

Just wanted to know if you got to use the Voltaic back pack. (Seen in day one pic.) with that lovable pug. I ask because i own one and use it everyday. Charges my Treo 650 and once i get that iPod I'll charge it off the sunn too!

Thanks for a great week,

KC