Off the Grid

Solar-Powered Picnic

This fall Hope College students will be able to enjoy a picnic and charge their tablets at the same time thanks to a new technology project sponsored by the Holland Board of Public Works. The solar-powered picnic table can provide 600 watts of continuous power through four 110V GFCI outlets and two USB outlets. It stores excess power in batteries in the base, so the table can run even on cloudy days.

Enerfusion Inc, a Michigan-based start-up, designed and installed the table in May just in time to show off at the 2014 Tulip Time festival. While it currently resides behind the Holland Visitor Information offices on 8th Street, the table will eventually be moved outside of Phelps Hall on Hope College’s campus.