Solar has become an attractive option over the years, for the private sector as well as for business and the government. Very few have tried to go fully solar in any aspect, but as Sean Carlin of the New Hampshire Register reports, the city of Madison, New Hampshire is trying. The city has invested in equipment to power all of the miscellaneous lawn equipment used by the maintenance department of the city through solar electricity.
Courtesy: Intel Free Press
As Carlin highlights in his piece, they are doing this through the use of a trailer that is outfitted with solar panels that feed into chargers for the power tools. The trailer is mobile, so it can be moved to make sure it gets as much sunlight as possible. It can also be moved from site to site.
While this technology may not be in the price range for homeowners quite yet, it is certainly possible for the future – imagine putting solar panels on the roof of your shed to collect energy and convert it into power. This power could then be used to charge portable equipment in your shed, or to be collected and used at a plug for tools that would require a cord.
More importantly, this is an idea that should be taken seriously by those in the landscaping business. Aside from employee wages, fuel can often be the second-largest expense for a landscaping business. A trailer that can provide a mobile charging station for landscaping equipment could be a great long-term investment. In the short term, yes, it would be on the expensive side, but the long-term fuel savings for gas-powered weed wackers, trimmers, edgers, hedge clippers, and leaf blowers could possibly justify its use. Converting to these electric tools will also save on repairs, as electrical tools have demonstrated themselves to be more reliable than older, gas-powered tools.
So can you see your company or home converting to solar soon? It might not be a bad idea.
