One of the things we’ve found about being in a rural, remote location with service limitations is that there is a lot of interest in “off the grid” living. Sometimes this is by choice for sustainability or a desire to be independent of public resources, other times, it’s out of necessity due to financial or physical constraints.
C. Crane has always promoted alternative energy especially when it saves money. We currently work with Six Rivers Solar, here in Humboldt County, where they use some of our WiFi equipment such as our CC Vector Long Range WiFi Repeater System for one of their newest packages designed around off the grid living or situations where power is not easily accessible.
Below is a video explaining the new system and how C. Crane products are used within the system.
CONGRATULATIONS Fred Hildesheim for winning a brand new CC Solar Observer And 5V AC Adapter! Thanks to all who participated. We value our C. Crane fans! Its refreshing to know so many people are conscious of ways of making a big impact with small changes in living in harmony with Mother Earth. See you next contest!
Probably my solar panels.. They were the best addition I ever added to my RV worth every cent
The most environmentally friendly things I have ever used to get just about anything done are my own two hands.
All of our Michigan City, IN public schools, have newly installed solar fields.
This should cut the use of purchased electricity, in half.
When power is out, communications is a must. I think the Baygen wind-up radio is the best I’ve ever used to listen to local radio when weather has knocked out power at my house for days at a time.
Also lighting is important. The D.Light S20 is the best solar lighting solution I’ve found.
My solar panel 80 watts to keep my battery charged out in the boonies camping of course.
I built a portable QRP ham station that runs on gel cells that charge via a solar panel. I also have a C Crane crank LED Lantern that’s great for power outages.
My TESLA, quiet, quick and clean.
It may not save the planet, but to this day, nothing gets more comments at work than my potato-powered clock. Some day I know it will also come in handy…when I forget to bring in my lunch. 🙂
the solar water heating panels for my swimming pool and hot water heater.
Very cool !
I’ll go old school with a window and a sweater. Open the first and put on the second and you can save a lot of electricity for heating and cooling.
I’ll go old school with a window and a sweater. Open the first and put on the latter and you can save a lot of electricity cooling and heating.
Very cool. I have a few 10Watt solar panels that can be taken anywhere. They have net 1AMP 6 volts into USB outlet. So can charge phone, power banks, etc. For me this is the most useful because I can carry anywhere for emergencies. Have 2 in my Bug Out Bag !
not much but have a solar panel that charges my batteries ….
Hand-held portable rechargeable battery packs that are capable of starting a car with a dead battery, and able to be recharged by a solar module.
These “plastic bags” are actually made from cassava roots, a plant. They work just like a regular plastic bag but are biodegradable and totally renewable. Here’s the web site link: https://www.avanieco.com/portfolio-item/bio-cassava-bag/
There are two inventions that wowed me. First, anything with a solar panel. Secondly, I saw a toilet that had a hand washing sink over the toilet tank to collect water for flushing. It was a neat design and a great way conserve water.
Yes Tami , been around for decades but underutilized.. WHY !
Good call .
I have 400w of solar power so far on house i also use small solar panels on my bike that have 5, rechargeable lights, I keep them hook up during the day to recharge, Going to get the C Crane MP3 AM-FM Radio with a rechargeable battery to take on my next cross country rides. Thank you George Noory of Coast to Coast Radio Fame for tell us about C Crane Radios!
Security Solar Powered Out Door Lighting.
Off hand, I’d say between the foldable solar panels and solar oven it’s a tossup. When the grid is down, as was the case following severe weather last year, the solar panels kept my cherished CCrane Skywave SSB receiver powered by the installed rechargeable batteries (not to mention a host of other things using them). And the solar oven provides the means to enjoy good cooked meals when the sun is shining until grid power is restored. Country living has a way of providing for a spontaneous picnic every once in a while in which case those two items not only come in pretty handy but make for a safer and more enjoyable experience.
A solar shower bag for hot showers when no power.
I like Nikola Tesla’s idea of give energy to this world . He had some kind of coil that would send out energy .
Portable Solar/12V/AC rechargeable emergency power generators make sense to me. I would own one except for the price of the lithium/ion battery high power units are too high for my budget.
Tom ! The component prices have come WAY DOWN in price .
Check you-know-whotube to see how others are realizing their needs !
What interest me is having solar panels on my roof. I want to get off the grid.
Composting toilets
A solar oven made from a cardboard box. I built one a few years ago and believe me, you can cook just about anything using only solar energy. It takes a few hours, and you will have to periodically reorient the reflector, but it works! Google is your friend, and you can easily build one yourself or purchase an example, although it costs next to nothing to make one.
My mother dried apple slices by putting them on a tray and putting the tray under the rear window in our car. She would turn them once and in just a couple of sunny days we had dried apples for fried apple pies in the winter. Good eating and good memories!
Thanks for giving all of us a chance to Win a wonderful Radio..😳
Solar electrical systems, solar hot water systems, solar cooking ovens, outside antennas
My favorite is to make your own 4 coat hanger tv antenna. I wish Crane would make one you could roll up or disguised as a framed wall picture. Cut the high priced cable and go with high def air signal for free!
We purchased a dozen solar lanterns for our Leper ministry In Tanzania Africa. These are the collapseable tube shaped lanterns that use a chrome reflector to distribute the light. Our Lepers are very poor and live in places where they don’t have electricity. These little solar lights give them just a little but enough light for necessary nighttime use.
I have to agree with one of the prior entries. Here we are on a farm, no fancy stuff, just checking our cows daily, checking for any abnormalities, etc., and then onto the basics. A solar power panel would be nice however at our ages, 80 & 69 would settle for one of the wind up radios you have and advertise.
I have a cabin of the grid, I use solar panel and I built a small battery bank. I also have a solar panel on my shed for lights and charging batteries.
The most affordable energy-efficient product that I have purchased and used has been Energy Star 60 watt LED lightbulbs. At $5 or less per bulb, a 60 watt bulb uses about 10 watts for a bulb that is expected to last 22 years or more, and with a yearly energy cost of about $1.50 or less. And these bulbs are dimmable. I have 18 60w LED bulbs, and 4 25w bulbs in my house. Maybe not the most creative energy efficient product, but this product might be the most ubiquitous, affordable product that most homeowners can buy and install immediately.
Electric leaf passenger car
THANK YOU SIR (video)
Hot water is 40 percent of your utility demands . I lost my hot water heater in a cheap rental and temporarily used my camping garden sprayer for daily showers. Huge drop in electric bill. I didn’t complain when landlord took forever to fix it.
We built a solar power box for emergencies and camping from recycled parts and solar panels – it powers our AM/FM and WX radios, our Ham radios, our home-made 5-gallon bucket tent air conditioner, and other devices when remote or when the power goes out at home. Along with our solar ovens, it came in very handy when working in south LA and TX after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
My old windmill still beats ’em all!
CCrane is a company I already love, so when I saw this drawing, I was automatically interested -especially since my husband’s favorite pastime is fishing and following weather-related topics! I think this would be the PERFECT outdoorsman’s companion!! Our experience with environmentally creative (or even efficient) products runs thin. For the last thirty years, my husband has been active duty military and so we haven’t been homeowners or stayed in one spot long enough to invest or research this subject. BUT, we HAVE bought the energy star bulbs, despite the fact that their stay in the house always out lived ours – ha!
I have a series of solar powered lights all around my property that allows me to go just about anywhere on my small farmette. Plus I use a solar charged hand held flashlight when I need to go out at night as well.
I have used ccrane radios for about 20 years and all of them still work. Had one problem with one radio and ccrane replaced it for me. I will always use ccrane over any other radio available out there because of proven reliability, friendly and courteous customer service, and of course a mighty fine radio!
Best has been switching to led lights. About 99% now.
a solar panel to charge my cell phone
solar panel
Solar panels
I saw a rainwater filler for a outhouse toilet tank, so it Flushes!
Love rechargable batteries, green appliances and byob to store.
A solar charger and a battery to charge my cell phones and power 12 volt dc lights. Less expensive to run than my portable generator.
I use a metal reusable water bottle and filtered water from my tap for all my outings instead of using/buying plastic bottles
The heat exchangers that capture heat from grey water leaving the house, and use it to pre-warm city water coming in.