PowerCube 600: the 2000-pound solar-powered generator

Curious designs and solar-powered wares seem to go hand in hand, but honestly, the PowerCube 600 is going to be hard to top. In what appears to be a ginormous (and inexplicably uncomfortable) recliner, the creators have managed to shove enough solar panels in this foldable, "portable" generator to crank out 600-watts of power. You'll also find 3,500-watts of continuous inverter output, 2,400 amp hours of battery storage and a rugged / watertight case. Even when closed up, this beast measures 72- x 124- x 50-inches, and while it technically is a mobile solution, 2,000-pounds isn't exactly what you want to lug around each time you feel like hosting a LAN party in Zzyzx, California. Forget the fact that you'll need to phone up Reluminati in order to acquire a price -- just think of the shipping!

[Via MAKE]

[daedalus @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:10AM]

Solar powered chaise lounge!!!!!

Or maybe a dentist chair!!!

[LiqwidZero @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:15AM]

Or a human cooker, for cannibals on the go!

[Meltz @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:26AM]

I was gonna say Lazy-Boy - but sure

[Munkcy @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:41PM]

Yes. A solar powered dentist chair. Just hope that the sun doesn't go behind a cloud during your root-canal.

[konceptz @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:15AM]

Darn, and I thought this was a lawn chair so I could tan both sides using... science...

[UKNigel @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:41AM]

"Stand back, I'm going to try science!" -xkcd

[MurphyMac @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:19PM]

I thought it was the new Business Class on Virgin.

[Richard @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:15AM]

Think they'll put it on Amazon? I get over night shipping for $3.99. :D

[andy @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:15AM]

Shipping will be about 100 bucks.

Forward Air Freight handles this stuff, and the size will definitely help with costs. It's pretty small compared to some things I've shipped by them.

If you want 2, it'll be even less since you can put 2 on the same pallet.

[Rob @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:47AM]

No, shipping would be free if you have Prime. lol ....

[Abuzar @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:54AM]

I get Optimus Prime to do my shipping for me!

[StreetStealth @ Apr 3rd 2008 2:08PM]

Yeah, but he doesn't cost $70/year; you have to pay him in energon.

[Stem $ell @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:26AM]

Watt the *uck?

[Brent @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:36AM]

They'd probably sell more of these if they had iPod docks...and called them the iCube.

[poulan @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:42AM]

prefer my powermonkey explorer any day

[SurKaz @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:43AM]

And they say technology is making everything smaller...
But then again.. anyone think it has to be that large/heavy to produce that wattage? or the same could be done using smaller devices?

[Ignatius @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:55AM]

It probably has to deal with the batteries themselves. Sadly, battery technology (as "advanced" as it is) hasn't gone very far up until the last ten or fifteen years.

I mean.. we had alkaline batteries since the 1900s.

[SurKaz @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:59AM]

You mean since 1999?
All joking aside, why hasn't there been any advances in battery tech? There wasn't that much research into it until recently I believe... or is it simply difficult?

[John @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:29AM]

Well lithium is new isn't it? Also, I think MIT is using nanotubes (increasing surface area) to improve capacitors to the point they can function as batteries.

[schmitty338 @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:56PM]

There has actually been a plethora of research into new and existing battery techs in past decades...the problem lies in the laws of the physical world, not the lack of research. Electricity is stored in electrons....electrons have a mass and therefore take up a discrete volume of space...this means, there is a physical limits to the amount of energy that can be stored as electricity per unit volume.

This means that if we are to increase the ability of batteries to store energy to a significant extent, we will have to develop a novel method of energy storage that doesn't rely on the close-packing of ions; which, as most things in this world, is much, MUCH, easier said than done.

[Rob @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:52AM]

I'm not too familiar with wattage, amps and the whole electricity terminology. I understand the general stuff like 120/240, ac/dc, 40/60cycles. Now, what items found in the average household could you run off this thing?

[schmitty338 @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:54AM]

hrrmmm...sorry to nitpick, but shouldn't it technically be called the PowerRectangularPrism 600?

Granted, it doesn't roll of your tongue as nicely, but it's more accurate.

Oh, when will marketers learn!?

[Esat @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:59AM]

Damn that's a huge bitch!

[Kurian @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:07AM]

I need this for my PSP.

[Backlin @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:10AM]

Is that Sizzly-Boy's latest model?

[DT @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:32AM]

You guys have it all wrong; it's a solar-powered electric chair, clearly. Save the earth, doom an earthling.

[Jared @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:33AM]

wait...2000 pounds? That's 2 tons! how could they squeeze that much weight into that little package?

[Andrew Cooper @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:39AM]

Umm, 2000 lbs is 1 ton, but what a ton here or there in a portable unit like this one.

[Panid @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:40AM]

because 2000 pounds is 900 kgs not 2 Tons...

[schmitty338 @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:48AM]

First, yes, 2000lb = 1 ton (Imperial...), not 2 tons.

Secondly, SMALL PACKAGE?? Are you daft? The measurements are 72- x 124- x 50-inches...that's 6'x just over 10' x over 4'...yes, that's FEET....that's HUGE....

[Jared @ Apr 3rd 2008 2:18PM]

o i thought it was supposed to be portable

[Christian Martin @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:43AM]

All I wanted was a frickin rotating solar chair, throw me a bone here...

[required @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:47AM]

They should swap the iron framing with aluminum as it's lighter and the case would probably be better if it was a light weight plastic rather than the heavy cement shown.

[schmitty338 @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:56AM]

Ideally yes...but my guess is that the majority of that weight comes from the battery cells, not the frame, meaning a change in materials would not have a significant impact on something that already weighs so much.

Secondly, I'm assuming if something like this is going to be moved, it will be done via a forklift or something to that effect...2000LB plus a forklift is enough to warp steel at the right angle, imagine if they used aluminum or plastic? It wouldn't last too long....

[required @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:05PM]

I was just making fun and speculating on what materials are used. I doubt they are using iron and cement.

[Joe @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:56AM]

Just to check; people do know that solar cells wear out, right?

[AMc @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:30PM]

Yeah solar cells only last 30 years or more?
The marine batteries will have a useful life of about a 10 years depending on usage.
If you want a sensible non-fossil mains power source somewhere remote an 'in a box' solution will be a lot easier to deal with than assembling, panels, invertors, batteries and control gear into a watertight container yourself. If you compare it to keeping a diesel generator running in a sunny but remote location I can see a major attraction.

http://www.reluminati.com/powercube/

[KK @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:00PM]

This giant reclining solar generator will also set you back $25,000 US. You could probably build your own version for a tenth of that price, and include an iPod dock, and not pay as much for shipping too.

[Ben Pienig @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:02PM]

This cube costs $25,000... http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/03/31/powercube-6000/#more-9304

[Abuzar @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:06PM]

Oh good, it's an affordable energy source for our 5000 dollar gaming PCs :)

[kakapo @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:33PM]

Portable as in "must use your handy dandy forklift" - 2000 pounds / 907.19 kilos (depending upon configuration)!

This may look like put in your trunk (boot) of your car and take camping but it isn't!

On the website - Price is upon request..
$25,000 - hmmmm seems like it might be aimed at the Pentagon! I hear they get good deals on hammers!

[Adam Zey @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:36PM]

People seem to be forgetting the ginormous battery this thing has. This thing is ten feet long, the point of it isn't to run a laptop, it's to do something like act as the backup power to a building. Perhaps as an alternative to a generator. This thing can provide the full 3.5 kilowatts for many hours, while supplementing that with up to 600w from the solar panels to extend lifetime. You can also add an optional secondary battery.

[npowell @ Apr 3rd 2008 2:10PM]

check out mPhase http://www.mphasetech.com/
also altairnano http://www.altairnano.com/index.html

batteries are going to improve a lot in a few years...

[Russell Miller @ Apr 3rd 2008 2:12PM]

I don't need to phone up reluminati, I share a building with them in Georgetown. Nice guys, too bad the last time I talked to them was to inform them that the building was on fire...

[Richard @ Apr 3rd 2008 2:40PM]

I bet their machine caused it.

[chris @ Apr 3rd 2008 3:21PM]

They should have put wheels on the mother. Bit of a gimmicky for the price.

[schmitty338 @ Apr 3rd 2008 3:36PM]

As somebody already mentioned above, these are meant for everyday UPS backup stuff...these are meant for entire homes who want reliable backup power during outages, or businesses that rely on power for money/security.

For example, I work at a casino that is open 24/7, 365 days a year, and we have HUGE diesel generators that can power the entire casino, hotel and entertainment centre for weeks...obviously a solution like this isn't up to quite a large task, but my point is, a home-owner or business is going to buy one of these instead of a diesel/gas-generator, have it 'installed' in the backyard or whereever, and then forget about it until it like most generators; thus serving its purpose as a backup in case of emergencies.

[Marino @ Apr 3rd 2008 4:08PM]

Add wheels, brakes and some steering and then it will be a mobile generator.

[V @ Apr 10th 2008 9:41PM]

So what are the chances this could power a very small house? Not necessarily with everything turned on at once, just with reasonable power consumption.

[reese @ May 4th 2008 1:33AM]

Just for comparison's sake, anybody ever seen or heard of the Solar Stik?
www.solarstik.com