Solar Power for the Digital Fieldworker Laura C. Robinson PARADISEC, University of Sydney University of Hawai’i at M?noa This … … article discusses the technical aspects of a solar power setup for remote field situations. It guides the reader through estimating power consumption and setting up a basic solar kit. The authors address picking a solar panel, using a charge regulator, and choosing a battery based on estimated power consumption and availability. They discuss …

1. IntroDuctIon.* The modern fieldworker is increasingly carrying digital equipment into the field to conduct research. Digital devices open up an exciting world of possibilities, potentially allowing a fieldworker to collect more and higher quality data and to use and build upon this data in ways that were previously laborious or impossible. On the other hand, this new workflow introduces a whole new set of problems for the fieldworker, not the least of which is how to power these devices in remote field settings. This article will present a simple solar setup for the modern digital fieldworker. 2. EStImatIng PowEr conSumPtIon. In order to effectively set up a solar system, to estimate power consumption, and to troubleshoot in the field, it is important to understand something about electricity. The first and most important feature of electricity is that it is dangerous and testing and troubleshooting electrical equipment should be approached with caution. Two types of power will be discussed here: AC* and DC power. In general, AC comes from the wall socket or a generator, and DC comes from a battery and sometimes from a generator. Apart from a little addition and multiplication, there is only one mathematical formula important in estimating power consumption: Watts = Volts x Amps * The information presented here is based on the authors’ own fieldwork experiences. One of the authors conducted fieldwork during late 2005 and early 2006 on the language Fas, spoken in a remote area in north-western Papua New Guinea and the other author throughout the majority of 2006 on the language Dupaningan Agta, spoken in the far northern Philippines. Both fieldworkers entered the field intending to record large amounts of audio and video data, both planned for remote situations without access to grid power, and both used solar setups to power their field equipment. The authors, however, entered the field with radically different budgets and encountered quite different field situations. Both perspectives are incorporated into the subsequent discussion.

Download Solar Power for the Digital Fieldworker.Pdf