NRG Dock Juices Up Gadgets When the Power Is Out
Three years ago Jay LeBoff got snowed in and lost power for four days. During that time, LeBoff was forced to rely on a cell phone as his only way of contacting the outside world for emergency purposes. But without power to recharge the phone, he would have been up a certain creek without a paddle if the battery gave out.
The experience, and a little bit of environmentally-friendly thinking, inspired LeBoff to design the NRG Dock, an emergency power source in three different styles, two of which are taking advantage of the renewed interest in solar power.
The NRG Dock Home comes in two separate parts, a large solar panel that charges a massive 12-volt battery capable of powering a laptop, and the NRG Dock itself, which has a variety of power adapters for phones, media players and other electronics, as well as a rechargeable flashlight.
The Apartment model has the same dock, but instead features a smaller, removable solar panel mounted on top. The Apartment model doesn't generate enough juice to power a laptop, though, and carries a smaller battery, but the lesser size means the solar panel can be mounted on a wider variety of surfaces, including the inside of the window.
The basic Designer dock has the same smaller battery as the Apartment model, but drops the solar panel in favor of a standard wall plug and functions purely as an emergency backup power source.
Currently the NRG Dock is in the prototype stage, but the company hopes to hit a target price of $800 for the Home model, $500 for the Apartment, and $350 for the Designer. The Home and Apartment models will also qualify for a 30 percent tax break from the federal government and may qualify for additional tax breaks in certain states.
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