The First Solar-Powered Wi-Fi Network

By Roland Piquepaille

Wi-Fi networks are becoming increasingly common, but the one deployed on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado, one of my preferred cities in the U.S., is unique. It is the only solar-powered wireless network in the U.S. according to internetnews.com. The first access points are now operational since July 15. This solar-powered network is composed of four dual units and needed only $10,000 to be deployed. And the company which developed this new kind of wireless access points, Lumin, is thinking to make portable and secure wireless networks in developing countries. Update (August 15, 2005): Jamais Cascio notes on WorldChanging that the Boulder's solar wi-fi network is NOT the first one in the U.S.: for previous examples, check this entry at Daily Wireless.

Before going further, here is the official logo for this operation initiated by the Downtown Boulder Business Improvement District (BID) (Credit: BID).

You'll find more details about this initiative by reading Surf for Free on the Bricks! and you'll find other versions of the above logo on this informational flyer (PDF format, 2 pages, 569 KB).

Here are more details from internetnews.com about this project.

Lumin designed the units with more remote areas in mind, locations where there is little or no available power -- obviously not the case in downtown Boulder. But the environmentally-friendly power source enticed the Pearl Street planners into becoming the first clients. The network cost $10,000 to deploy, but upkeep costs will essentially be nil. The rechargeable batteries need to be swapped out every so often, but the solar panels are built to run for 25-30 years.

Now, let's look at the access points from Lumin.

Lumin's first-generation product is the LightWave AP-1000 solar-powered access point, which comes in two models, single and dual. The Pearl Street deployment utilizes four dual units, each of which is located out of sight on a well-chosen rooftop, and features two hinged solar panels. (The single unit LightWave includes only one panel.) While each access point has a potential range of up to 30 miles, this deployment, which only covers a six-block area, required four APs due to the number of trees interfering with line-of-sight along the cobblestoned outdoor mall.

Below is a picture of one of these LightWave AP-1000 solar-powered wireless network access points mounted on a rock (Credit: Lumin LLC). And here is a link to a detailed description of the product.

I really like Boulder, but deploying solar-powered communication units there would not have been my first choice because of the weather which can be rainy or snowy. But the company says I'm wrong.

"The solar panels are so sophisticated that we can register a charge from the moon," says Lumin co-founder Sally Lyon. "It's a myth that it can only be used in the Southwest. In the complete, pitch black night is the only time when there's no charge. On a cloudy day, it's charging."

"Even if you were in a complete snowstorm for a couple of days, you've still got a system running," says Lyon. "The reality is, for all practical purposes, it's a reliable system with an abundant energy source, and in the long term, it's extremely cost-effective."

And it can be exported too. After all, today's company motto is "From Boulder To Baghdad."

This first solar-powered wireless network went largely unnoticed outside Colorado. But several newspapers there mentioned it. Here are two links to articles from the Rocky Mountain News, "Solar WiFi: Boulder's answer to surf and sun" and from the Denver Post, "16th St. Mall shopping for wireless."

Sources: Naomi Graychase, internetnews.com, August 8, 2005, 2005; and various web sites

Related stories can be found in the following categories.

• Environment
  
• Innovation
  
• Networking
  
• Technology
  
• Wireless
  

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