A crowdfunding campaign from a company called SunPort is seeking funding for an outlet extender that offsets the carbon footprint of whatever device is being powered.
It looks like a typical converter for electrical outlets, but instead of making a two-prong outlet into a three-prong one, it records the amount of electricity that was used and buys an equivalent number of solar credits.
The plug-ins are brightly colored, easy to bring anywhere, and can be used to for any device, from laptops and cell phone chargers to blenders or power tools. It can be used anywhere, since it simply communicates power usage with a smartphone app that automatically buys an equivalent in terms of solar credits on behalf of the user.
The Kickstarter campaign hopes to gain enough financial backing to go through final testing and then move into production.
SunPort’s goal is to make offsetting an individual’s carbon footprint through solar credits feasible even for those who are not wealthy. Residential solar panels may be an economical option in the long run, but the start-up costs associated with these systems are still too high for most people to afford. This way there is an affordable device, accessible to anyone, that can help add solar energy to the grid.
SunPort founder Paul Droege also points out that the solar credits themselves are entirely affordable. For a laptop computer, he expects that solar credits for a month would cost only $1-$2.
Anyone who wants to offset their carbon footprint this way can get involved in the campaign on Kickstarter, and the first 250 people to donate $39 will get a SunPort when they become available.
Images (c) SunPort
