Utah Startup Launches PowerPot To Bring Electricity To Rural Countries

Sometimes we take things for granted living in a developing world. I for one always have a charged cell phone and at least 8 different wireless charging products so my batteries never die.

Over in some part of Africa 200 million people have a cell phone but many don’t have a way to charge it. Often times people in developing countries walk a mile or more to charge their cell phone.  They pay $2 -$15 for the ability to charge their phones. It’s also been estimated that by the year 2015 that number will double.

There is a startup based in Salt Lake City Utah that is looking to change that. Power Practical has developed a product called the Power Pot which doubles as a cooking device and as a thermoelectric generator. It’s actually designed for cooking over an open flame, which is often times how people in these developing countries do their cooking.

The Power Pot comes equipped with heat resistant cabling that can withstand temperatures of 300 degrees celsius. It also has a silicon coating which makes it dust, mud and dirt resistant, as well as water resistant. With the Power Pot families can cook food while saving up a charge for their cell phone.

Angie Thompson is a school teacher and a field tester for the Power Pot. Thompson reported back that the Power Pot was good for rural life. It was well received and useful during inclement weather.

More after the break



“People are DYING for free power here, ” said Thompson, “They have a lot of electrical issues and are still cooking on rocks.”

Power Practical put their invention into a kickstarter project. They are now substantially over-funded on the project. They were seeking $50,000 in funding and they currently have $112,237. Their pledge packages included a pre-order for a Power Pot for someone else (in a developing country) for $99 and for $199 you could pre-order a Power Pot for yourself and gift one as well.

The PowerPot comes in 3 models the Power Pot V, the Power Pot X and the Power Pot XV all increasing in size. The Power Pot V holds 1.5 quarts of liquid. It has a 5w generator capable of powering 2-3 USB devices as the same time. The Power Pot X is a tad bit bigger and holds 1.9 quarts of liquid. According to Power Practical the X can charge several devices at the same time with a 10w generator.

The largest pot is the Power Pot XV. This pot holds a gallon of liquid and features a 15w generator. Power Practical boasts it can charge a whole families worth of USB electronics and even home lighting.

The Power Pots have many features for cooking as well. They include anodized aluminum bowl/lid that you can use to fry up some bacon however the only way to generate electricity is to heat water.

The Power Pot works great for these developing countries by generating electricity for off-grid people while doing something they would normally do everyday. Back at home the Power Pot is excellent for camping, power outages and situations where you can heat up water in a pot without access to electricity.

Linkage:

The Power Pot kickstarter ends on Friday go pledge your support here.

To find out more about Power Pot, check out Power Practical here.

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