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Camel with solar cells, Djibouti (media.piefed.social)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/solarpunk@slrpnk.net
21 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Didn't know where else to put this, but I felt the urge to share it when I saw it, and thought you slrpnk folks might get a kick out of it!

EDIT: Since there's some skepticism over the panel, the source I got it from:

https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/2013-04-trail-notes-solar-camel/

“The only uncomplaining one is Madoita, the lead camel. He is both warmed and shaded by a $600 blanket of photovoltaic silicon cells. He is a belching, furry, ambulatory wall plug for my satellite phone. We take turns cleaning the dust from these cells with a cloth. A new chore on an ancient caravan trail: Wiping down your solar camel.”

all 21 comments

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[–] 15 points 6 months ago (4 children)

I always thought they were powered by food

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  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    Food is just solar power stored in organic compounds, made from the CO2 in the air.

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  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago

    and always has been, which means that carbon and petroleum are also a form of solar power storage. Almost all the energy we use come from the sun. The problem is that it took millions of years to accumulate, and we are releasing all that energy in a brief period.

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    • [–] 14 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

    If you were going to do this, wouldn't it make more sense to have the solar panels draping down like chain mail?

    In looking up historical examples of camel barding, I actually did not find much, but this is similar towhat I had envisioned.

    Considering the dearth of actual examples, though, perhaps such raiment was not actually used.

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  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago

    I just realized "dearth" is one of those words I've heard but never seen written down.

    Usually it's the other way around.

    Now I'm tripping that it looks perfect and wrong at the same time

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    • [–] 11 points 6 months ago

    This goes hard.

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    [–] 18 points 6 months ago* (5 children)

    No, it's not. Yes, it's a camel, and possibly, that's where it is... But that's definitely not a solar cell.

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  • [–] 17 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    It's a rubber backed carpet, likely used for daily prayers.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 6 months ago

    https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/2013-04-trail-notes-solar-camel/

    “The only uncomplaining one is Madoita, the lead camel. He is both warmed and shaded by a $600 blanket of photovoltaic silicon cells. He is a belching, furry, ambulatory wall plug for my satellite phone. We take turns cleaning the dust from these cells with a cloth. A new chore on an ancient caravan trail: Wiping down your solar camel.”

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  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    The original source says it is a solarpanel and that they carefully avoided crossing the photovoltaic elements with the string that holds it down would support that fact. It does look quite unusual though, but expensive flexible hiking solar panels like that might exist.

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    • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    Oh my god ive been saying slurpnik.net in my head everytime, for years at this point

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    • [–] 4 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Very obviously just a rubber floor mat upside down.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 6 months ago

    https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/2013-04-trail-notes-solar-camel/

    “The only uncomplaining one is Madoita, the lead camel. He is both warmed and shaded by a $600 blanket of photovoltaic silicon cells. He is a belching, furry, ambulatory wall plug for my satellite phone. We take turns cleaning the dust from these cells with a cloth. A new chore on an ancient caravan trail: Wiping down your solar camel.”

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    • [–] -2 points 6 months ago

    No.

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