Mid-Michigan Solar Company Doing Big Things In State And Beyond

ALBION -- Albion-based Patriot Solar Group has rolled out the SunPad trailer, a rugged, off-road capable solar power unit that literally gives you power on the go.

The unit can store 1,800 amp-hours of power in a 48-volt battery pack. It has a built-in inverter to convert the power to AC, and 110-volt and 220-volt outlets.

How much power does the unit pack? Enough to run most of a house in a power outage, Patriot Solar public relations manager Samuel Jaquette said, and plenty to run power tools at a remote job site.

"I took it to a zero emissions festival in Ann Arbor a week or two ago and powered up a soundstage for a whole day, as well as a deep freezer for a food vendor and a pizza oven for a pizza guy," Jaquette said. "It has enough power for major appliances and tools."

The unit also is on a rugged, off-road capable trailer, with a fully independent trailing arm suspension system, combined with 35 x 12.5 aggressive tires with 30-mile run-flat capability. The trailer is configured to be Humvee-compatible with no modifications.

The unit isn't cheap, at about $30,000, but government rebates may cover more than 50 percent of the cost depending on where you live.

Potantial markets for the SunPad include the military, construction companies, farm applications, and off-the-grid vacation areas.

Various configurations of the unit offer a mast height of 4.5 to 9 meters, four to eight exterior lights and two to four solar panels.

More at www.patriotsolargroup.com.