Second Solar Table

Makes for great shade and an even better
phone charger

A while back, I was visiting the Catholic University of America (CUA) with John Finnerty at Standard Solar. Remember my post about the O’Boyle Hall solar carports? Well one thing that I also saw when I was up there was this solar-powered picnic table installed just outside the Pryzbyla University Center.

Obviously, there's a trend. This is the second solar table I've posted about. Like the one at George Washington University from a few weeks ago, this one allows for multiple people sit and to charge devices simultaneously. It's a great conversation starter. Also, both tables were born of a design competition (Washington Gas provided scholarships to the CUA competition winners). However, CUA's table has the added benefit of shade and you can see all of the internal working (batteries, inverters, etc.) behind plexiglass in the middle.

A few things about the materials used:

• The solar on the covering is a thin film laminate. It's flexible but provides less electricity than a silicon solar panel. For those interested, the product is Unisolar PVL-68T 68W.
• There are two very visible batteries. For those interested, these are MK Battery S31 Gel Deep Cycle Solar Battery 12V.

I'm happy to answer any other questions about the table!