The Heat Strikes demonstrated that entirely solar-powered camps were not only feasible but preferable, leveraging the incredible power of sunlight, falling prices of solar equipment, and widespread accessibility of compact solar solutions by the late 2020s. --- ### The Power of Sunshine At its peak, sunlight delivers approximately **1 kilowatt per square meter** of energy. Over the course of a clear summer day, even cities in northern latitudes like New York, Stockholm, or Berlin receive between **4 and 7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per square meter** of solar energy per day. With photovoltaic panels commonly achieving **20% efficiency** by the 2020s, and battery capacity dropping below $100 per kilo-watt hour, even the relatively small area within the infield of a baseball field (90' x 90') was capable of harvesting up to 600-1000 kWh **(1 Megawatt-hour)** of clean electrical power over the course of a sunny summer day using widely available and relatively affordable technology. This amount of energy—**up to a Megawatt-hour per day**— is enormous, and illustrates the potential of even small, commercially available solar installations to power significant operations. Even relatively small structures such as the [[Overview Pavilion]], with it's 24 x 100W solar panels, could easily generate 10 kWh per day, less than 1% of the total solar electrical energy available within a baseball diamond, was still capable of powering critical needs like LED lights, Wi-Fi networks, misting pumps, speakers, and phone charging stations, as well as larger appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, instants pots, and plastic recycling equipment. The early [[Trash Printer|Trash Printers]], for example, operated at only 150 watts, and could convert shredded plastic into a [[OpenSCAD Part Library|wide range of useful objects]], including structural beams and wind turbines in a matter of hours, and could easily recycle over a kilogram of plastic every day. A single 300 watt solar panel, which doubled as a shade canopy, was all it took. The Plastic Shredder, at 750 watts, required more power, but consumed significantly less energy per kilogram. A kilogram of plastic only required about 100 watt-hours to shred. With it's matching 300W solar canopy, the Shredder cart could generate enough solar energy to shred up to 20kg of plastic each sunny day, enough to feed up to 20 trash printers modules. Together, the Plastic Shredder and Trash Printer Modules enabled the Heat Strike camps to transform their actual trash, and trash from the surrounding area, into useful building materials and infrastructure at a rate of roughly 1.1 kWh per kilogram, with no external inputs besides information, trash, and sunshine. --- ### Falling Prices and Accessible Technology By the late 2020s: 1. **Dramatic Price Reductions:** - Solar panels became highly affordable due to advances in production efficiency and economies of scale. Prices for solar modules dropped to around $0.20–$0.30 per watt. - Lithium-ion and LFP battery costs also plummeted below $100 per kWh enabling reliable and affordable storage solutions. - New battery chemistries, such as Sodium Ion Batteries, became widely available, and could store large amounts of energy using primarily salt, carbon, and aluminum, without requiring Lithium or Cobalt mining. 2. **Proliferation of "Solar Generators":** - Compact, plug-and-play solar power systems (solar generators) became mainstream, combining foldable panels with built-in inverters, batteries, and charge controllers. These were ideal for temporary setups like Heat Strikes, as their compact, modular, affordable, and user-friendly designs dramatically reduced the complexity of providing AC power in areas without access to grid power. --- ### Sustaining Camps with Solar Energy How Heat Strikes leveraged solar energy to sustain their camps: 1. **Essential Power Needs:** - **Lighting:** LED lights required minimal energy, and created welcoming and well lit spaces - **Communications:** Wi-Fi hotspots, cell phone chargers, and radios ran on low power. - **Entertainment:** Decentralized sound systems drew energy efficiently from solar arrays. - **Cooking & Heating:** Solar ovens, induction cooktops, instant pots, and electric kettles handled basic cooking tasks. In some cases, solar energy was used to heat water for showers or sterilization. 2. **Scalability:** - Even modest solar setups could sustain basic functions. Larger setups—like those covering shade structures or tents—allowed for more robust operations, including community kitchens or shared workspaces. 3. **Energy Feedback Loops:** - Live monitoring tools helped participants track energy production and consumption in real time from many autonomous nodes, encouraging optimization and efficiency of the whole system. --- ### Proving their Point Each Heat Strike operated as a **proof of concept**: - By challenging themselves to use only renewable energy, they demonstrated that a fossil fuel-free world is both **possible** and **practical**, if only for a few hours at time, at first. - The **iterative nature** of the strikes—operating only as long as the solar infrastructure allowed—pushed participants to improve their designs and optimize usage efficiency. - Their decentralized, modular DIY setups showcased what could be realistically achieved using accessible and affordable technology, inspiring replication across diverse communities. This approach turned Heat Strikes into a showcase of resilience and ingenuity, reinforcing their message: a thriving, regenerative future without fossil fuels isn’t just desirable—it’s achievable.