Joann D’Juran (centre) demonstrates the Solar Powered Charging system located at the Breakfast Shed to Nicole Kerry Lumkin and Camille Campbell (right) of TSTT.
blink | bmobile has commissioned four special solar powered systems mobile device chargers at four locations for customers to freely get an emergency boosts The modern high-tech world of mobile phones, smart devices and abundant Wi-Fi hotspots means we can always remain connected even while away from the home or office.
blink | bmobile has installed the first four solar-powered mobile charging stations in Trinidad and Tobago. The innovative, high-tech, but environmentally-friendly mobile charging stations have been installed at the Breakfast Shed and Movie Towne in Port of Spain, the Boardwalk at Chaguaramas and at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus. The solar-powered outdoor charging-stations are equipped with a variety of contacts for any type of mobile device.
These solar-powered mobile charging stations follow TSTT’s installation of the country’s largest stand-alone solar power system for its main 4G LTE and communications site on Chacachcare Island. The Company has actively looked at the appropriate use of renewable energy where environmental and logistic challenges required it.
The solar-powered charging stations operate around the clock, twenty-four hours a day, and their powerful sun-fueled battery will continue juicing plugged-in devices on cloudy days and throughout the night.
Because the charging stations are completely self-contained and not connected to external power sources, they will continue to function even during a blackout. Each station contains several ports for charging multiple devices. For iPhone users there are lightning and 30-pin dock connector cables and a micro-USB cable for Android and Windows phones, as well as Blackberry devices. Three female USB ports are also available
Each port produces up to ten watts, enough to recharge a smartphone at the same rate as or faster than most OEM wall chargers. The time it will take to charge a phone or tablet depends on the make, model, and number of apps the user has open.
Nicole Kerry Lum Kin, acting Executive Vice President Mobile Services at TSTT noted “We know that people experience real anxiety when their mobile devices are drained of power. These free solar-powered charging stations provide a clean, environmentally-friendly convenient solution for our customers when they are on the go. From an operational stand point, it is also a fast solution for us to provide because it can be installed without the need for wiring or extensive infrastructure.”
Joanne D’Juran is the Managing Director of OHipp Limited the company which installed the solar charging stations for blink | bmobile. Speaking about the popularity of the free charging stations D’Juran said “The four locations were chosen because they have high pedestrian traffic and therefore easily accessible to the public. The first location installed was near the Breakfast Shed and Water Taxi Service in Port of Spain. It caused quite a stir during the installation, with many persons anxious to top up their mobile batteries.”
“A security guard at a nearby facility told me that he was frequently asked by patrons to borrow his personal cell phone charger.”
Lum Kin and D’Juran agreed that solar energy and renewable energy sources as a whole are important issues that should engage the public more, even for an energy producing nation like Trinidad and Tobago. Everyday access and interaction with the solar-powered charging stations should go a long way toward raising this awareness of greener, environmentally sustainable solutions.
