Hey folks. I'm Ben, with a deep background in personal and commercial technology. My wife Christie and I live in Hendersonville, NC: a vibrant mountain community hit hard by hurricane Helene and wildfires. Help us build and share portable solar power solutions for community resilience.

Adversity doesn't call ahead. When hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina with devastating floods and wind, our city was caught dead-center. We lost electricity for twelve days, had no potable water for weeks, no internet, very limited cell service, fuel was scarce, and we were hemmed in by blocked and washed-out roads.

Six months later, after weeks of high winds and dry weather, the sky filled with ash-fall and soot. As more than a hundred forest fires blazed across our state, we found ourselves caught between two of the largest fire complexes in the country.

For us, Helene was an abrupt lesson in personal energy independence. For the hundreds of thousands who lost their homes, it became a test of endurance and survival. For our whole region, still struggling with recovery, it was a call to reexamine our lives through the lens of a shared climate crisis.

In the aftermath of big storms (like Helene, Katrina, Floyd, Isabel, Florence, Michael, and Fran) we see that reliance on fossil fuels is a big problem. Gas becomes scarce within 48 hours. Without outside help, it's non-existent in a week.

In comparison, portable solar power remains abundant with dramatically cleaner, safer alternatives for every walk of life.

Solar generators are easy to use, reliable, clean, compact, and near-silent. They stay charged and ready for when time is scarce. Many are portable enough to use in a car or tent, are safe around kids and pets, and recharge for free.

They are excellent for sheltering in place (or on the go), and supply the power needed to keep and prepare food, run critical medical devices, stay charged and connected -- or even backup a whole home or apartment the very moment power goes out.

Portable solar generators are increasingly affordable, more useful day-to-day, and accessible for people with medical conditions or disabilities.

Despite this, very few folks have access to these tools, or even know they exist.

Help us get the ball rolling.

Together, your donations enable us do three things:

Ultimately, by funding our project, you'll help us create lightweight, 3D-printable, affordable, disaster-ready solar panel kits -- and release them open-source for anyone to build.

To date: we've successfully built our core solar system, acquired the skills and tools to design and make custom parts, and are field-testing prototypes.

We've made real progress, but there's still much left to do and your donation is essential.

Of the total donations:

Further donations help us cover monthly data fees, building materials, emergency supplies, and improved solar tech.

Please contribute what you can now to help strengthen our community. Together, we will amplify the resilience in each other, and create the resources we need to prepare for, and thrive, in adversity.

Thank you for your time and support.

- Ben