Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

no electricity- Tips for charging?

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea

We'll be spending some time on islands with no electricity
Any tips ideas for my video camera, still cam and torches? I thought about solar panels, but they take hours and if you leave it outside unattended it might be pinched
Last time I was anywhere without electricity was in the 80's and my camera didn't need batteries :-)

I use a still cam with lithium batteries which last for months. I take enough torch batteries for my stay with me, or bu them at the village store - the ones available are only good enough for a torch, or a small radio, nothing like a camera. Anything else, you will need to pay someone with a reliable generator in one of the villages for the fuel to run the generator long enough to charge them.
These days some villages may have solar with an inverter, for example in the clinic. This is safer for charging than a petrol or diesel generator. We used one to charge a portable DVD player recently.
What countr/ies are you visiting?

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we'll be spending some time on the islands of New Ireland, I hear most of these have no electricity
Thanks for the answer OzzieG

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Solar chargers are really the only solution.
I think I managed to use mine wrapped in plastic to protect it from rain, and in New Ireland, of all places, I found locals so nice that if you stay as their guest the risk of theft should be very low.

And of course carry extra batteries just to be safe.
As far as I can recall, there was indeed no electricity on the non-touristy islands around New Ireland.
But generators are becoming ever more common these days.

Anyway, you will love the place - one of my favourites in the Pacific!

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Extra sets of batteries. Not cheap but make sure they are all charged up before you go.

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My answer applied to Solomon Islands, where solar lights are becoming more common over the last 15 years. Should be similar to New Ireland.

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Plenty of generators over there,

which islands?

Jon

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