Panasonic to broadcast live eclipse on March 9, using solar power
The electronics company, Panasonic says it will on March 9, 2016 broadcast live the eclipse of the sun using a stand-alone photovoltaic power package.
According to Panasonic, it will deliver a live broadcast of the approximately four-minute-long phenomenon from Ternate, an island in eastern Indonesia, using its Power Supply Container, a stand-alone photovoltaic power package, as Sumatra, Borneo and Sulawesi plunge into darkness during a rare total solar eclipse on the morning of March 9, 2016.
The company notes that to enable live filming and broadcast from the island, the Power Supply Container will be transported from Jakarta to Dodoku Ali of Ternate. 12 Panasonic HIT® solar modules with high conversion efficiency will generate approximately 3kW of electricity by tapping renewable energy from the top of the container, and store the power in 24 built-in lead-acid storage batteries.
The stored energy will be supplied to a Panasonic LUMIX GH4 camera attached to a telescope to capture the spectacular moment. Mobile computers, production and editing equipment, internet connection and other supporting technology will also be powered by solar energy, it said.
Panasonic announces that the live broadcast of the solar eclipse will begin at 05:00 AM, March 9 in Ternate (08:00 PM, March 8 UTC) and can be viewed on platforms including Ustream, YouTube Live and Periscope (refer to Annex).
It states further that this will be the third time that it is broadcasting a solar eclipse live.
“ Unlike previous occasions where time and effort had to be spent setting up HIT® solar modules on the ground, the process is significantly more convenient this time round due to the portability of the Power Supply Container and its capability to be assembled quickly and easily with minimal construction work,” the company said.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi