Renewable energy to survive a zombie apocalypse
Building on the theme of Netflix-inspired ruminations on sustainability — ‘#Alive’ was released in 2020 and follows the adventure of a teenager, Oh Joon-woo, who survives in an isolated apartment by himself after his city is overrun with zombies. Joon-woo draws on every ounce of his mental and physical prowess to scour for food and water, all while dodging human-flesh eating zombies lurking in the corridors of his apartment block.
In the hierarchy of Korean zombie films, ‘#Alive’ is a decent flick — although nowhere near as epic as ‘Train to Busan’. And, unlike ‘Kingdom’ (also on Netflix), ‘#Alive’ does not attempt to serve as a vehicle for serious social commentary. So why does it have so much staying power in my mind?
Throughout the film, Joon-woo finds himself in life or death situations that are made worse by the city-wide blackout. He has no access to grid electricity — so, for example, he has no way to charge his mobile phone and continue to try and call for help. Would it have even helped though if he had somehow been able to access electricity, a logical personal might ask, because it’s entirely possible that most of the telecommunications infrastructure in the city was destroyed. Well, we will never know because his phone’s battery ran out too early in the story line.
So, throughout the film, this was the central question on my mind — why did this modern, tech-savvy young man not have access to a portable solar panel? More importantly, why didn’t I have one in my possession for real-life crises and emergencies?
Inspired by Joon-woo’s fictional predicament, here are two real purchases I made last year:
- Anker’s folding, portable solar panel — for charging phones, battery packs
- Hand-cranked and solar-powered radio-flashlight
- Solar-powered garden lamps
If you know of renewable energy powered devices that can help in a crisis (and sometimes also in ordinary, every day life), please share in the comments!
