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A lot of folks have spent this weekend at a campground somewhere in Utah, or in another state in the West, staying in tents, or campers, or some sort of recreational vehicle.
But we know for a fact they aren't living in an RV that we saw this weekend. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind model.
Outdoor enthusiast Brian Brawdy always attends the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show, which is going on right now at the Salt Palace. He usually drops by to tell us about the latest products or give our viewers some useful ideas on how to enjoy the outdoors to the fullest.
Here's his latest offering: the "Green RV." At first glance, it looks like a normal recreational vehicle -- a Ford F-350 pickup with a camper shell mounted on the top. But you've never gone camping like this.
With this vehicle you'll never need an electrical hookup or water spigot. "There are a total of six solar panels called photovoltaic cells," Brawdy said.
Three of the panels are mounted at an angle just above the windshield, and three more on the top of the rig. The panels provide all the electrical power.
That works when the sun is out, but if it's cloudy for an extended period, Brawdy also has a wind turbine mounted on the top.
"But it will find its way, whichever the wind is blowing. And then as it goes, that's when it'll power everything on the inside," Brawdy explained.
Water for cooking and drinking comes from the sky. Rain water fills a portable camp filter and removes the impurities. You can then use it to fill water bottles.
Brawdy designed this unit himself. He has a wireless monitor which tells how much electricity the solar panels and wind turbine are generating at any given time.
He also has a weather station. So, if he's getting low on water, he can check the radar and see when the next storm is coming to replenish.
"If we have sun or wind or an occasional rain, we can go indefinitely," Brawdy said.
This RV really turns heads, and Brawdy hopes that this might represent the future in terms of not just how we recreate, but in generating a new way of thinking.
"What's so cool about this, Keith, is everyone will go, ‘Say, those are solar panels, huh?' Everyone wants to know about, not only an alternative form of energy, but how to be off-grid, how to be independent," Brawdy said.
Brawdy is trying to make his RV even "greener." It still runs on diesel, and he'd like to go with biofuels. But for now, there aren't enough filling stations that carry it to allow him to do that 100 percent of the time.
He has his RV parked on West Temple across from the Salt Palace, if you want to check it out. For more information, click the related link to the right of the story.
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
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