In southern countries, where summer is neverending, solar power may be a blessing for business. That cost-effective and, no less critical, sustainable energy resource is available almost all year round. All you have to do is find a way to gather and store it properly. Fortunately, the solution has been around for a while - today, solar panels are common and accessible. They can be installed on almost every type of equipment to make it socket-independent. 

Last-mile delivery can also be powered by the sun with OMNI Solar, our newest solution, which makes outdoor parcel lockers autonomous. In this article, we will tell you more about the product, why we’ve created it, and the advantages of OMNI Solar for your business.

Why we created OMNI Solar

Location difficulties 

Every entrepreneur knows that a good location is one of the crucial conditions determining the business's success. This is also true for delivery. But here comes the problem: to put the parcel locker in your desired place, you must check the socket availability first. But what if the location you’ve chosen doesn’t have one? Then you have two options:

• To give up this location with its good traffic, low rent, and other advantages and wish yourself good luck elsewhere;
• To invest a massive amount of time, money, and nerves to get all the licenses for conducting electricity into this particular space.

But OMNI Solar gives you the third option. Just put it wherever you want without even thinking about the socket! The solution is 100% off-grid, so all you need is a bit of free space with a concrete base, and that's it. No permits from regulators, no agreements with energy companies, no need to install electricity meters, pay bills, etc. 

And if something goes wrong in this location, you can move your parcel locker elsewhere anytime. Experimenting with locations has never been so easy.

With sustainability in mind

While customers want deliveries to be free and fast, the last mile is the most expensive and time-consuming part of the supply chain process, amounting to up to 53% of total shipping costs. They are fuel costs, cost of fleet operations, drivers' salaries, failed deliveries, and management of returned products. 

Meticulous planning of routes and embracing innovations are a few ways of optimizing these last-mile costs. All that is much easier with parcel lockers, which allow to cut all the costs mentioned above. Parcel lockers can reduce the number of courier trips several times. Instead of driving to every client personally, the courier only makes one trip to the parcel locker, loads all the orders, and picks up all the returned parcels – and done!

This is true for all configurations of parcel lockers, but in OMNIC we decided to go beyond that and move our solutions from sockets to renewables. All forms of electricity generation have an environmental impact, while electricity from solar energy does not contribute to climate change or local air pollution since no fuels are combusted.

The characteristics of OMNI Solar

OMNI Solar is an autonomous outdoor parcel locker, perfect for establishing customer-friendly self-service zones at any location. 

• The parcel locker is upgraded with a revolutionary Off-Grid Kit, a plug-and-play solution that transforms it into a self-sustaining unit. As a result, OMNI Solar works autonomously throughout the year. It depends only on the battery with approximately 10 years of lifespan and up to 6,000 recharge cycles.

• OMNI Solar consists of a managing model and cells of various sizes. In base, it has two modules for 35 cells, but its configuration is modular, meaning you can add as many additional cells as you want at any time. You can configure the locker with customizable cells to suit different items, from small envelopes to oversized deliveries, ensuring no parcel is left behind.

• Additionally, the parcel locker can be equipped with a monitor, surveillance camera for security matters, active security pad, scanner, and printer. It can have pre-installed software that provides parcel pickup, C2C, returns, and vending services similar to a post office.

Why choose OMNI Solar

OMNI Solar is the most cost-effective and agile solution available today. 

• Integrating solar panel modules and advanced battery technology allows OMNI Solar to work up to 365 days a year exclusively on renewables — no need to change batteries, charge, or maintain them somehow. 

• With OMNI Solar, there are no limitations in terms of location. All you need is 0,65 m2 of space wherever you wish, even if there are no traditional power sources in those places at all. Therefore, OMNI Solar lets you extend the reach of your services to remote locations, reducing costs and enhancing reliability.

• OMNI Solar allows your business to align with eco-friendly practices, essential for responsible companies. In many countries, green technology will be an advantage and a requirement. Be one step ahead with OMNI Solar.

With OMNI Solar, you can forget about all the troubles regarding its service. Just place where you need it and send and receive parcels without the headache and unnecessary expenses.