Bert Harman is a 30-year-old hydrographic surveyor who spends much of his working life in the dark, often in environments where unexpected hazards are simply part of the job.

He works offshore near Newfoundland, supporting oil infrastructure, helping locate underwater vehicles, and transmitting telemetry data between vessels. Before that, he worked as an electronics technician, maintaining fish-finding sonar systems, radar equipment, and offshore cable-laying vessels. Over the years, his work has taken him from oil fields to fiber-optic cable projects around the world.

It’s technical work, but it’s also work built around preparation.

“When you’re working offshore, you’re always doing a risk assessment,” Bert says. “You’re constantly thinking about what could happen and what you can do to reduce the risk.”

Bert describes himself as someone who is reliable and dependable. If he says he’s going to do something, he does it.

At home, that might mean helping friends and family get things done. Offshore, it means solving problems in difficult conditions. And when a storm hits, it means thinking clearly about what needs power most.

When the Power Goes Out

Living in Nova Scotia means learning to live with unpredictable weather throughout the year.

There are winter nor’easters, summer hurricanes moving up the East Coast, heavy wet snow, torrential rain, and power outages that can last far longer than anyone expects.

The town where Bert lives is relatively well protected because it sits close to a major power hub. But some of his family members live farther out in rural areas, where the risks are greater.

Trees, high winds, aging infrastructure, and rural power lines can turn a storm into a days-long blackout.

Bert still remembers one December nor’easter that brought powerful winds and knocked out the electricity for five days in freezing temperatures.

His family got by with kerosene heaters and candles.

The experience stayed with him.

Because when the power goes out in a rural community, it’s about more than just losing the lights.

Food can spoil. Internet access disappears. And for families who rely on well water, even getting water can become a problem because the pumps need electricity to operate.

One Storm. One Phone Call. One Solution.

Then one major storm gave Bert an unexpected opportunity to put his Solupup C300 to work.

A powerful storm knocked out electricity across much of southwestern Nova Scotia.

At home, Bert immediately fired up his C300 and plugged in a lamp and an electric kettle.

About an hour later, his sister-in-law called.

She owns a restaurant.

The power was out, so the restaurant had closed. But upstairs, a wedding rehearsal dinner was scheduled to begin in about an hour.

The food was ready.

Both families were already on their way.

And the room was getting darker by the minute.

The question was simple:

Could Bert bring over a light?

His answer was even better.

“I can do better,” Bert remembers saying. “I can bring the Solupup C300.”

He packed up the C300, protected it from the rain, and brought it to the restaurant.

Once he arrived, the C300 powered the lights, fans, internet, and sound system throughout the restaurant.

The music came on.

The rooms stayed bright.

And when the guests arrived, they saw something they never expected:

The power grid was down, but the celebration was still on.

“As far as they knew, everything was normal,” Bert says.

Two or three hours later, the power came back on.

By then, the reception had been saved.

Bert estimates that the C300 had used only about 12–14% of its battery.

“It saved the day.”

Power When You Need It Most

Today, Bert takes his Solupup C300 with him even when he heads out for some downtime and goes fishing.

“It’s when you experience the darkness that you truly understand how valuable the light is.”

SOLUPUP C300 Portable Power Station | 300W 288Wh – solupup