Like Solar Cool Technologies' Solar Cooler, the nipi has its own photovoltaic panels, but unlike the Solar Cooler these aren't used for cooling. The contents of the nipi are kept cool using a double-insulated lid and thick walls. It has 50 quarts (47 l) of cold storage space, which can accommodate around 70 cans.

The solar panels deliver 6 W of peak power each and are used in pairs to provide power for 1,000 lumen internal and external LED lighting and electronic devices, such as smartphones or speakers. The panels can be mounted on the cooler's outer lid or set up away from the nipi cooler. It's also possible to attach additional panels to increase power provision.

The cooler also comes with a 14,000 mAh lithium polymer battery, with a second being made available as an optional extra. We asked nipi's developers how its battery pack is charged up.

"nipi is expandable so it does vary depending if you have purchased extra batteries etc," they told us. "However to give an approximate guide based on the basic version with one panel and one 14,000 mAh battery, it takes about 7 hours with mains and the same with optimal conditions for solar.