Communities that sustain themselves — and one another.
ANCLA Labs is not only building a device. It is developing pieces of a model for communities with greater autonomy in energy, knowledge and communication — communities able to support one another without a single external point of failure.
Four forms of autonomy. Each strengthens the others.
Local energy
Devices designed for modest power budgets and small solar systems. Local generation makes the grid a choice rather than the only option.
Local knowledge
Libraries, maps, manuals and local intelligence that remain available during a network outage.
Local communication
The planned ANCLA mesh: devices communicating locally without a central operator, server or user account.
Local production
The long-term goal is open documentation that helps local workshops build and repair future versions.
ANCLA One ‘Prometheus’ is designed around the first three. The fourth is a longer-term goal that would make the model more locally reproducible.
Self-sufficient does not mean isolated.
The goal is not isolation. It is communities that generate energy, preserve knowledge and communicate through infrastructure they can operate themselves, so surplus and help can move between neighbors without a single center.
Three commitments that come before every engineering decision.
Fit within the planet’s limits
No on-site water cooling, server racks or dedicated data center for local use.
Make it serviceable
Standard fasteners, replaceable parts and published service information are the design goal.
Return improvements to the commons
ANCLA’s own software is intended for open licensing, while third-party components retain their original licenses. Offline peer-to-peer updates are part of the roadmap.
Solarpunk is not an aesthetic. It is a list of constraints.
Growth at any cost
We plan limited, announced production runs and prefer a waitlist to artificial demand.
Carbon offsets as a substitute
The priority is reducing energy and material use at the source and publishing measured figures.
Dependence on our company
The design goal is for core local functions to keep working even if ANCLA Labs no longer operates.