Alternative energy for your home

minimeister · 09-27-2008, 03:52 PM

Sorry to be so blunt but there are only a few posts I have seen on this subject that are actually good advice. The rest is going to get people killed. Your energy supply in a SHTF scenario could mean the difference literally between life and death so I want to share a few things in hopes that a few more people might live when the time comes. I sell alternative energy systems so here's the deal;

- This is no longer about saving the planet, it's about saving your ass
- Get yours now! Do not wait! There is no silver bullet on the horizon and waiting for it will leave you with nothing soon. You will not save any money by waiting because inflation is driving up prices on everything at least as much as innovation is bringing costs down. This is not the computer industry, you do not see radical price changes in short periods of time. One year from now prices will probably be about 40% higher if you can get the stuff at all.
- Focus on getting your energy output to a level that will enhance your physical security. This means enough for security lighting and communications such as walkie talkies and wifi. In the short term absence of modern services security will likely require more effort than food and shelter acquisition.
- Don't think about a grid tie system, get a completely stand alone system that you or your family can move and install yourselves on short notice. The technical knowledge you need for this is easy to acquire and something you should know for yourself versus having to find someone to do it for you.
- Water pumping...crucial...this is the one that will get most people I think. There are lots of ways to go about this, most of them wrong for what we really need. The one thing about this people overlook is the life of the batteries. What if batteries are no longer available? Most batteries have an average life of about 4-5 years. This depends on the type of course but even the best batteries will eventually go south. This means if you have an AC water pump running off an inverter and the batteries no longer work you will not have water. This would be a nasty surprise down the line. To avoid this problem you get a DC water pump that runs DIRECTLY from the panels. When the sun is shining it pumps, no batteries involved. The water is pumped to an elevated tank where it is stored and gravity provides the pressure. The only pumps I use are from sunpumps.com. The only limits to this system are the life of the pump and the life of the panels. Both should be good for about a generation or two. You may want to get an extra pump to keep as a replacement. At least get replacement parts.
- To keep the initial costs of the system down go pure DC and only use pure DC stuff. It's easy to find DC fans, lighting and adapters for laptops. If you have $1500.00 you can get a good starter system that can grow without having to replace anything. The amount of power this provides will be enough for a fan, a light, laptop and networking equipment. This may be a step down in comfort level for most folks but believe me it's better than none.
- Remember that survival Mad Max style will always involve clean water as a commodity. With this one resource you will be able to trade for ANYTHING else. Also, water pumping allows for agriculture and caring for animals. This is what will allow you to live an agrarian lifestyle versus hunter-gatherer. Herein lies the key to living versus surviving.
- You don't have time for experiments. Buy proven components only and then experiment once you have a base established.
- As far as EMP goes, this only applies if you live in an urban center. In this case, your biggest problem will be the 'zombies' not that your solar panels got fried. If you are not out in the country when this goes down you're dead, sorry. EMP should not be a problem in the country as only infrastructure will be targeted and the power of the EMP falls off at the inverse of the square. You will want to protect against lightning and other environmental damage of course but that's all standard stuff you will learn while studying the basics.

I've been living overseas off grid for about two years now so I'm not just talking out of my ass. I found a new level of peace in my life by making this transition. I'm long out of the realm of just talking about it and I put my money where my mouth is every day by running both my home and my business off grid. If things work out in the world where we don't have this anticipated upheaval, wouldn't you still want to be self sustaining? Which is more important, a shiny new (insert needless consumer item here) or energy independence for life? I'll leave you with one last thought...

"When it all went down the people were expecting the state to maintain control with a technical Police State matrix. They never thought they would rely on the time-proven method of controlling their food and water. If you can produce your own food and water you are much harder to control. If your family is starving even a proud man will submit. Every siege in history has been based on this one simple idea."

09-27-2008, 03:52 PM	#25
minimeister Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 14	Re: Alternative energy for your home Sorry to be so blunt but there are only a few posts I have seen on this subject that are actually good advice. The rest is going to get people killed. Your energy supply in a SHTF scenario could mean the difference literally between life and death so I want to share a few things in hopes that a few more people might live when the time comes. I sell alternative energy systems so here's the deal; - This is no longer about saving the planet, it's about saving your ass - Get yours now! Do not wait! There is no silver bullet on the horizon and waiting for it will leave you with nothing soon. You will not save any money by waiting because inflation is driving up prices on everything at least as much as innovation is bringing costs down. This is not the computer industry, you do not see radical price changes in short periods of time. One year from now prices will probably be about 40% higher if you can get the stuff at all. - Focus on getting your energy output to a level that will enhance your physical security. This means enough for security lighting and communications such as walkie talkies and wifi. In the short term absence of modern services security will likely require more effort than food and shelter acquisition. - Don't think about a grid tie system, get a completely stand alone system that you or your family can move and install yourselves on short notice. The technical knowledge you need for this is easy to acquire and something you should know for yourself versus having to find someone to do it for you. - Water pumping...crucial...this is the one that will get most people I think. There are lots of ways to go about this, most of them wrong for what we really need. The one thing about this people overlook is the life of the batteries. What if batteries are no longer available? Most batteries have an average life of about 4-5 years. This depends on the type of course but even the best batteries will eventually go south. This means if you have an AC water pump running off an inverter and the batteries no longer work you will not have water. This would be a nasty surprise down the line. To avoid this problem you get a DC water pump that runs DIRECTLY from the panels. When the sun is shining it pumps, no batteries involved. The water is pumped to an elevated tank where it is stored and gravity provides the pressure. The only pumps I use are from sunpumps.com. The only limits to this system are the life of the pump and the life of the panels. Both should be good for about a generation or two. You may want to get an extra pump to keep as a replacement. At least get replacement parts. - To keep the initial costs of the system down go pure DC and only use pure DC stuff. It's easy to find DC fans, lighting and adapters for laptops. If you have $1500.00 you can get a good starter system that can grow without having to replace anything. The amount of power this provides will be enough for a fan, a light, laptop and networking equipment. This may be a step down in comfort level for most folks but believe me it's better than none. - Remember that survival Mad Max style will always involve clean water as a commodity. With this one resource you will be able to trade for ANYTHING else. Also, water pumping allows for agriculture and caring for animals. This is what will allow you to live an agrarian lifestyle versus hunter-gatherer. Herein lies the key to living versus surviving. - You don't have time for experiments. Buy proven components only and then experiment once you have a base established. - As far as EMP goes, this only applies if you live in an urban center. In this case, your biggest problem will be the 'zombies' not that your solar panels got fried. If you are not out in the country when this goes down you're dead, sorry. EMP should not be a problem in the country as only infrastructure will be targeted and the power of the EMP falls off at the inverse of the square. You will want to protect against lightning and other environmental damage of course but that's all standard stuff you will learn while studying the basics. I've been living overseas off grid for about two years now so I'm not just talking out of my ass. I found a new level of peace in my life by making this transition. I'm long out of the realm of just talking about it and I put my money where my mouth is every day by running both my home and my business off grid. If things work out in the world where we don't have this anticipated upheaval, wouldn't you still want to be self sustaining? Which is more important, a shiny new (insert needless consumer item here) or energy independence for life? I'll leave you with one last thought... "When it all went down the people were expecting the state to maintain control with a technical Police State matrix. They never thought they would rely on the time-proven method of controlling their food and water. If you can produce your own food and water you are much harder to control. If your family is starving even a proud man will submit. Every siege in history has been based on this one simple idea."