Emergency Solar Power Setup SHTF

DIY Solar ^ | 5/14/12

[Kartographer]

This is my 45 watt solar panel setup. I purchased this kit from Harbor freight for about 0. I use it for lighting in my home, as well different power tools around the house. This is a great source of power in the event of power failures (which happens often).

[Kartographer]

Watch the video and you will see that this is a nice inexpensive and easy to buildset-up that could provide you with basic emergency lighting as well as the ability to charge small batteries and do it all quietly. It's not going to run you house, but it could easily give you enough 'juice' to get by. Please spare me the comments about Harbor Freight I am well aware that a lot of their stuff should be considered 'Chinese’ made junk, but again I say this is an inexpensive system that could make your life a bit easier during shtf and won’t hurt your wallet and just about anyone could easily build it.

[Lurker]

Thanks, Kart.

[Kartographer]

Preppers’ PING!

[ShadowAce]

You purchased it for nothing?

[Quix]

END TIMES PING LIST PING

THis is the system I’ve been trying to cobble pennys together to get.

I think this is worth prayerful consideration, for sure.

Remember—to put it in a Faraday cage . . . and if possible, have a backup duplication of at least major components.

The Faraday cage will lessen umph because of decreasing some sunlight but should protect it from EMP if designed well.

Who can tell us the size of the wire mesh needed to protect from EMP?

[Godzilla]

I’ve looked at the harbor freight system - seems well thought out and practical. I’ve currently added a 5.28kW solar system for the house and am looking to see how to integate a battery bank since if the utility loses power, my solar system is blocked. There are plans for a modifictation where they will switch automatically to teh battery bank and maintain the charge with the solar panels.

[Vendome]

I bought a Goal Zero 10 for my cell phone and recharging my AA batteries.

Totally Kewl!

http://www.goalzero.com/shop/p/132/Guide-10-Plus-Mobile-Kit/1:1/

One caution. It may look your phone isn’t being recharged but as you leave the Goal Zero attached the battery meter on your phone will go up.

Great for heavy phone users and will keep the phone charged all day long.

[wastedyears]

Solar panels won’t do much if a big volcano goes. Just saying.

[Godzilla]

Q there are a number of sites out there that go into the mesh size for a faraday cage. IIRC it needs to be window screen sized. Lots of debate out there as to what effect to expect from a solar CME or a nuke EMP. Pick a theory and go with it.

[Godzilla]

Solar panels won’t do much if a big volcano goes. Just saying.

Depend where you are in relation to the volcano.

[Quix]

Thanks big.

Heading to lunch with a former student.

What mesh size would you pick for your own home/ retreat/ bunker?

Do you have such a set-up?

Or are you planning to within ___ months?

Much appreciate your kind response.

[al baby]

I have plans that turn magma and ash into clean reliably energy

[KC Burke]

I know a photographic guy that is real big on Eneloop AA Batteries from Sanyo. They are rechargeable, by regular recharger like a LaCrosse BC-900 or by your solar item you listed, but the big thing about these Sanyos is that they retain power when not being drawn down.

They hold 20% less charge initially but they will hold over 85% of that charge for a year or better. They will also hold thier power after partial usage — something regular or rechargeable batteries of other brands never do.

[Godzilla]

Q-
I use broken microwaves to store/protect my CB/Gmrs, batteries, portable hard drives, misc key electronics and have a large ammo can to store my laptops.

RE Solar CME EMP, we would have a couple day warning

RE Nuclear EMP - my reading of the report on effects indicates that a thermonuclear (H bomb) sized device is necessary for a nation wide effect. That limits our potential sources to Russia and China and we would have 30 minutes warning (fwiw - nuclear war). Really only ones capable of surviving that now adays would be the ones with underground facilities and hopefully not downwind of targets. Those are few and far between imho. I havn’t made any preps to that level, focusing more on higher probability events such as increasing crime and civil disturbances. But I have bug out plans in place, route and destination in MT.

[backwoods-engineer]

Who can tell us the size of the wire mesh needed to protect from EMP?

There's no one answer on that, unfortunately.

The most powerful pulse from an EMP blast in the ionosphere, the E3 pulse, has a wavelength so long that only devices connected to the mains (wall socket) will be affected. The E1 and E2 pulses have lengths (and therefore frequencies) that depend on the design of the bomb, and the blast's distance from the active Compton effect layer. The altitude of the various layers changes based on the time of day (which is why you can hear distant AM stations at night, but not during the day).

I'd be pretty comfortable with copper or brass mesh with 10 wires or more to the inch.

You have to shield the solar panel's power cable, too, or it becomes an antenna. GROUND IT AT ONLY ONE END, not both.

[KittenClaws]

Can I get on your ping list?

I am embarrassed to say that I have not considered an alternate energy source for the long term. I've been assuming that your basic camp-stoves/grills would be fine for cooking and candles or oil lamps would be fine for light in a true SHTF scenario.

We have a “wind-up” type radio, but re-energizing batteries without an outlet just never really occurred to me before now - I guess I thought stored batteries would last forever. Thanks for the Solar info!

[Kartographer]

Why would you say that?

Like Quix I am saving up and it’s now fairly close to the top of my list.

I am the keeper of the Prepper Ping List, but most of those you see on shows like Doomsday Preppers, sadly for me put my efforts to shame, but I am trying.

[Vendome]

LOL

I just so happen to have 3 packs of Eneloops and saw they were back at Costco the other day.

Going shopping tomorrow and picking two more packs.

Can’t have too much of anything.

The recharge I use a Duracell thingy and seems to work real well.

I bought these because of their claim and I wrote the date I purchased them to remind what their charge will be when I use them.

I do the same on my other rechargeables. I charge them then put them in a plastic container, place a stamp on the container and write the date those went in the container.

[expat2]

Either there is a typo, or the gizmo is stupid. What lighting or power tool can be run on only 45 watts?

[backwoods-engineer]

Nuclear EMP - my reading of the report on effects indicates that a thermonuclear (H bomb) sized device is necessary for a nation wide effect

I disagree completely.

Just because Starfish Prime and the Russian bomb that blew the generators in Khazakhstan were H-bombs doesn't mean that's what's required.

What's required are high-energy gamma rays, high above a significantly-ionized layer in the ionosphere. A good-sized uranium bomb with a uranium tamper can do that just fine. And Iran is developing a heavy-lift missile capability.

There are Iranian missiles in Venezuela NOW. Who knows if they have uranium bombs on them?

If I was a whackjob Islamonazi terroist, that's exactly what I'd do. Lob one up from Hugo's Paradise, peaking at 250 miles over Manhattan, Kansas, with a peak yield in the 50 to 100kT range, with a nice uranium tamper for a boost in gamma output.

[backwoods-engineer]

Lob one up from Hugo's Paradise, peaking at 250 miles over Manhattan, Kansas, with a peak yield in the 50 to 100kT range, with a nice uranium tamper for a boost in gamma output.

... and do it in the middle of the night, local time, when the solar flux is at minimum. That will give maximum unimpeded path for Compton electrons.

[Kartographer]

The lighting is 12V. Power tools would be charged using the 12V inverter.

[Political Junkie Too]

I have something similar.

I have three 12-volt 5 watt solar panels from Sunforce

that I link together in parallel into a 12-volt 15 watt panel. I hook this to two 12 volt 12 amp-hour batteries in parallel that I store in a small Coleman cooler.

It's portable, and with a DC cigarette lighter adapter from Radio Shack, can charge many small devices. The battery should be able to run some small electronics overnight until the next charging cycle the next day.

I also have a single 12 volt 15 watt panel

that can be linked in parallel to create a 12-volt 30 watt pane.

A charge controller would be required if you go to 15 watts or beyond.

-PJ

[Kartographer]

So how do you think doing notthing will work out?

You either prepare and stand on your own beholden to no one or you become dependent on others to provide your basic needs and become thier‘serf’. Me I don’t want to be beholden to anyone for providing what is needed for me and mine. I certainly don’t want to have to kiss some ‘gubberment’ third class bureaucratic to try and coax some help from them, I don’t want some ‘jack booted’ thug herding me in line and telling me where to stand, sit, eat or sleep. And last but not least I don’t want to be herded in with a bunch of ‘zombies’ and have to worry about not only trying to get basic necessities but having to fight to keep what I manage to get.

Now anyone thinking that prepping is foolish ask you what’s easier telling your children and loved ones why you prepared or explaining to them why you didn’t?

But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8

But then someone has to stand on the bridge waiting for FEMA to bring them a bottle of water, an MRE and a warm blank so as to provide the Network Anchors their background ‘Money Shot’. I wonder how that will workout for you?

[chrisser]

I have thought along similar lines.

Actually what I’d like to build are a bunch of small, possibly portable (more likely “trans-portable”), independent systems.

Like one panel, a small charge controller (in the <50amp range) and one or two RV-type batteries. Make the panels collapsible and put it on a tripod with the batteries low for ballast and the ability to stake or wire cable the thing down. You could probalby build one for a few $hundred.

Once you have a working model, you keep duplicating it as funds allow.

Could be used as emergency power at home, or to power an RV or cabin. Set up separate ones for outbuildings rather than having a centralized system with a single point of failure.

I envision someting where tha panels fold onto themselves so if a storm is coming, you can make them weather resistant or take them down completely - the sun won’t be shining if it’s hailing anyhow.

Separate your load cicruits so each one of these units runs just a few items, with the ability to cross-connect as required.

Wouldn’t be the most convenient, but what it lacks in convenience, it makes up for in transportability and redundancy, and if you build it yourself, you can probably fix it yourself.

[Kartographer]

NOTE TO ALL:

If you watch the Video the Voltage regulator has easy-to-read LED display, 12V cigarette lighter socket, 5V USB, 3-6-9V DC outlets and two 12V sockets for the included Light Kit. You can also see it here:

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_19915.jpg

[ShadowAce]

From the article:

I purchased this kit from Harbor freight for about 0.

Seriously, though--about how much do these run?

[EyeGuy]

“I have plans that turn magma and ash into clean reliably energy.”

####

Child's play.

With a workable length of stout rope and a sturdy horse named Bill, I plan on simply lassoing the actual, initial blow energy.

[Kartographer]

But Ron Paul says there is nothing wrong or to worry about with Islamic Jihadist getting nukes.

[Kartographer]

Harbor Freight list them for $189.00. If you search around you can easily find a coupon code that gets you 20% off. Making the whole thing just a about $152.00.

[OB1kNOb]

HF 45 watt solar panel kit

Sometimes they go on sale for less.

[wastedyears]

All I was saying was that the effects of basically a nuclear winter (volcanic ash) will nullify solar panels, that’s all.

[ShadowAce]

Thanks!

[NELSON111]

BFL

[Kartographer]

There’s always some scenero that some things won’t work in. This systems would be good after a huricane, earthquake, EMP attacke(provided you protected your equipment), power outage caused by storms, etc.... Again I’d say its better than doing/having nothing.

[KC Burke]

You seem to have a good degree of knowledge but just to be certain:
You do understand that the wire shielding is very short of what is used for critical equipment. That is generally done with six sided solid steel plate that has been continously welded pin-hole free with wave-guide and baffles at every single penetration.

[scottteng]

there are coupons floating around for $149.99 I got one in the junk mail last week. Some entrepreneur is selling the coupons on E-bay for $10.

[maine yankee]

I have plans that turn magma and ash into clean reliably energy

---

And wll be receiving the huge government grant as soon as tom hanks signs off on the enviro thing.

[dfwgator]

I have plans that turn magma and ash into clean reliably energy

"Liquid hot mag-ma."

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

45 watt? what good is this. 1 light bulb....big deal.

[Buckeye McFrog]

..or you can probably pick one up for pennies on the dollar from the Chuck Harder Y2K Warehouse...

[al baby]

FYI don’y google that with out safe search on

[bgill]

I’d like to live on that planet where $150-$200 is zero.

[Kartographer]

It would do plenty if you use 12V lighing (two come with the kit) and it could keep re-chargable batteries for flashlighs, radios, PDA, portable DVD and CD players......

[Godzilla]

Lob one up from Hugo's Paradise, peaking at 250 miles over Manhattan, Kansas, with a peak yield in the 50 to 100kT range, with a nice uranium tamper for a boost in gamma output.

May be they could have that ability in the future - but it isn't today. They have to prove they can make one, make it small enough for them to fit on a rocket and make it dependable. Some how avoid detection, set up a missile base to accomodate this long range rocket and launch it. OBTW, this is without Israel getting in the first punch and taking out or significantly delaying Iran's program. There are a slew of "what if's" and "maybe's" that have to be accomlished first.

[MomwithHope]

Would it run a well pump? The submersible kind. I have been looking for something.

[Godzilla]

All I was saying was that the effects of basically a nuclear winter (volcanic ash) will nullify solar panels, that’s all.

You are looking at a very, VERY small chance of a volcanic eruption of that size. Even Yellowstone's biggest wouldn't have nullified solar panels. Most contingencies preppers like myself prepare for are far more likely events from storms and other generally short term serious disruptions. For those events, it would be money well spent.

[Kartographer]

I would say yes a small one and if you didn’t run it 24/7. I don’t see why not. I’ve see electric gates powered by far smaller.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

You can get a roof top solar system that will run your entire household ......but it will cost +$30k....excess power can be sold to your local utility. They offer tax credits of up to $10k. Your 45watt system looks more like something for a hobbyist. Fun to play with though.

[Quix]

MUCH THANKS.

GREATLY APPRECIATED.

GOD BE WITH YOU AND THOSE YOU LOVE.