quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Well, you could buy some land in rural Arizona, invest in solar, buy several large water storage tanks and get started.

Seems there is a member here who has a handle on that.

You rang?

Were my situation different and I were living in the city but with the knowledge I have now......I'd move to where I am and do what I am doing

Funny thing is, I didn't really set out to go off grid, but where I wanted to live happened to be off grid so I had to come up with a plan and adapt. Were I still living in the city, I'd be doing the same thing. With quite a bit more knowledge under my dome now, if I were back in the city I would be doing some things differently.

Having a propane generator has a trade off, less power per lb/gln of fuel, but the fuel storage is much more long term and I don't have to rotate it or put anything in it to keep it going. Also easier to transport and fill. But I also have a gas generator to back up the propane because in some situations gas will be easier to come by that propane. One is none, two is one.

Solar seems to always be looked at with an eye to return on investment. There is an intangible side where you will have power when others don't, what is that worth? Solar power is really really cool and isn't that expensive if done correctly and for the right reasons. But if it's always going to hinge on $$$ math alone, don't bother.

Ultimately whether you're in the city or middle of nowhere, the end results should be the same, plan, prepare, adapt, and choose your priorities that need to be overcome to have the level of comfort and sustainability you are willing to live with.

I love being my own power company.......

(P.S. On a cloudy day with the proper equipment, this is what I was getting)

Here's a great recap of the NYC blackout of 1977. This guy gives a comprehensive perspective - Hip Hop was invented during the blackout because thieves got their hands on musical equipment?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2AIWCIvU7M

Well, I own a couple of acres in SE Arizona that are fairly rural--I guess it's a start. However, at 81 years old I'm not inclined to make a move there and hole up. I've got guns and ammo, but not much other prep.

flashguy

Sigolicious, if you aren’t connected to the grid, where does that surplus go? Is there some resistive load to “burn” off the surplus? Or does your diagram show a 5kw charge going to battery?

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
Sigolicious, if you aren’t connected to the grid, where does that surplus go? Is there some resistive load to “burn” off the surplus? Or does your diagram show a 5kw charge going to battery?

In that diagram, 5.23kw of DC is coming from the PV array. From there it is split, .5kw AC going to the load and the rest going to the DC battery bank.

There may be surplus, but the charge controllers are "smart" and reading the battery bank voltage and state of charge and the load demand and only sending the power necessary to meet both.

Are we not one step away from a Zombie Apocalypse?

I guess I don't understand why our power grid is even hooked up to the internet. Common sense tells us it should be on a totally separate system as should the military.

My wife and I are currently planning our retirement home. We are working with the architect and builder currently and the home will be solar powered and have all water from rain collection. We are in the VERY early stages, but I feel good on what we will be building.

Given the weekend forecast for the Northeast with the heat index over 100° even here in NH, we could see brownouts and blackouts due to higher than normal mid-summer demand.

I've been without power for a week twice that I can remember, and three or four days another time or two. In all those instances, society never collapsed, food riots never ensued, and thievery was not rampant. One of those weeks was while I lived in the Jamaican area of Miami, so it was reasonably densely populated.

Given enough time, yes food and water can become problems, but in my experience people don't instantly go feral. If anything they chill out a little and try to help each other out a little more. Yes, people can be dicks, but the few times I've been through natural disasters that knocked out power for an extended period of time, far more people were extra-nice rather than extra-shitty.

Fun fact: I almost got to go through Hurricane Katrina twice thanks to a poorly timed friends wedding in Baton Rouge.

- Bret