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Power Failures! In the year 2020 !!
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engrguy42:

--- Quote from: Someone on May 07, 2020, 11:53:12 pm ---
--- Quote from: engrguy42 on May 07, 2020, 02:05:09 pm ---
--- Quote from: NiHaoMike on May 07, 2020, 01:49:38 pm ---Good excuse to put together a solar power system with backup?

--- End quote ---

Well....I guess by definition, the solar radiation during a storm is pretty low, and solar won't help much. Attached is the solar radiation for Perth today. Since solar panels are rated for 1,000 watts/square meter, you can see that the actual was only down in the 200 range most of the day. And, of course, zero at night. 

So unless you have a boatload of batteries that you didn't use previously (when the sun was out), you're kinda outta luck.
--- End quote ---
The OP described a longer term power interruption, even without backup having solar to charge up DC powered devices during the day is still useful.

--- End quote ---

What DC powered devices?
coppercone2:
hey, its a wake up call. If you don't want a generator, which I can understand (total pain in the fucking ass sometimes), spend a couple of dollars

-AA/AAA gadgets
-nice box of spare batteries
-portable inverter for what ever
-butane can stove, like a good one (unless you have gas)
-battery radio, preferably a boom box with D cells so you can relax
-power bank
-walki talkies

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Portable-Butane-Stove-Carrying/dp/B00FGPXVSM
-most important thing, because you need tea

All this is like 300$


On one hand a generator can kill you with anger, on the other hand it gives you something to fix when there is no power
David Hess:

--- Quote from: GlennSprigg on May 07, 2020, 02:49:49 pm ---I guess we are 'Lucky' to not be in Tornado Alley in the U.S., where such provisions may be expected.
This is definitely outside the 'Norm' for us, so we are majorly less prepared/expected!!   :)
--- End quote ---

I live in the central US and power outages after storms are a yearly occurrence.  After my first ice storm where I burned a month's worth of wood in one week, I provisioned myself with backup propane heating, backup kerosene heating, and a backup gasoline generator.  The generator gets a good workout at least twice a year.

coppercone2:
how do you store kerosene? Living in a warm place I only keep a few gallons on hand of the sealed stabilized more expensive can (thankfully never had to use it)
Berni:
Similar thing happened here, except it was an ice storm. Combination of cold temperatures and rain coated everything in a few centimeters of ice. The weight of all that ice snapped overhead wires, brought down power poles, trees falling across roads...etc. Nobody seen anything like it in the last 100 years.

As a result places all over the country lost power, some got cut off from the world due to the few roads around being covered in fallen trees. Some places ware without power for a few hours here and there, some places lost power for 2 weeks (the more remote difficult to reach places). Generators flew off store shelves. It was quite the situation.

Where i live we lost power twice for about a day, but it was still a huge pain in the ass. Its only then you realize how important power is. At least we still have a fireplace in the living room to keep the house warm(Otherwise we use a heatpump that needs a lot of power, so would need a hefty generator). Cell service didn't go down where i live so you still had internet to some degree and a 12V charger could be used in a car to recharge the phone.
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