Solar Generators?

[exscapegoat]

Thanks for the information. I don't have the space/money to set up large solar panels. I think I will talk to the board about power outage preparedness (we were out for 5 days).

One question about traditional gas generators. I understand if you tax them too much, with say dryers, it will overwhelm them. Is there any way to prevent something over a certain wattage being run? I live in a complex where it's 2 story garden style apartments. If they did buy generators to keep the heat and say fridges going, is there anything to stop people from overloading the system? Heat and hot water would be nice. And keeping the food from going bad.

My mistake there was not having enough water bottles, etc. frozen and leaving it in the freezers vs. moving it to a cooler. My food lasted for about 2 days with the ice, etc. i had, but day 3, the ice cubes were melting, so I thought it was safer to just chuck everything.

In my defense, they always got the power back within less than 24 hours. I've lived in the area for 40+ years and this was the first time we were ever out this long. For some reason, I'd thought they'd have ice distribution in many neighborhoods if the power went out, but they only had one distribution point for each borough. And driving to the one in mine would have clogged up a more severely affected area and many of the traffic lights were still out, which made it dangerous.

[R_Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

What you want to do is NOT possible. Those things are toys, just like a child's chemistry set. They show certain concepts on a VERY limited basis, but if you are planning to use them to power a refrigerator, or your old Gilbert chemistry set to make quantities of thermoplastic, you are going to be severely disappointed.

Actually it IS possible and I've done it. It's not cheap, but in the long run it makes sense, especially since we have no freakin' clue what gas will cost in the next couple of years.

Arc Solar has a 3,000 watt system that is rechargeable as it's being used. The panels are flexible so you can put them in a window or on a balcony if you have one. An indoor window with the blinds wide open would also work. You can run a small efficiency apartment or hotel fridge on one of these (check with hotel furniture liquidators to find a good price on one)... You can also run hotel type microwaves on one of these. Look for LED heaters that require less than 1000 watts to run as well. Also check camp stores and outfitters. They have a lot of lower watt items that aren't as wonderful as your huge side by side refrigerator - but you'll quickly discover what really needs cooling and what doesn't. Of course, for short durations, the good ol' ice-filled cooler will work. But... that's not what we're talking about here.

The system I have is from GoalZero. I got two Yeti's and daisy-chained them together. It's less power than the Arc solar, but I saw GoalZero first. I can run a lot of things off just one. And I can run a small fridge off two together. During power outages it has been a huge blessing to have these to run fans and a small fridge to keep essentials cold. I've lived through hurricanes and power outages too many times. I made the investment after doing the long-term math on the costs of buying and running gas generators, replacing parts, price of gas, and the noise and smell. I'm sure as more of these come online, we'll see prices go down. I love mine though!

BTW - if you go to trade shows, you'll find all sorts of sweet deals on these. Look for self-reliance expos, prep expos, gun shows, etc. Goal Zero also has some small portable panels with inverters so you can plug your phones and laptops in. and I really like what they did for Hurricane Sandy. For every item bought last month, they sent one to the hurricane victims. So a whole bunch of people in the Northeast were able to get back online. They set up stations where people could come by and recharge their phones and laptops as well.

The technology is there, we just have to find ways to use it. I've had overcast days where I only had indoor ambient light and my solar panels were picking up enough light to charge my batteries and devices. It just takes longer. But hey, when the power is out, who cares? A charge is a charge!

Now I don't know about your old Gilbert chemistry set... but these generators are definitely NOT toys.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by exscapegoat

.............. Is there any way to prevent something over a certain wattage being run? I live in a complex where it's 2 story garden style apartments. If they did buy generators to keep the heat and say fridges going, is there anything to stop people from overloading the system?.

Oh.

You want the apartment complex to install generators large enough so that all the apartments could continue as normal. Well, good luck with that. That would be a generator system like hospitals use and those are extraordinarily expensive. Hospitals can afford them because they are charging $500 a night for each bed. I would bet you and your fellow tenants aren't paying $500 a night per person and would not be willing to pay for the cost of that sort of generator system.

I suggest that you figure out how to take care of just yourself and let the neighbors worry about their own care.

[exscapegoat]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Oh.

You want the apartment complex to install generators large enough so that all the apartments could continue as normal. Well, good luck with that. That would be a generator system like hospitals use and those are extraordinarily expensive. Hospitals can afford them because they are charging $500 a night for each bed. I would bet you and your fellow tenants aren't paying $500 a night per person and would not be willing to pay for the cost of that sort of generator system.

I suggest that you figure out how to take care of just yourself and let the neighbors worry about their own care.

As I said, I'm very new to the whole generator aspect of things. And it's a co-op, so the tenants own shares in the the co-op and lease from ourselves so to speak. I'd much prefer a house, but it's just not an economic possibility where I live now on my salary.

Just trying to find out what's possible/out there. I did pretty well on the flashlights, batteries, radio and non-perishable food part of things. And I had water though I didn't lose water so I was ok on that part of things. Just figuring out how I can be better prepared if there is a next time.

[Happy in Wyoming]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Oh.

You want the apartment complex to install generators large enough so that all the apartments could continue as normal. Well, good luck with that. That would be a generator system like hospitals use and those are extraordinarily expensive. Hospitals can afford them because they are charging $500 a night for each bed. I would bet you and your fellow tenants aren't paying $500 a night per person and would not be willing to pay for the cost of that sort of generator system.

I suggest that you figure out how to take care of just yourself and let the neighbors worry about their own care.

A chap on another thread stated that his building, condo, had just spent 500k to replace an outdoor swimming pool. Since he lives in Chicago that pool won't see more than four months of use per year at best.

Installing a generator for the whole place would be the most efficent. I bet it doesn't cost anywhere near 500k either.

[Think4Yourself]

I see scam artists like Jim Bakker selling these so my guess is they're junk. The reviews all tell me they're junk too.