If you are concerned about the likelihood of a power grid failure in 2012 and are considering solar energy as an urban survival alternative, there are three things you need to know. Solar energy is not as simple as putting up some panels and then plugging in your appliances. If your 2012 survival plan involves 'getting off the grid' with a whole house solar plan, you had better learn some things about the limitations of most solar systems first.
Most "Off the Grid" Houses Are NOT Off the Grid
Contrary to popular belief, most homes that produce "all the energy they need from solar panels" are still very much connected to and dependent upon the power grid. In fact, it is the power grid that balances out their overproduction of electricity during the day with their lack of solar electricity during the night.
What is actually happening is that their panels are producing a lot more electricity during the day than they can possibly use. This excess electricity goes back into the power grid and they are credited for it on their monthly bill.
Then after dark, the home takes back electricity from the power grid, but maybe less than they generated during the day, and so the net result is that they used "no electricity."
Storing Solar Energy for Nighttime Use
However, storing enough surplus daytime electricity to power energy hogs like the refrigerator and furnace / air conditioner at night would require an enormous bank of expensive batteries. Since this is a huge expense, few of these homes have the ability to store up electricity for when the sun goes down.
The net result is that if the power grid goes down, many of these "off the grid houses" would be dark. As long as the power grid is up, they have no electric bill, or may even get a credit. But they are still dependent on the grid just like everyone else.
There are ways of setting up a solar system to run as a backup now and to be more of a reliable "whole house" system off the grid if the worst case scenario materializes and we can no longer count on the power grid.
True Energy Independence
The easiest way to be truly off the grid is to invest thousands of dollars in batteries to store energy for nighttime use. However, a better way is to convert your appliances to more energy efficient models to drastically reduce the amount of batteries you would need.
When you store energy in batteries, it is in the form of DC current. Using the batteries to power your AC appliances requires an inverter to change the current, which is wasteful and not energy efficient. Visit a truck stop and you'll find a lot of different cool appliances that over the road truckers use, all of which run off of 12 volt DC.
Switching to LED lights that run on DC is an easy way to ensure you have light at night that requires little power, though it is not inexpensive.
If money is no object, then a combination of conservation by switching to DC systems and investing in a smaller number of batteries to store power is a very viable option.
However, those who plunge into large solar projects without knowing the difficulty of being truly "off the grid" may be in for a big surprise if they don't understand the challenges.
Most "Off the Grid" Houses Are NOT Off the Grid
Contrary to popular belief, most homes that produce "all the energy they need from solar panels" are still very much connected to and dependent upon the power grid. In fact, it is the power grid that balances out their overproduction of electricity during the day with their lack of solar electricity during the night.
What is actually happening is that their panels are producing a lot more electricity during the day than they can possibly use. This excess electricity goes back into the power grid and they are credited for it on their monthly bill.
Then after dark, the home takes back electricity from the power grid, but maybe less than they generated during the day, and so the net result is that they used "no electricity."
Storing Solar Energy for Nighttime Use
However, storing enough surplus daytime electricity to power energy hogs like the refrigerator and furnace / air conditioner at night would require an enormous bank of expensive batteries. Since this is a huge expense, few of these homes have the ability to store up electricity for when the sun goes down.
The net result is that if the power grid goes down, many of these "off the grid houses" would be dark. As long as the power grid is up, they have no electric bill, or may even get a credit. But they are still dependent on the grid just like everyone else.
There are ways of setting up a solar system to run as a backup now and to be more of a reliable "whole house" system off the grid if the worst case scenario materializes and we can no longer count on the power grid.
True Energy Independence
The easiest way to be truly off the grid is to invest thousands of dollars in batteries to store energy for nighttime use. However, a better way is to convert your appliances to more energy efficient models to drastically reduce the amount of batteries you would need.
When you store energy in batteries, it is in the form of DC current. Using the batteries to power your AC appliances requires an inverter to change the current, which is wasteful and not energy efficient. Visit a truck stop and you'll find a lot of different cool appliances that over the road truckers use, all of which run off of 12 volt DC.
Switching to LED lights that run on DC is an easy way to ensure you have light at night that requires little power, though it is not inexpensive.
If money is no object, then a combination of conservation by switching to DC systems and investing in a smaller number of batteries to store power is a very viable option.
However, those who plunge into large solar projects without knowing the difficulty of being truly "off the grid" may be in for a big surprise if they don't understand the challenges.
By the way, do you want to discover the 3 steps you can take RIGHT NOW to prepare for a power outage? If so, download my free MP3 HERE.
And to learn what 5 things you should always have in your car, you can go HERE.
Mike Kuykendall, Prepping Consultant
And to learn what 5 things you should always have in your car, you can go HERE.
Mike Kuykendall, Prepping Consultant
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