I NEED POWER!

[Skvez]

There are three main solar technologies and they differ slightly but power from daylight is typically 3% to 10% of the power from sunlight. So while they do produce power in daylight it's pretty pathetic.

111001 what you havn't done is explain what you intend to use your back up power for.
Once we know that we'll be in a better position to advise on size of solar/battery/wind/genset.

[Hrusai]

yeah thats a good point! some solar is cheap and you can use it as roof tiles, it depends not only on what you need it for, but where you need it!...so if you got a BOL built and ready for living, then you could utilise a couple of these, for instance the roof tiles, or even solar paint (yep thats in the works, give it a year or 2, also transparent solar film to put on windows!)

[00111001]

(14 July 2012, 03:05)Skvez Wrote: There are three main solar technologies and they differ slightly but power from daylight is typically 3% to 10% of the power from sunlight. So while they do produce power in daylight it's pretty pathetic.

111001 what you havn't done is explain what you intend to use your back up power for.
Once we know that we'll be in a better position to advise on size of solar/battery/wind/genset.

Cheers.

I need it to recharge batteries, laptops, kindles. Be nice if it could run a fridge/freezer for a few hours a day, lighting. If it could power a big air compressor too that'd be handy

[Hrusai]

well for kindles and laptops you can buy nice little portable solar chargers that are reasonably compact and will certainly do the job, same for batteries....if your eletrically inclined i guess you could rig it to do some more xD....but a small solar panel connected to a host of batteries should be reasonably cost effective and able to power all the things you mentioned.....main problems are longevity though, batteries wont last forever, not to mention the solar panels effectiveness.

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electron...3a27729938

theres something i found on google, will do everything you need it to, although im sure you can find a better deal out there, just need to look...of course you'd need batteries and assorted other bits n bobs, but its fairly reasonably priced

http://www.maplin.co.uk/12v-50w-telescop...Wind+Power

theres a nice little wind turbine, but the only factor is you need wind xD...whereas the solar panels work fine on a cloudy day, just not quite as much energy...in fact that link for the solar one specifically says that it works in cloudy and overcast conditions!

but those are the 2 main commercially available power generation methods available, unless you wanna get into alcohol generators or petrol or w/e or even get technical and build your own biomass genny

[Nemesis]

One thing I would like to point out, I have been and a member of a few solar forums and you always get the geek know all that don't have solar but knows it all, they tend to chuck out maths and percentages like no tomorrow.

On one of these forums there was a bloke that knew everything and told me I could not boil purify water on my solar setup, well I then went and boiled water 3 times one after the other during the UK colder months (daylight), this was 3x 1 litre boils, that I "could not do"

I made a YouTube video and posted it I received little response from the expert, I would also add I had at that time only 160watts and 2x batts, which although I have upgraded the system these two batts are still reading green and full of life.

I constantly cook and boil water on my setup be it summer or winter, I have tv in my garden and a hifi barrel I made up that also gets used all the time, and also garden lighing, last night I dismantled my system due to rebuild around my new workshop and all batts tested green and all good, so my point is some stuff has been said in this thread that conflicts with things I have said, but all I will offer is I am doing hands on testing, and not what I have read.

Remember low watt is key speed cooking/boiling is not going to be the case I managed to track down some good low watt cooking gear and had to import in some cases, (hotplates), I might add I even have a chip fryer which makes good chips, I make curry’s and fry up you name it I have cooked it, even made breads I am told my batts would die fast yet show no signs of that yet, I am now 3 years having this solar.

[NorthernRaider]

Aye but the one thing about you M'lord Wet N Cold is you always back up your statements with hard facts and video evidence, Your cred is 100% in the NR den

[Hrusai]

totally, i'd always defer to someone whose gone out and done it as opposed to just read

if WnC has gone and tested and says its true, its true

[uks]

A small genny for less than £100
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produc...rator-g720 Use this to charge your batteries inconjunction with solar panel. Think about getting 12 volt equipment fridge/freezer etc.

[bigpaul]

after TSHTF you need to be careful where these things are sited, some solar panels and even windows can be seen for miles if the sun is shining fully on them, thats how Tony Wrench's place in Wales was found, a pilot saw something shining where no one was supposed to be living.

[Hrusai]

true that BP but hey how many post SHTF pilots are there gonna be xD....well after a year or so

still that roundhouse is amazing, i'd love to have such an amazing place, in fact, i aspire to it.