Olde Hornet
Well-Known Member
Climate-Proofing Your Home: Improving Your Backup Power Supply
Blizzards, hurricanes, and wildfire risks can all be reasons you might lose power. Here are some alternatives to buying a highly polluting generator.
www.bloomberg.com
Go Small
If you just want to keep your phones, tablets, and laptops charged, there are a plethora of small solar-powered devices available for around $100. Just before the first power outage hit Northern California in early October last year, I sprung for a foldable 40-watt solar charger about the size of a magazine.It did the job, but as blackouts stretched from hours to days and power outages threatened to become as perennial as California poppies, it became clear that I needed more power.
Electricity in a Box
Portable solar-powered lithium-ion generators with enough wattage to keep the wine chilled and brew the morning coffee have been around for years, but the market was largely focused on outdoor enthusiasts and those living off the grid.No longer. “The last 18 months have been hockey stick growth,” says Bill Harmon, general manager of Goal Zero, a Utah company that makes lithium-ion generators that it calls power stations. “Demand has largely been directed at our larger power stations that can power huge portions of your home.”
He says wildfires, hurricanes, and the Covid-19 pandemic have driven sales of Goal Zero power stations with capacities of between 1,500 and 6,000 watts-hours and range in price from $2,000 to $5,000. Goal Zero, a subsidiary of NRG Energy Inc., also sells a kit to connect its larger generators to a home’s electrical panel. That allows the generator to back up four circuits to keep lights, refrigerators, and other key appliances powered during a blackout.