To the second half of the blog about power/power production. You will find videos/podcasts, instructions, and other information about the subject for this week.
Solar Electricity Solar Power 101 - How Does Sunlight Turn Into Electricity
Solar Inverters: Turning DC to AC power
DIY Solar Power Solar Panel PV Photovoltaic Harbor Freight Solar Energy Solar Panels
Solar Panel DIY Wiring Configurations Solar Power DIY Get Off the Grid Part 2 Solar Power PV Photovoltaic
Solar Panel DIY Wiring Configuration Solar Power DIY Modified SINE Inverter Pure SINE Inverter Deep Cycle 12 V
My Solar Power System
Solar Heating Home Made Solar Air Heater - Update
Clean Power Show Episode 5 - Solar Heater
The Great Depression 2 Corrugated Cardboard Solar Forced Air Heater Fight High Heating Oil
Solar Hot Water Shower DIY Black Water Hose Part 1
Solar Hot Water 2 DIY Using Black Water Hose
Solar Batch Water Heater "Part One"
Solar Batch Water Heater "Part Two"
Free Solar Heat "How to Build a Solar Panel" Part 1
Passive Solar Heating - Glass is all you need
Food Dyhydration Solar Food Dehydration
How to Make A Solar Dehydrator
Solar Herb Dryer Green-It-Yourself Project
SolarFlex Food Dryer and Solar Heater
Building Your Own Generator
Some of us don't have a lot on money. Others look at being prepared as a hobby, and others want to know how to fix the things they will rely upon in an emergency.
The Emergency Preparedness Information Center has several great articles on building a generator. The link below will take you to their Emergency Preparedness Tip o'da Week page. Look on the left hand side of your computer screen and click on Build a Lawn Mower Generator. The other articles are really informative, too.
Protecting a Generator From Thieves
The easiest method of protecting your generator from thieves is to have a piece of chain, a place to chain the generator to, and a good lock. It is also a good idea to place the generator in a location that you can easily see it. If you need to leave, turn off the generator and lock it up in your garage. (Make Sure The Generator Has Cooled Down and is OFF)
Make sure you can see your generator. I read an article about a gang of thieves; they would take old, beat-up lawn mowers, start them, then replace your generator with the ratty mower.
A more expensive option is to get a dedicated concrete pad poured for the generator and than build an enclosure for it. The generators in these enclosures usually have a much better muffler installed. Another method is to follow the United States military method of concealing a generator.
The military digs a hole a little bit bigger then the size of the generator and a little deeper then the height of the generator. A pallet is placed in the bottom of the hole and the generator is placed on top of the pallet. Sand bags are then used to build a small wall all the way around the hole, about two feet high. A piece of camouflage netting is placed over the finished enclosure. This method will greatly silence a portable generator, additionally; it is a pain to refill the generator. Plus, the military has lots of heavily armed people gruading their stuff.
Standardizing on Battery Size
A few posts ago, I mentioned only buying radios and other electronics that use "AA" or "D" size batteries. I say this for a few reasons. The first, you can walk into any store in the United States and buy AA or D size batteries. Next, you save money if you buy things in bulk, in most cases. (Check prices to be sure) Next, you can switch out batteries to power more important equipment.