45 WATTS
Thanks to the heads-up from the Rawles Ranch I looked into the solar panel sale from Northern Tools. $80 for a 15 watt unit. The kind that generate a reduced amount of power even with an overcast ( the down side being you start losing generating power after about a decade or so ). So I ordered three panels. With a controller unit ( keeps the panels from discharging ) and shipping it came to a few cents shy of $300. It came in less than two weeks. I had it delivered to my private postal box which is across the street from my trailer park and proceeded to almost kill myself carrying it home ( my bike was down with a broken leg ). They are a lot heavier than I imagined. But I bit the bullet and bought them and they are delivered. At the time I wasn’t even sure about moving but I had visions of increased demand as electric rates went up and increased shipping cost. I couldn’t imagine them decreasing in price.
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For the truly poor survivalist you don’t need anything more than a paperback book size battery charger and LED’s. And plenty of AA rechargeable batteries ( the unit handles AAA and D and C but it is nice if you can standardize size ). LED’s are far superior to petroleum light sources. Not light output, but safety and affordability and longevity. But being off-grid, 45 watts is barely adequate for even primitive living. Four to six hours of several lights and you’ve used the days production. Try adding in an hour on the computer or any TV and the system is overloaded. Look at it one way and you are paying $300 to power a couple of 20 watt lights. Now add in the battery cost. Insane. But look at it another way and a high up front cost still means energy independence. Just don’t figure out the payback period compared to grid power or you will hate yourself.
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Eventually I would like to add a lot more panels and use a laptop and a satellite Internet connection and a regular TV. But I can wait. In a pinch I can live with what I have. After all it is merely a luxury rather than a necessity. Perhaps a primitive luxury, but soon it will be the only kind most of us have. Surprising myself, I am actually thinking this is a glass half full moment.
END
Buy my crap, books and gear www.bisonpress.com
14 comments:
Think of solar panels as prepaid electricity. As for batteries, I try to get in good with a battery dealer or two and buy used industrial batteries. I got a 2 year old battery pack that is 48 volts in 2 volt cells that is 500 amp hours at the 8 hour rate for $425 from GNB in Kansas City Kansas where they make them. It was a special order that wasn't picked up. It can also be rewired at 12 volts for 2000 amp hours. It does weigh 923 Kg., but that is another story! There are many sites for battery reconditioning and a pulse unit can be a great thing to have. They Blast the lead sulfate crystals off of the plates and increase the capacity of the batteries. www.homepower.com is a great resource, and they will let you download a free issue too.
Most alt energy batteries are murdered from chronic undercharging. Also check out www.otherpower.com.
Skip in Kansas City
I have a 45 watt system feeding 3 big WalMart deep cycles. The 2 compact fluorescents that came with it are outstanding.
This system, though borderline has saved me from being in the dark numerous times. The knowledge gotten from maintaining this system has been priceless. Next addition will be a small windmill.
wf.wizard---------Texas
Harbor Freight has 45 watt solar panel kits listed for $200.00. 3, 15 watt panels at 12 volts and the regulator kit. (reg. price $250). At local pick up, no shipping. It looks like the same as Northern.
Larry SEOhio
Not bring depression upon ya'all cause you got what you wanted, but on the big online yard sale thre are numerous 45 watt systems for around $225 delivered [to north central Idaho] that are probably similar.
Now to be a boon to the conversation if a person adds a couple of the red/blue LED grow lights for use with their solar panels they could concievably have a pretty good hydroponic garden growing in most parts of the several states for lots less than they figure, greens are valueable for vitamins during the winter [not a total diet, got to have my meat too, even if it was only rabbit or chicken] another thing to add to the list of simple survival tools, and the ones around $70 are about the same cost as buying the pieces in bulk and putting one together yourself....
N E How, if you are happy and you know it.... thats the way things are supposed to be.
William
Idaho
I also have my system batteries as Deep Cycles from Wally World. I have a 800 watt inverter and can run the fan on my wood burner a long time. I got this system specificly for that purpose.
I think the batteries work great for what I paid for them.
One more thing, If you want to run any variable speed motors you need a sine wave inverter not just an inverter.
Oldman in the Boonies
I know a guy that recently had a residential wind turbine installed on his property. The entire set up cost him 15 grand. So far, over 4 or 5 months, the electrical company owes him 26 bucks or so. In other words, the turbine is powering his entire home plus a little extra.
15 grand, though . . . also note that he lives on a small, breezy hill. The turbine turns a lot.
- RM
Jim
Where can I find your old article on bicycles?
Mr 9.26
Try Google
Bison survival blog
master index
http://bisonsurvivalblog.blogspot.com/
July 2008
1 GIVING UP THE ELECTRIC TEET
2 FREE RENT
3 WAGE PRESSURE
4 LED TEST
5 THE ROAD WARRIOR
6 45 WATTS
JUNE 2008
2 penny wise and pound foolish
3 paper ASSets
4 with friends like the media...
5 muddling through with hillary
6 work can kill
7 lions and tigers and cans
9 cheap eats
10 TENT CITY GESTAPO
11 store what you eat
12 OIL AND CREDIT
13 mud
14 no drought & litter & septic
15 Seeds A cheap insurance plan
16 heavy and bulky
17 prepper nugs
18 OIL SPECTATORS
19 SCARY STUFF
20 solar only sure thing
21 BOB FIREARM
22 DIXIE GUN WORKS
23 COMMUTING FROM “CHEAP”RENT
24 COMRADE SIMBA
25 HOW MUCH EXTRA?
26 BANKS INSOLVENT
27 GETTING OFF MY BUTT
28 (guest) Still More Random Prep Thoughts
28 (jim) INFLATION, THEN PEAK
29 PATH OF STAMPEDE
30 A PORTABLE SOLAR COOKER
May 2008
1 priority panic buying
2 problem solving 2008
3 breaking in boots
5 homestead or collapse pv
6 frugal mortgage
7 malthus meltdown
8 eating your cake
9 rain collection
10 being a nervous nelly
12 case for the SKS
13 petrols prison punk
14 sks 2 & blue tarp
15 PODA
16 DISPOSABLE PREPS
17 low hanging fruit
19 RETARD ARSENAL & CHEAP GUN SAFE
20 MORE NUKE BREAD
21 20% inflation
22 urban unrest
23 HOMEMADE DRAINO & DOUBLE YOUR FOOD
24 spoiled whiners
26 generation long die-off
27 gulag usa
28 group junk retreat
29 NOVEL & NEW SITES
30 medical triage
31 CABIN FEVER
April 2008
1 warrior class
2 A FUNGUS AMONGST US
3 TREMORS ATTACK PACK
4 throwing the anchor overboard
5 UPGRADING FOR ZOMBIE HORDES
6 Supply Depots after TSHTF
7 survival hats
8 gun care
9 boiling water
10 peak oil and retail
11 multiples of crap
12 recession roommates
14 carpooling
15 cast iron seasoning
16 minimal urban prep
17 desert land drying up
18 END OF FREE SLAVES
19 specialization and collapse
20 guest article
21 wasting your life
22 urban death traps
23 nice rice price
24 joe bobs trailer service
25 RENDER UNTO CLINTON
26 AHOY, PIRATES
28 laundry slime
29 straight walled cases
30 peak expropriaton
March 2008
1 post apoc bounty hunter
3 BOB II
4 EVOLUTIONARY ODDITY
5 herd fear
6 BUYING A MOBILE SURVIVAL BUNKER
7 apocalypse entertainment
8 heating shortages and mylar
10 simple things
11 bad bulk
12 into the wild
13 BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A CREDIT CARD?
14 defense or calories?
15 the Brady's new home
17 don't head for the hills yet?
18 apocalypse stockpiling
19 BISON’S BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK
20 cheap moving
21 continued lower expectations
22 living without credit
24 nomad v hermit
25 food and gun control
26 where to hunker down
27 DAMN LIARS
28 KING MUCKEEMUCK
29 END OF FREE OIL
31 POST-APOC TRAVELLING BORDELLO AND THEATRE TROUPE
February 2008
1 trailer trash survivalists
2 coal burner conversion
3 Mom’s Survival Guns
4 more economic collapse
5 homelessness
6 war and peace and war
7 inflation and the frugal prep plan
8 foreign stupidity tax and book review
9 basic reloading
10 Survival Lighting Thoughts a-la the PACE Style
11 CRASH FROM THE PAST
12 rebating the future
13 you can't always get what you want
14 AND THEN?
15 HOW LONG TO SHOPPING?
16 economics of self sufficiency
17 Buddy Stoves
18 collapse slumlord
19 plentiful harvest of blogs
20 Jericho and ill wind
21 economic storms and ice ages
22 serf and turf
23 minimalism
24 Random Survival Thoughts
25 po boy's and business as usual
26 debt monster
27 shortages
28 PET FOOD AND ALPO FOR BRAINS
29 maximum bob
January 2008
1 apartment or trailer
2 thoughts on farming
3 canned beans
4 your main squeeze
5 patriot games
6 Survival skills, Shotgun or Rifle approach?
7 ammo first, gun second
8 conserving water
9 suicide
10 avoiding immigration
11 fixed income
12 one third screwed
13 worms
14 THE BORG IS ONE
15 firearms inflation
16 mixed marriage
17 rice flour
18 preparedness-priceless
19 gun and gold confiscation
21 getting what you pay for
22 nomadic economy
23 micro business
24 from wage slave to investor
25 torture
26 credit rating is for sheep
27 rocket stove
28 Boston's guns
29 winter heat
30 fiction-chicken
31 slinging and eating mud
December 2007
1 human nature
3 theocracy rule
4 mounted infantry
5 evil clowns
6 barbaric customs
7 canned christmas
8 girly guns
9 guest article buddy burner
10 malthus trap
11 queuing for kool-aid
12 po boy meals
13 satanic semi's
14 indeflation
15 golden hoard avoidance
17 gen x slacker
18 mattel toy travesty
19 income inequality
20 resident evil
21 fifty cent MRE
22 unemployment insurance
24 canning lid reuse
25 the sky is falling how?
26 staying put in the sewer
27 rocket stove
28 suicide by election
29 killing the messenger
30 ALPHA MALE
31 comparison shopping
November 2007
1 book review
improvised ammo
2 envelope budget
3 multiple disasters
4 28 weeks later
5 lemons to lemonade
7 off grid computing
8 staging the next election
9 post oil military logistics
10 disco and double digit
inflation
11 Batteries are our friends.
12 low energy hunting
13 prepping styles
14 peak resources
15 camping away from the farm
16 bean flour
17 led desk lamp
19 mobile "home"
20 mobile "home" two
21 derivatives simplified
22 willful overpopulation
23 fresnel lens
24 long term firearms
26 SCAVS
27 trade wars
28 property values
29 greater depression started?
29 one buck MRE
October 2007
1 hiding wheat
2 historical lies
3 weevils
4 police state blues
5 fake butter
6 bob gold
8 internal travel controls
9 shipping box house
10 stationary targets
11 book reviews-sea & engineer
12 ground control to major tom
13 more home canning
15 book review-long term survival
16 neat, no ice
17 free corn
18 independent
19 core inflation rate
21 acquiring survival skills
22 pump n seal
23 heating mass
24 roughing it easy
25 half a greenhouse
26 the 80/20 rule
27 economic
28 homesteading on the Kenai
29 junk land gardening
30 petrodollar collapse
31 attitude dude
September 2007
1 trombe wall
3 how to afford preps
4 happy face on peak oil
5 bubble wrap windows
6 thermal cooking 2
7 ration books and implanted chips
8 another 9/11
10 thermal envelope
11 body count
12 living on $3k
13 eat cheap and consumer society
14 pallet shelter 2 & abiotic oil intro
15 birthing battles
17 of nukes and bank meltdowns
18 high protein bread
19 who'da thunk it-more inflation
20 saving social security
21 debtors prison
22 it's for the children
24 insulated shutters
25 improved cheap solar heater
26 buying into collapse
27 squatting post-shtf
28 don't let the bedbugs bite
29 super volcanos blow
30 guest article
August 2007
1 food grade plastic buckets liquified sprouts
2 liqify paper assets
3 train out of Berlin
4 London bridge is falling down
6 post apoc bandits
7 layered defence
8 urban suction
9 two liter masonry
10 demand destruction myth
11 wearing a tasliman
13 burning a hole in your pocket
14 back to school
15 frugal water filter
16 dastardly designed depression
17 doomsday shopping list
18 frugal illumination
20 bike trailer
21 olduvai theory
22 survival keyring
23 zip stove
24 work ethic & dictatorship
25 wheat prices rising
26 guest article
27 covered wagons west
28 rumor control
29 your spouse is a dumbass
30 couching chickens
31 car sales decline
July 2007
2 prep inflation
3 tent cabin
4 cheap schooling
5 what's in your wallet?
6 dysfunctional trailer
7 comfort foods
9 solar ice
10 black powder
11 can't catch a break
12 bullseye
13 pressure cookers
14 weather forecast
16 rechambeting bolt guns
17 mercury fulminate primers
18 kitchen weaponry
19 insane inventory
20 propane refer rescue
21 cheap grain grinder
23 crossbows and others
24 1% to collapse
25 precious metals
26 prepping with credit cards
27 copper mining
28 prepping with credit 2
30 u.s., not global collapse
31 good government is an oxymoron
June 2007
1 posers
2 sweat the small stuff
4 emergency garden
5 post-oil transport
6 six months to freedom
7 improvised James washer
8 forever arsenal
9 marriage and government
11 food inflation
12 but I can't live like that
13 hybrid strategry
14 your next job
15 pro survivalists
16 entertainment
18 running with scissors
19 frugal air conditioning
20 it's the energy, stupid
21 solar battery
22 Baghdad battery
23 spray insulation
24 guest article
25 cash stash
26 voluntary simplicity
27 trade tobacco
28 light infantry
29 go north
30 survival fiction
May 2007
1 ghee and dead zones
2 farm confiscation
3 cheap crapper
4 fire extinguisher and GM
5 post-apocalypse librarian
6 guest article hidden food
7 compost barrel and solar heat
8 bank holiday
9 Africa oil and improv sugar
10 short sighted
11 media scoop and dewormer
12 retail sales decline
14 winter trailer living
15 stupid and battery
16 chrysler
17 junk van 3
18 logistics
19 atlas shrugged
21 land
22 generator vs solar
23 there can only be one
24 canadian bacon
25 world according to Jim
26 border wars
28 another boonies business
29 population implosion
30 empire strikes back
31 brownshirts
April 2007
2 narcs and collaborators
3 path of migration
4 unconventional guns
5 don't go east, young man
6 hurts so good
7 hungry neighbors
9 hybrid gun
11 enjoy,it gets worse
12 super NAFTA
13 optics
14 useless eaters
16 unibomber shack and underwear
17 level of regression
18 alibi ike
19 cho's choice
20 two for you, one for me
23 canned meat
24 improvised knife sharpener
25 cache
26 sprouts and press
27 haul water
28 rennet and bell curve
30 improvised bleach
March 2007
mar 1 inventory
mar 2 sandbags
mar 3 book review Desert Rat
mar 5 BOB food
mar 6 stockpile shortages
mar 7 global meltdown?
mar 8 prep and debt
mar 9 simpler generator
mar 10 third world labor
mar 12 eBay way
mar 13 good money after bad
mar 14 Hillaryvilles
mar 15 moped
mar 16 paperless gun
mar 17 adjusting to inflation
mar 18 random survival thoughts
mar 19 survival guns
mar 20 urban environment
mar 21 fat
mar 22 gender roles
February 2007
feb 1 barter packages
feb 2 deflation
feb 3 knowledge
feb 5 betrayal
feb 6 wheat meat
feb 7 Iran
feb 8 home for one grand
feb 9 investment
feb 10 junk van 2
feb 12 boony business two
feb 13 Iran invasion 2
feb 14 business cost
feb 15 national ID
feb 16 blackout kit
feb 17 barter box
feb 18 reader reply
feb 19 apocalypse movie
feb 20 basic foods
feb 21 WWWD?
feb 22 collapse hobbies
feb 23 ill wind
feb 24 finding out too late
feb 26 frugal living
feb 27 ammo musings
feb 28 LTC
January 2007
Jan 1 turn down the thermostat
jan 2 business in the boonies
jan 3 water
jan 4 eat cheap
jan 5 argentina bound?
jan 6 optimist
jan 8 over a cliff
jan 9 decline time line
jan 10 toilet and tooth
jan 11 pellet stove
jan 12 metro distance
jan 13 refugees in your home
jan 14 survival dollars
jan 15 best laid plans
jan 16 escape pod
jan 17 lessons past
jan 18 puppet masters
jan 19 ethanol
jan 20 sand filter
jan 22 long term plan
jan 23 junk van
jan 24 thrift store
jan 25 Rome
jan 26 beyond wheat
jan 27 canned foods
jan 29 tax return
jan 30 bike
jan 31 love
December 2006
dec 1 aberrant behaviour
dec 2 .22 or pellet?
dec 4 survive and inflation
dec 5 pemmican and pinole
dec 6 extreme frugal preps
dec 7 dollar store
dec 8 more on peak loil
dec 9 unemployment diet $1 a day
dec 11 getting there from here
dec 12 transportation
dec 13 camouflage
dec 14 Christmas test
dec 15 mobile survival
dec 16 food charity
dec 18 routine
dec 19 Uncle Sam wants a crash
dec 20 affordable housing
dec 21 minimum wage
dec 22 gold
dec 23 honey wagon
dec 25 an inconvenient truth
dec 26 cold weather gear
dec 27 wonderful life
dec 28 commuting
dec 29 immigration
dec 30 trade collapse
dec 31 all things in common
November 2006
1 yuppies
2 logic
3 pets
4 adding to wheat
6 salt & review
7 financial
8 caravans
9 global warming
10 primitive weapons
12 double digit inflation
13 homemade wine
14 looting the eco-village
15 costco
16 crying wolf
17 frugal living
18 refrigeration
20 retirement
22 hunter-killer teams
23 revolvers
24 hobo stove
26 fridge & pellet guns
27 oil weapon
28 corn
29 alternate power
30 national security
October 2006
20 welcome
21 canned wheat
23 negative job growth
24 survival niches
25 following Rome
26 survival link
27 imported oil
28 population density
30 lemmings
31 Cell by Stephen King
http://tinyurl.com/5lv3zk
scroll down to Jan 30 essay on bicycles
Thanks for that article index Vlad - really helps a person find your information faster. I color coded mine (Green for Earth, Blue for Water, Red for First Aid, etc.) so I can find my subjects quicker too.
And a big THANK YOU to Mr. Dakin, for writing them in the first place.
finding a particular article is easy.
on your favourite search engine type
Bison Survival Blog January 2006 for example. that'll give you every article in that month.
Thanks again Vlad - I was describing about how to code this when you have printed out the articles, for non computer use. I printed out the entire monthly blogs, printing 8 sheets per page, double sided. Thus, a full month blog would be about 5 - 6 pages long.
Not selling it or anything that makes any profit - just good info I'd like to be able to keep if grid goes down, and internet is no longer available.
Thanks for all the replies, but that was not what I was after.
Jim had a few articles, long ones, on his Bison Press website. One was about bayanots, and another was about bikes. Its was quite long and Jim ranted, as usual.
Goes anyone know where I can find that one?
BTW, I did Google. No hits.
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