To answer a comment from Mahtomedi on my new links ( too many, don’t go commercial on us ), a little background. I have had Amazon links up at my web page for over two years now. All I am doing is putting them in your face every day rather than hoping you will visit them at my web page. But I’ve always relied on them for revenue. Now, I’ll never advertise the big boys. The guys selling the freeze dried foods
and sleeping 
bags and such. I don’t blame others for doing it, everyone deserves a paycheck if they devote serious time to a blog. But it simply isn’t for me since it does mean, to a small degree, you need to kiss butt. You can’t yell from the rooftops what a worthless item is being advertised. I tell you all the time that freeze dried foods are an expensive luxury ( as are MRE
’s ). And I also post them in my Amazon link. Why? Because no one is going to pull the ad for it. If that is your thing, go for it, I make a commission. Or buy something else through Amazon. I’ll make a commission off that and everyone is happy. The advertiser doesn’t get all bent out of shape. Because I’m using a third party seller. This is how I have it both ways. Being able to dis on a product while at the same time letting you choose for yourself if you want it. This doesn’t mean I can’t be bought. If someone wants to bribe me, I’ll cave in. The only problem is, I can’t stay bought. I’m like a politician playing both sides. You can try to buy me but in the end I’ll betray your trust and tell my loyal minions the truth about your product. Not that anyone has tried, dammit.*
Now that I’ve justified selling out like the cheap whore I am, more of today’s worthless links shall begin. I read the latest ( for the library ) Harlan Coben
this weekend. I like his never ending suspense style, even if his common theme seems to be that suburban Yuppie Scum are people too and have their own problems. Cry me a friggin river in your SUV waiting in line at Starbucks, slut. I also read Pirate Latitudes
. More fluff than Coben. But a light read. I stopped reading after Timeline 
as it was getting a bit too formulistic. Each chapter ending in an unnecessary cliff hanger. But what can I say? It was gloomy and cold and cloudy and I needed a break from doom so I just read escapism fiction all weekend. Next weekend is three days so I should concentrate more on blog stuff. Today, at the request of a minion, simple start for solar. A few years back I bought a butt load of panels from Northern. I believe three ( okay, three isn’t usually a butt load by definition, but it was a major investment on minimum wage ) of the Chinese made 15watt units. They were on sale so that the shipping was included in the $99 each price. When I moved to the Bison Compound I hooked one up. One panel
to one controller to two batteries already in the trailer. I only used one light bulb, but it was a car brake light used in RV’s ( 18watt ) and the one panel couldn’t keep up once the fall clouds rolled in. I tried everything else I could think of. An extra battery in the truck. A jumper battery I charged at work ( transported in my bike basket ). Taking the computer to work for a recharge ( I stopped after Creekmores notebook tragedy reminded me how dangerous it was ). At last, I happened into a free panel from a coworker. He had a cabin he couldn’t get to often and the panel was draining his battery. So I got the panel, the crystal type
rather than the thin film. 40watts. I also finally bit the bullet and hooked up the second thin film panel, leaving one in reserve/as backup rather than two. I now had seventy watts and it was enough to get through the cloudy days ( as discussed last week ). *
I’ve already had one panel fail me, a Chinese made one. Hint-if you clean the dirt off a panel and it shocks you, it isn’t sending the charge to the panel. But my other two panels have been going over a year. When you buy the cheap panels it is going to be hit and miss. But better four thin film panels where one fails than one crystal panel where all your eggs are in one basket. Plus, the cheap panels allow you to add one panel at a time as finances permit. Better to have one cheap panel come the crash than a wad of paper cash you were saving for a quality panel. In the end, sure, having half thin film and half crystal is great. Crystal produces more juice and lasts longer, thin film produces some juice under low light conditions and is cheaper. But if finances are tight ( if really tight, just go with AA/C type rechargeable batteries
and a small solar shoe box size charger 
) just buy one thin film at a time. The auto parts stores usually have them for $99 ( recently including the controller ), the mail order firms have them for $75 plus shipping ( equaling about the same price ). Remember your hero- one is none and two is one.*
Solar is easy. The Chinese panels come with all the required wires and doo-dads. Join the right color wires together and you are in business. Yes, it is hideously expensive power at $6.66 a watt ( get it? Chinese evil panels, 15 watts into a hundred bucks ). But for the coming collapse it is going to be the longest lasting and/or least conspicuous.
END
15 comments:
Okay Jim, what type are the Harbor Freight? Are they worth getting or is it better to save your pennnies to get something a little better?
Thanks
I got some solar panels from Harbor Freight tools. They worked ok a 45 watt setup is now 249.00 5.53 per watt. I have mixed feelings about them but there cheap I have had them on the house for many years. I had to modify the brackets so the wind wouldn't take them for a ride.There still working but any power they put out is dwarfed by the wind generator. Here is the part number for them 90599-3VGA.
The wind generator was 650.00 for 400 watts that's like 1.65 a watt!
Great hair Jim.
O Jim, I forgot to congratulate you on your new found source of income. Dont get to excited about amassing great wealth, The Dark Lord has plans for you. Your required Health Plan will only cost 165 per person but it gets even better that's only 330.00 for you and the wife, per month!
I feel a writer of your skill could make it. I, on the other will not. On the bright side if one cant pay it you get to pay a fine, when you dont pay that you do time.
All the more reason to stock-up. Get, land and a van (rimes)beans bullets and rice!
Dont forget hair care products!
Biggunsfan,
Not only great hair, but shaved Gillette smooth! Thats one sharp dude!
My first solar power set was a 45 watt Harbor Freight kit. It worked great for weekends visits where the panels had all week to charge the batteries but it just doesn't have quite enough juice for full time.
But you can always string several of those sets together with a bigger charge controller.
Interesting you would say that, I have had a suspicion The watts were not as high as rated. I haven't put an amp meeter on mine but it would be tough to get an accurate out-put, you know depends on the sun for that day. I have also wondered how much the watts decline (degeneration)as time goes on.
The funny thing is when it comes to live or die power probably wont matter.As a kid (pore white trash) we lived with no power or water for many years. We would clean up in the creek in the winter we had a trough in the house, complete with a wood stove to heat water on. This was in the 70's and 80's.
I'll do it again! Let this ship sink. Them bastards can take there goberment programs with them! Don't let the gallows door, hit there ass on the way out.
oldsubotai, I broke out a bottle of red wine for the occasion.
Could someone explain the whole freeze dried fetish thing to me? I don't get it.
The advantages of freeze dried is that it's light weight for when you're carrying it in a pack and you don't need much fuel to heat it. If you're not going anywhere, there's no advantage.
If (when) the shit hits the fan where I'm at right now, clean drinking water will be at a premium and all those canned goods in my garage come with water Inc. Which is a nifty trick if you ask me.
And of course there's the disadvantages of high price, bad taste and an upset stomach.
"Happy winter solstice!!!!"
I'll drink to that!
15 watt panel right out of the box will only generate about 12w in bright light. I think the 15w figure comes from lab tests without an ozone layer :) And, BTW, it's a high and tight hair cut. I'll try for a better picture so that the masses may glory in my trur likeness.
Solar Panel Sale! I am NOT associated with these guys, just know some who have purchased from them.
Panels 98 Cents /Watt
They are 60 watt and you need to use an MPPT charge controller to properly use them. If you want smaller panels I suggest the
Sun Panel 17 Watt for $33.66. $1.98 / Watt. Here is the link http://sunelec.com/
The best unit on their site in my opinion is the Kyocera panels @ $2.44 / Watt
You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a little bit of power.
Skip Formally of Kansas City now in Rural Missouri
98 Cents / Watt Solar Panels
If you are a complete amateur in Solar Electricity and want as near as a sure-fire system as you can get, I say go with the Harbor Freight angle. You get a lot of what you need for 45 watts of charging power except the battery and an inverter. You get lights, a charge controller, a mounting frame, three solar panels, etc., and a minimum of setup requirements. My brother and I have both bought Harbor Freight and have units that work.
Sexton is right about wind generators. They produce more power for the buck. However, they also attract more attention and have more maintenance problems.
Solar eneragy is the future for the world.
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