Power to the People

Like it or not, electricity provides a tremendous amount of support to our daily lives. One of the keys to maintaining your sanity during/after a disaster is having the comfort of light, communication, even music.

One option is to fit your home with a nice generator (and plenty of fuel). Another option may be solar or wind electrical generators. Perhaps a small water turbine? We can discuss some of these options in the future. The choice I made was to remain transportable and simple.

The basic element of my energy preparation is the humble AA battery. I originally went this direction just because I noticed the myriad of devices I had on hand were using AA, AAA, C, D, and CR123 batteries. Sitting down one day to determine how many of each I should keep on hand to provide for emergency needs was somewhat mind boggling. Historical use was meaningless because it would not be indicative of emergency use. Gave up and bought a box or two of each.

“Honey, the batteries ran down on this again!”

“No problem, I’ll grab new ones out of the drawer. What kind does it take?”

“I don’t remember.”

Sound familiar? Looking at the array of products I was using, it seemed the majority of devices were either running AA or CR123 batteries. OK, let’s consolidate. I made the final selection between these two based on the fact that, at the time, CR123’s were not as easy to get as the AA and I found no reputable sources of a rechargeable CR123. Thinking rechargeable batteries made a lot of sense if I were consolidating types, the AA became an easy choice. The choice may be a little more difficult today as sources and rechargeable options are now common for CR123s.

Decision made.

Step 1 – Identify and replace all critical devices in my supplies which were not currently set up for AA.

Step 2 – Establish decision process for future purchases where AA batteries were the initial sort unless there were pre-identified critical features that were not available with AAs.

Step 3 – Establish more substantial inventory of AA batteries, mostly Alkalines.

Step 4 – Begin building a supply of rechargeable AA batteries with a variety of charging options.

Step 5 – For key items that are not available in AA formats (cell phones) acquire quick charge options that are AA based.

The photo at the top of today’s blog entry shows my emergency weather radio, portable CB radio, a FRS/GMRS handheld radio, a variety of lights, in-line headphone amplifier, charger for my iPod, portable alarm clock and label maker. My GPS and several other devices are also set up for AAs. OK, I may have abused Step 2 a little by restating it as: “This thing uses AA batteries. Perhaps I should get it!”

Charging was originally accomplished with a basic wall plug in unit shown to the right of this photo. The other items are from Goal Zero. The key to this system is the foldable solar panel which was actually designed to hang off a back pack or similar item. Hey, it comes with rechargeable AA packs that plug right in. Better get that! In fact, this system has proven its value during my motorcycle trips as it is strapped to the tank of my BMW! It concurrently charges batteries for my phone WHILE it is powering my iPod. Very convenient. In fact, I am tempted to get a slightly more powerful panel and mount to my back case or to the top of my trailer – it really does work that well! When at home, I have laid it out on a chair and even hung it up inside a window to recharge batteries. I like this simple unit.

So I have charged batteries and a bunch of electronics – a few of which still don’t work on AA. Enter iGO adapters  I first picked up the basic set of adapters several years ago while traveling on business. I needed to charge phones, pda’s, gps, camera, etc. Instead of carrying wall and vehicle chargers for each and every device, I could carry one set with multiple tips to charge units as needed. Get a new phone or some other device? Just get a new iGO tip. Yes, that center item is a plug in power supply for any of the devices which is powered by 2 AA batteries.

Here you see my entire Goal Zero + iGO kit that powers virtually all of my electronics when traveling (still need to resolve my laptop). This combination provides an incredible amount of versatility in a very small space.

Your personal plans should include a solid look at power. Do you want a full house system? Do you want something totally transportable? There are clear pros and cons to each choice – but do make a choice. Transportability was important to me. Your needs may be different. That said, do what you can to keep it simple. Simple solutions are almost always the best in challenging times.

Take a look around the house and determine what is critical and how many power sources you are currently needing to maintain. Make an initial decision right now. Then take a couple days to think through and revisit your commitment. Just make sure you start moving in some direction very soon – the best plans are useless if not implemented.

Now we have a selection of electronics that we consider key to future needs. Perhaps I should put together a Faraday Box?