Prepping and survival have changed quite a bit over the years. We have gotten to the point that electricity is almost as important as any other survival tool. So much of our gear requires a charge to operate. I have always had the mindset that survival gear should be able to function without the grid, but this has gotten harder and harder. If you find yourself lost in the woods or if you are stuck in your home for a blizzard, having power may not be an option.
Over the last few years, I have seen several instances in which power was knocked out due to hurricanes, heat waves, earthquakes, snowstorms, tornadoes, and wildfires. In some cases, the power was out for days. In others, it was out for over a year. I know people in Puerto Rico that lived for 14 months on a generator. There are people right here in our town that went a week without power last winter when the ice took out the lines.
There is also the potential for our power grid to be compromised by domestic or foreign hackers or terrorists. Our grid could be hacked or could be shut down by an EMP or similar device. Just recently we saw how foreign hackers can affect our country with the pipeline fiasco on the East Coast. When the grid is down, having solar power options can keep some or all of your devices functional. In this article, we will discuss why solar systems and devices should be considered for your survival plan on some level.
Can’t We Go Without?
The big issue with society today is that we have allowed our most basic survival needs to be dictated by the grid. Most of the United States relies on utilities for gas, electricity, and water. This means your ability to cook food, get drinking water, light your home, preserve food, and stay warm are all controlled by the grid. Sure the best of us have the means and resources to live without power, but life is much easier if you have it.
Power in the wilderness can give you light with a headlamp or lantern. It can power a radio for communication and can keep your phone charged in case you have a signal. If you have a portable solar power system, you can power these devices even when bugging out. If you have a solar setup at home, you can power some or all of the devices that make life easier. For prepared survivalists, it almost feels like a convenience. However, any risks we can eliminate make overall survival easier. Having power stabilizes some of your most vital needs.
However, we really need to think about the overall population. Anyone of any survival skill level could be reading this and wanting to become more prepared. Recent studies have shown that roughly 90% of the US population would not survive the first year of a large-scale grid shutdown. That powerful figure shows us that most people cannot go without power.
Off-Grid Options
If you want to be prepared for a grid shutdown at your home, you really have two potential options. The option that has been used for nearly a century is a fuel-run generator. Up until the last 20 years or so, this has been the only option for off-grid power. There are downsides to this option. We know that eventually generators run out of fuel, and we do not know how readily we will have access to fuel after a grid shutdown. I know people on the East Coast that have been without gas for two weeks because of a gas shortage.
Most people with generators only have enough fuel for a few days unless they already use it on a regular basis. You also must remember that generators are loud. If things get really bad, you probably don’t want anyone else to know that you have a generator. This is a dead giveaway that you are prepared and probably have supplies to steal.
The option that has become more and more popular is a solar power system for your home. For years I have urged people to convert to solar power when it is feasible. We had a large solar setup on the roof of a company I worked with, and I got to see how valuable it can be. We tried to get a system for our current home, but there are just too many trees. By having a solar setup at home, you are supplying the power for yourself unless your system runs out of juice. If you do not have a power bank of some kind, you would not have power at night or during bad storms. If you are also hooked up to the grid or a power bank, you can use a little juice when your solar setup shuts down.
The obvious advantage to a solar setup is that you don’t need any fuel. This is really ideal in a SHTF scenario. It does cost quite a bit to get a system installed. However, you can save a great deal of cash by installing the system yourself. There are also government grants to help cover the cost of installation. You typically save so much on utility bills that you pay for your system in just a few years.
Solar Options on the Go
If you want to go solar but don’t want any permanent installation on your home, you do have portable solar setups available. These are great because they can be moved to the spot with the most direct sunlight to maximize charging speed. They also can be loaded into a vehicle or into a pack so you can generate power in the wilderness.
You can use really large folding solar panels that are ideal for home or for wilderness camps where you will stay put for several days. These can sometimes generate just as much power as a permanent system. You can also buy smaller folding panel setups that can be rigged on the outside of your pack. This will allow you to charge a battery or other device while you hike. Both of these options do a great job of charging as long as you have no trees overhead and lots of direct sunlight. Cloudy days and dense forests are not your friends.
There are also pocket-sized battery packs with solar panels built into one side. The idea behind this device is good, but the math just doesn’t work well. The power pack is great as it is small, light, and can charge my phone or any other device that needs some juice. We actually own about half a dozen of those little power packs.
The solar panels themselves are just not large enough on a pocket-sized device. A solar panel that is just a couple feet across can produce about 100 times the power of one that is just a couple inches across. I bought one of these a few years ago and just use it for the battery. The solar panel only gets about a 20% charge after being out in the sun all day. Part of the problem is likely that I hike in all conditions and levels of cover. This makes it tough for any solar setup to perform.
As you can see, there are plenty of survival advantages to having solar as part of your survival plan. You really should consider some way to keep the power going if the grid ever does shut down in your neck of the woods. A permanent setup can give you independence and can save you a good amount of money on utility bills. There is no need to worry about the grid with a setup like this. You can also consider those portable systems to give you power in the wilderness. As is will all of our survival gear, just do your research and find one that is going to be worth the money.