Electronics & Power

Responsible for Repair & Maintenance of electronic equipment.
Setting up & Maintaining Power & Fuel Supplies inc tapping into electricity where possible
Solar, Wind, Gas, Pedal etc.
Estimation of consumption to prevent overloads & outages, and ensuring sufficient supplies available.

Prepping for Power Outages

A power outage not only has an effect on electricity and gas supplies but on water supplies as they are pumped from the water reservoirs via electricity.

Things to store in readiness:

Batteries of various sizes
Torches (you’ll need the batteries!)
Candles
Matches/lighters/spark making tool

Water filter

Purifying water tables
Water-storage bowser/barrel
Outside water-butt
Knowledge of local water supplies such as springs
Log burner for heat, possibly cooking
Camping gas stove and gas bottles
Rocket stove* (burns wood to power) for cooking/heat
BBQ (disposable ones are good)
Tin foil (can be used to make a solar cooker*)
Solar Panels*
Large power station* (goes with solar panels but can be charged from the mains)
Tools such a saw, axe, spade, cutters/clippers, sharp scissors

*See further posts on these for more detail.

Further Information on Ideas for Power Outages

Rocket stove* (burns wood to power) for cooking/heat
This has to be one of the simplest methods of cooking food which gives out heat (the simplest of all being an open fire, of course!). You can either make one of these yourself or you can buy one cheaply. They cost around £18 and upwards, depending on how sophisticated you want them to be.
This is what a rocket stove looks like (this is one you can buy):

But, as I said, you can make one and there are many versions which can be found on the internet. Here are some examples (basically you need some old tin cans and a method of cutting them to fit them together):

At our home, we have a rocket stove and, when we used it, the heat output was phenomenal! It burned for ages and we had no problem cooking a meal.

Solar Cooker (uses the sun to cook)
Obviously, this type of cooker is no good in the winter months, but on a sunny summer’s day, it works well. Generally this is something you can easily make, although you can buy these.

Here are some examples:

So you can see why the tin foil is useful. The idea of this type of cooking is that you prepare a meal in a pot and allow the sun to cook it over several hours, moving the box around to where the sun is during the day. It is a slow cook method.

Solar Panels

This is a big topic and I will not go into a large amount of information on this. I suggest that what you need is a foldable or easily stored panel which can be put out into the sunshine when the sun is good and warm/bright. Some panels claim to work in cloudy situations but from experience this type of weather may not generate much power. Also from experience, when the sun is shining brightly on a cloudless, hot day, the solar panels work at their best. If you live in England, bear these things in mind.
Here are some examples of portable solar panels:

Large power station (goes with solar panels but can be charged from the mains)
There are many different versions of these large batteries. Some are very large and very heavy!
Here I will review two:

BEAUDENS Portable Power Station 166Wh/52000mAh Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Solar Generator, 2000 Cycles, 230V AC and 3 USB Ports, for Outdoors Camping Travel Fishing Emergency Power Supply Backup

This is an affordable version at £160. It has 150 watts and 230 volts, powering your smartphone, tablet, laptop, camera, light, drones, fans, in-car appliances, CPAP machine and other small appliances. If these are the things that you would wish to power up in a power outage, then this is the version for you.

But if you wish to have more power possibilities in a power disrupted world, you may wish to invest in this much more expensive model:

ECOFLOW DELTA Portable Power Station, UPS Power Supply 1260Wh Battery Pack with 4 1800W (3300W Surge) AC Outlets, Solar Generator for Outdoor Camping Travel, Emergency, RV

This really is a pricey bit of kit, but when you have finished rubbing your eyes in disbelief, you will learn that its power allows you to do much more than the version above. So it comes in at an eye watering £1300. But what do you get for it?

1260Wh Capacity & 1800W Pure Sine wave AC Power Surge to 3300W

Recharge from 0-80% in 1 hour & Universal Solar Input up to 400W

It can power most home appliances and heavy-duty DIY tools under 1800W (3300W Surge, PURE SINE WAVE): like TV, Fridge, Coffee Machine, Microwave Oven, CPAP, Drill and Saw. With 1260Wh capacity, EFDELTA portable power station can be truly a backup generator that keeps the lights, fridges running for hours.

Petrol Generator (will only work with E5 petrol)

Prices for this type of generator have gone down, I suspect this is because they can now only be used with premium (E5) petrol. This particular generator is owned by a group member and this is what they have told me about it:

This is the generator that we have but it is petrol run. Unfortunately diesel ones are really expensive. Ours was around £400 (the price currently is £270). It is quite noisy.

More details: Nassboards Instant Power Portable Suitcase Inverter Petrol Generator 4 Stroke 4HP 1200W 12V 230V – Pure Sine Wave - Includes 0.5L Bottle of 10W-30 Oil, Spark Plug Removal Tool, DC Charging Wires HUGE CAPACITY:

The Instant Power Generator provides 230V AC power and a max output of 1200w, enabling you access to a reliable power source when you need it most. It’s a must have accessory for camping, caravans, outdoor events, sporting events, boats, power tools, weddings, fishing, hunting, construction, in case of emergencies, and so many more uses.

It’s there for you when you need it most, providing a perfect back up to domestic power in case of power cuts during severe weather and storms