Give me power!!

[daylen]

I agree that we need to be able to survive without power, but I don't see any real benefit to ignoring it. There are loads of great things that we just couldn't do without it. There's lots wrong with our current relationship with power but I wouldn't want to throw the baby out with the bath water.

[Ferricks]

I agree that we need to be able to survive without power, but I don't see any real benefit to ignoring it. There are loads of great things that we just couldn't do without it. There's lots wrong with our current relationship with power but I wouldn't want to throw the baby out with the bath water.

I'm with you daylen - but would pick up on your comment that we need to "be ABLE to survive without power" . There lies the crux - what we have to work on as preppers are the skills that will be needed to replace the flick of a switch. Su makes a good point about turning off - for me it's important to do so sometimes so that I have the skills to make a loaf of bread or a stew in a hay box if/when it comes to it.

[tigs]

i took the plunge in february and invested quite a bit into Photovoltaic systems which was installed at the start of june , taking my home totally off grid at the moment its producing more than enough electricity for our needs , but i guess time will tell if we need to add to it or add alternative generating systems , such as wind turbine or biodiesel generator.

[lasttruebreed]

I know my partner would take bad if the power went out, but it's really my kids that would struggle to cope. For kids now a days if you mention what things were like when you were they're age they think it was the stone ages.

[bulldogeagle]

most kids these days think WW2 was back in "Ancient " times a bit like what we thought of the ancient romans!

[Dr_zoidberg]

Personally this one of the reasons I'm into prepping and the idea of going back to stone-age and having to sit in a cave gnawing on rodent bones and chipping flint and beating each other over the head with clubs is rubbish. I do like technology. Its a powerful tool. I love my laptop, smartphone, TV, video games, power tools, refrigeration. I suppose my goal is to be able to get by without grid electricity. The power grid is a temporary piece of infrastructure as is the massive communications infrastructure we rely on 24/7. A lot of people won't be able to adapt. But a world without electric sounds very dull to me. I'd like to keep some of my creature comforts.

But I just don't think that a few solar panels or a wind turbine on the chimney will cut the mustard. I might have a solar panel and battery set up. But I'd still need a modest generator to supply most of my power needs. Especially in winter.

I don't think wood is a viable source of energy long term either. I doubt it would take long for millions of people to cut down what little amount of forest the UK has left. If there's going to be a fuel source in this country post TEOTAWKI it will probably be coal. We still have at least a 250 year supply of the stuff. If we can't import anything then it will suddenly become economical to exploit it again.

I've wondered whether I could build myself a steam engine powered by coal to run a generator instead of relying on oil. Back in the 70's my mother lived in a house which had coal fired central heating as opposed to gas. And I am fortunate in that the house I live in has an open fire place and we don't rely on any electrical heating and i could probably reinstate the fireplaces in at least 3 other rooms. And we do have a reasonable coal bunker.