So, in the case of a power failure, what is everyones alternative source of electrictity?

This could be solar, wind, generator.... ect.

Here's a cool little way to recharge some of your favorite electronics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_JI2Rvdzqs

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-The Road Warrior

I have a solar back up however I am most likely to go with a generator. The energy delivering and the generating capacity in solar is low now when compared with generator.

Five generators........2 = 1,000 watts (two strokes) , one 1,200w, one 3,500w and one 5,000w.

My favorite one is the 1,000w two strokes because is all that I really need and one tankfull, 1.5 gallons, will last for 8.5 hours.

Once a day for one hour I'll fired up the 5,000w for the freezers, frig, hot water tank and the washer.

750 gallons of gas with preservative which I rotate.

One 1,100w solar panel with four batteries to be used for my emergency alarms and outside lights.........

For inside of the house more than what I need.

I would suggest that you buy one of the 1,000w two strokes generators for $125.00 from "HeartlandAmerica.com", you will like it.

_________________
"To be ready is not"... Ponce

"If you don't hold it, you don't own it"... Ponce

If you don't mind me asking, how much did the solar setup run?

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http://gaian.com/leadership_presence.htm
http://gaian.com/using_a_coach.htm
http://gaian.com/transformational_leadership.htm

This was back in 1998......solar panel about $650.00 and another $700.00 for the rest of it.

I bought 2 12v batteries at Wallys for $75.00 each about six months ago in order to have more power.........I keep thinking on getting two more pannels and four more 12v batteries.

Still using the original 2 six volt batteries that I bought back in 98.........I keep them indoors and check the water level every three months.

_________________
"To be ready is not"... Ponce

"If you don't hold it, you don't own it"... Ponce

I'm making up portable lights with 12volt lawn mower battery,r.v. light. If stationary use 2-6volt batteries to make 12volt,r.v. light, and use 12volt solar charger from TSC for $29.00 for inside home. Also have outside r.v. lights with insultated battery box in wood shed for light to see by to put wood in outside wood furence or cut wood if dark, also has solar charger. Wood furence heats home does all our hot water for washing dishs clothes showers baths cooking. (love our woodmaster furence).We even cook Bar-B-Que's in summer with grate from old grill,sometimes whole dinners for mywife and me. You should Always keep battery boxes with batteries locked up so children cant get to them. also Keep away from heated areas. Could use a 4 or 5 jel cell marine battery bank with a inverter to run water pump, some lights, or pump and fan on wood stove. If like mine need 3 battery banks. All have have solor chargers to help plus regular charger at each bank for when grid on to use if need. Might put one in garage to help with lights to help on elect bill. They also make small inverter to hook to autos for temporary use for small tools or to hook up a light. CAUTION always use a electriction to hook to fuse box with cut off boxes to be safe cause of fires.

We have two generators, a small 1100W honda and a large Titan 7200-8400.

We do have solar panels that are on the roof of the RV, they generate enough power for lights and a LITTLE appliance usage, but they wouldn't support the fridge.

I'm an electrical engineer, I just have to add one thing . . . safety is important.

You must sever the connection with your service before you power your panel up. The easiest way is to make sure you have a full breaker between the service and your panel. This will allow you to power up your panel and just use your own common sense about load.

We have a large house and we have 3 panels in the mechanical room. there are full disconnect breakers between each one. They are arranged this way:

Service--breaker--Panel A--breaker--Panel B--breaker--panel C

Panel C, 220 panel, this is our emergency panel. I can "break" it away from the other two and we can get by on what is in this panel with a small generator. Why is the clothes dryer on this panel?
Because, my friends, that is a good way to FEED your panel in a pinch. You can wire the generator to a dryer pigtail and plug it in there. Of course, I have a male receptacle located on the patio wired right on the other side of the wall that feeds into the same circuit so it looks better these days. That circuit feeds both sides of the panel.
1: fridge
2: freezer
3: ceiling lights, this is a single circuit with 12 circular flourescent fixtures, one in each room, two in the kitchen.
4: Coffee pot/toaster plug (gray GFI's) (also will run the microwave if we have the big generator on).
6: utility plugs, these are plugs that have GRAY receptacles placed around our house. Most rooms have one, including the pantry where there is a shelf that holds the power packs for the power tools.
7: Surge Breakered computer/TV plugs (these are orange receptacles)
8/9 Clothes Dryer
10: alarm system
11: outdoor lights
12: free breaker
13: gas furnace fan/thermostat
14: igniter circuit for the gas stove, gas oven, and gas heaters. We have a charmglow heater on the wall in each of the two larger bathrooms and downstairs on the back side of the brick fireplace (which is in the middle of the big room).
15: free breaker
16: attic fan and attic lights

Panel B contains most of the rest of the house, including the washing machine and the rest of the ceiling lights in the house that are flourescent. It also contains the bathroom fans and exhaust hood over the stove.

Panel A contains the least needed things. Electric ovens, air conditioner/heat pump, plugs around the house, little electric water heaters that are under the bathroom sinks in the far end of the house (in a pinch, you just wait for the hot water from the big gas tanks), and all the receptacles for Christmas lights, etc.

Panel A is located closest to the service, so we usually leave it ON the service and turn on the entry light so that we can tell when the power comes back on.

Panel C can be fired up alone in less than 5 minutes.
Make a quick run round and turn anything on the C panel OFF around the house.
I put gas in the generator (that has been stored with a tablespoon of oil in the gas tank). Prime 3 strokes and walk away.
Disconnect the C panel from the B panel using the breaker in between.
Plug the generator into the outdoor male plug (or the dryer receptacle if you are pinched)
Make sure the service switch is set to OFF, (so that no electricity is flowing out of the generator
Crank the generator and let it run for a few seconds to settle.
Turn the service switch to ON

My husband was at our rental property salting in the ice storm last month. I was able to fire it up and give us power and heat in literally less than 10 minutes. The hardest part was carrying the gas can out there. The Generator has its own wheels and dolly handle.

Note: We have a VERY heavy chain on the generator that goes through two BIG bolts in the patio concrete, I dutifully locked it down once I had it running. Why? About 4 years ago we had a generator stolen.

It is SOOOO important to learn how to store your generator. There are different philosophies, but I won't buy one that doesn't allow me to hand prime it and get to the spark plug easily.

DH wants to put in a big Guardian Natural Gas generator, he bought one and it's got gas to it, but he hasn't done the rest of the wiring yet. Frankly, I don't like the idea of an "automatic" generator. I don't generally like "automatic" stuff.

Sorry for the "Tome" but I thought people might be interested in the nitty gritty.

An emergency power supply designed to furnish sinusoidally varying alternating current to a load under emergency conditions is disclosed. It features a fixed phase shift between input and battery charging waveforms, and intermittent inverter operation under normal (i.e., non-emergency ) conditions.

Andy, what exactly are you trying to say?

Yep, we use good old AC for most things around these parts!

Batteries must be charged with DC current that can be achieved from AC using a rectifier or from a DC charging source, such as solar cells. Diode protection must be provided.

To produce AC from batteries, an inverter must be used to PRODUCE an alternation current (which is, of course sinusoidal, or close to it).

Your paragraph is gobbledy gook.