Best Solar Energy Options for Emergency Preparedness
Solar can be a great asset for emergency preparedness. It’s great for hiking, camping and especially for at home use.
If you’ve been thinking about adding some solar to your emergency preparedness supplies, then this list is for you! Use the power of the sun to keep your devices, batteries and even some lighting charged up and ready to go.
We live off grid exclusively on solar power. This post isn’t going to be about how to setup a whole home system, but we absolutely love solar. While there is some investment, the same can be said for just about anything. When it comes to continuing to supply power to certain items during an emergency, solar can be a great option. It may not be the only option, just one of the many options available.
I’m going to talk about the best options that will fit a variety of options, as well as for a variety of tasks.
If you’d like to learn more about how to do that and calculate your needs, check out this video.
Here are the best solar options for emergency preparedness:
Solar Panels
I personally own both of the above solar panels and they’ve served me well. I first bought my Goal Zero solar panel almost 10 years ago and it’s still going strong. They both come with a USB charger (or two or three) which allows you to plug in any device that has a USB device. This would include items like:
- ham radio
- battery charger
- phone
- camera
- DVD player
- USB fans
- USB lights
And anything else you might need that would be small enough and portable enough to charge via solar.
One of the best ways to use one of the above solar panels is to get a power bank, charge that, then use that power bank to charge your devices even when there’s no sun. You could also use the solar panels to charge rechargeable batteries to use later on, as well.
Solar Generators
Another great asset for a home would be a solar generator, along with some solar panels. Here are some top brands to look into. When looking at the options, be sure to look at what exactly it’s capable of charging. Solar generators are an all encompassing device that has the solar controller, inverter and batter(ies) inside of the generator. All you need is a solar panel or two (depending on how many it can handle) to charge it all up. Then, once charged, it can be used even when there’s no sun (like at night).
Don’t forget the solar panels.
Don’t forget the solar panels.
There are a lot more solar generators coming out these days, but the above two are my favorites right now. This could change in time, but they’re great options to get you started in this realm and help you power some things without any noise like a typical generator, plus, free power with the sun!
Accessories
Are you excited about solar yet?! Solar can be utilized no matter the time of year, even during the winter! While it’s true that solar power works best with direct sun, it can also work a little bit with some clouds, it just depends. During the winter times, since there’s less sun, you’ll want to be diligent about turning the panels and keeping them facing the sun at all times to get the most sunlight during the shorter time of the year.
Have fun getting involved with solar power!
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Howdy! My name is Morgan I’ve been prepping for over 10 years and teach others to be prepared for emergencies and disasters. Learn more!
