# Solar and/or wind generators



## popcorn590 (Aug 29, 2010)

Okay All,
After the Faraday Cage forum and getting all the good advice, I now have another question. 
I am looking into getting a plug and play Solar and/or wind generator just in case there is a CME Carrington type event, or a Cyber Attack on our power grid.
I know very little about the off the grid and fuel generators today. I see you can purchase 1800 watt solar or wind generators for just about $2000.00 each. I realize since I ran a camping lot with a 4000 watt gas generator, that an 1800 watt can not really supply major needs. What does anyone know about the cost of a 3800 to 4000 watt solar and/or wind generator? Would it be better to get an 1800 watt solar and an 1800 watt wind generator, then get extra solar panels and run parrelles lines to both from the solar pannels, along with parrallel lines from the wind turbine, with more batteries to be charges, then use one of the 1800 watt gens. for larger items that take a load to start, and use the other 1800 watt gens. for lights, tv, dvd, stereo, etc. 
Is it better to go plug and play instead of piecing a generator together, for the type of emergency long term back up I am talking about? 
In a real emergency we all know that any electricity will be a benefit, and that unless one has $15,000.00 or more very few of us can afford to run our entire house the way we used to.
Please any advice would be very useful. I will be getting one soon if any of you feel what I have mentioned above would be a good idea. Ohhh, these generators would not be used unless we have that emegency I talked about. They will be Faraday Cage protected, and all damagable parts would be in the basement with Faraday protections.


----------



## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I would suggest running a combination-system with both wind and solar generating capabilities and to have run them and tested them in all conditions. You wouldn't want to be putting up a solar system in the middle of an event and find out that you don't have enough brackets to make it work, or don't have enough wire, or find that the charge-controller came out of the factory already bad, if you know what I mean. Install and run - use the equipment to lower your current power consumption bills - take that saved money to put into an ever expanding system and use it for your "storage" power.

When you are describing the 1800 watt system, is that 1800 watt of AC-power generated or of DC-power? As DC power, that is decent power that can be used easily to run lights and fans and such. If that is AC-power, then you will find quickly that it isn't enough like you said. 1800 watt (peak) would just run your fridge as it stands ... it wouldn't be enough to give you "normal" life.


----------

