DIY Power Supply A Must

     It's been over a week now since power outages hit the Eastern coast, due to damages done by terrible storms.   Is it any wonder that so many people have now considered rebuilding with the addition of solar panels and purchasing small, portable generators for future emergency.

     Here are just a few numbers -

-  About 2.1 million homes and businesses from Illinois to New Jersey were still without power, with the biggest concentration in the Washington area.
- About 93,000 Commonwealth Edison customers in northeastern Illinois were without power from powerful storms that brought wind gusts of up to 90 mph.
- Utilities in Ohio, Virginia and Maryland described damage to their power grids as catastrophic.
- First Energy utilities in states from Ohio to New Jersey had about 252,000 customers without power.
- Pepco, which serves Washington and much of its suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, reported about 229,000 customers without power.
- Baltimore Gas & Electric said about 213,000 customers remained affected. Almost 1,200 utility workers from 12 states and Canada are helping restore power or are on their way to central Maryland, the company said.

Can you imagine the impact that this is having on households?  Especially those with occupants who rely on medical equipment?  Alternative power has gone beyond a 'trendy thing' to have and become a 'must have thing' for anyone living in an area that could be effected by this type of disaster in the future. Well - guess that includes about everybody.

Check out what we have found.  

     The best generator that we have found is UST GG1200  1,200 Watt 2.4 HP  79.55 cc  4-stroke OHV.  This generator is small, light weight and totally portable.  A house could run their refrigerator and several fans for days with just a few gallons of gas.  This would be a life saver consider the cost of replacing all the food and the possible cost of living in a hotel because of the intense heat that accompanies the storms.   Plus, you can run a other items such as a chain saw from this.  The unfortunate storm results could be made just a little better with a few extra dollars spent.

     Small solar panels such as the DM 145 watt Polycrystalline Solar Panel, may not be able to run the entire house when a power outage occurs but it sure can help out with the 'small stuff' which turn into big stuff when you have absolutely no power.  A small bank of panels may be worth considering for more effectiveness.

     Take time to research generators and the DIY solar panel kits.  Don't wait for tragedy to hit or when there is a shortage to start getting prepared for the unknown.  When things get tough you will be glad you did that, and took action.