Welcome to our series answering reader questions and concerns about how to cut the utility-company cord. If you find yourself in a long-term power outage, consider a battery-powered generator for home to keep phones charged and a few lights on.
Battery-Powered Generator for Home
I’d like to prepare myself for a prolonged power outage. What emergency 12-volt system do you recommend that would have enough output to power three LED lights and a radio while charging two cellphones? (I’d like a system compact enough to store in an EMP-proof container.)
–Paul
I don’t often work with 12-volt systems, but I can appreciate that everything you’d need to build one could be procured at your local auto-parts store. A much better and safer solution is purchasing one of the portable, battery-powered generators on the market. Several quality brands offer these systems, but I’ve had good experiences using the “Genny” produced by SimpliPHI, a brand of Briggs & Stratton (and a vendor for my company, TeraVolt Energy). SimpliPHI is an innovator in U.S.-made lithium-ion batteries. The company started out working with movie producers who needed a way to keep their cameras rolling while shooting in remote locations. Over time, and after quite a lot of improvements, it went on to supply the military with its system.
Today, Briggs & Stratton, under the SimpliPHI brand, makes a range of batteries, from compact systems useful for the purpose you describe to high-voltage, utility-scale energy-storage systems. After years of trying out various systems of all types, the SimpliPHI Genny is my choice for a dependable emergency power source in a homestead situation. They’re not cheap systems – but I want something of quality that will reliably keep working in times of long-term power outages. The Genny comes in two sizes: a 12-pound, 1-foot-wide “Little Genny” that can power a single LED or a radio for 30 hours and charge a cellphone for nearly 50 hours; or the “Big Genny,” which, at 43 pounds and nearly 2 feet wide, can power your LED, radio, and cellphones for four days or longer. Both systems operate on 12 volts DC input.
Capacity figures for what you can expect from the Genny (and possibly other brands) are listed in the table to the left.
I don’t know if the Genny will work for you, but I enjoy that both systems come in “Expeditionary” versions that include fold-out solar panels. All versions can be charged from the grid and from portable generators. And while you’re waiting for the next natural disaster, you can use the Genny for camping. They’re among the safest and most dependable batteries I’ve found.
I also made an electromagnetic pulse (EMP)-proof container for storing my system. You’ll know that an EMP is a short (but intense) burst of electromagnetic energy that can damage electrical devices – and be triggered by natural events, such as a lightning strike, which often accompany a power outage. Good luck making your choice.
Send Us Your Power-Full Questions
We’ll do our best to answer your questions on energy subjects in upcoming issues. Email them to Letters@MotherEarthNews.com with “Energy Q&A” in the subject line.
May all your days be filled with sunshine – even when it rains!
Hoss Boyd is founder, president, and CEO of TeraVolt Energy and a recognized solar and energy-storage expert.