How to prepare for brutal summer blackouts – and find out what your energy needs are now

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Highlights taken by ZDNET

• Power outages are surprisingly common in the summer.
• Find out your energy storage needs and what you need.
• Solar panels offer grid independence and low cost.

While it’s true that winter power outages are more disruptive because it’s cold, wet, and dark, and bad weather can delay repairs, power outages are more common in the summer.

Those problems are caused by a combination of high energy demand from heavy air-conditioning use, high temperatures that cause transformers to overheat and power lines to sink, and an aging power grid built in an era when demand was low and extreme weather events were rare.

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And even if the grid doesn’t go down, utility companies can conduct Public Safety Power Shutdowns (PSPS) during severe weather conditions as a first step to prevent power equipment from starting wildfires.

And if you’re wondering, yes, it’s going to be a very hot summer, with parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona expected to reach 100°F for the first time.

This is the perfect storm for the power grid, which is why blackouts are so bad.

So, what can you do?

For me, portable power stations and solar panels have become a necessity. Of course, you can use gas generators, and while they provide high output at a low cost, I’m not a fan of these machines anymore. Gas generators smell, emit noxious fumes, require regular maintenance, and can catch fire if not treated properly.

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A box that I can connect to the grid or solar panels makes the most sense.

What do you need to run?

Having backup power to run critical loads is important. What are essential loads? For me, they fall into the following categories:

• Medical devices: One example would be a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine.
• A refrigerator: Keeping food fresh in hot weather.
• Communications: Keeping the internet router working with charged smartphones.
• Lighting: Making walking around the house safer at night.

These loads are the basics. Anything above this range is luxury.

How much energy do you need?

You may decide that bigger is better, but that approach will cost you cash, and most people don’t have an endless budget for a portable power station.

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Instead, you can analyze each device to see how much energy it uses, or you can use an online calculator like the one created by EcoFlow. You want a system that can handle your critical loads, as well as any comfort, and give yourself a little breathing room.

Another consideration is how long you want the program to run.

Digging through the available data, it seems that the average user experiences about six hours of power outages per year. This is an estimate, and major events, such as floods, wildfires, or hurricanes, may make this number much higher.

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I asked power expert Jackery to recommend the best brands of portable portable devices. His best practice includes two categories of users:

• For complete home resilience, consider modular and scalable energy systems, something where you can start small (or smaller) and build on a platform. I Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus it is designed to plug directly into household circuits and can be expanded with expandable batteries that provide up to two weeks of household power.
• For those who rent or live in apartments, it is better to focus on systems that are portable and expandable, and do not take up too much space. Something like Jackery Explorer 300 or Explorer 1000or for those who have more space, i HomePower 3000.

I’m putting together an off-grid setup that includes a Bluetti Apex 300 and a lot B300K expansion batteries and 12 kWh energy, and an Elite 400 because if I need portable power.

What about solar panels?

Power stations are ideal for connecting to the grid and storing power when the grid is operating. But solar means you can harvest energy for free to fill your system, whether the grid is up or down. This approach gives you true energy independence — for a price.

You will also need a place to put your panels, such as a garden, balcony, or roof. You can get portable, semi-portable, or fixed panels, depending on your situation.

As for how much power you can muster, a 200W solar panel it will produce between 0.8 kWh and 1.2 kWh per day (or 290 kWh and 440 kWh per year), depending on whether you are in a sunny or semi-sunny area. The average home in the US uses 30 kWh, so you’ll need more panels to cover the entire load. You will have to significantly reduce energy consumption (or spend more money on panels).

The more panels you have, the more energy you can harvest.

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My needs are modest, so I’m fine with a few 350W flexible panels and a a few solid 200W panels.

Another way to save money

Harvesting solar energy is not the only way to save money. Power stations can help you save money by allowing you to charge your power station during times when electricity is cheapest (called Time of Use, or TOU), and use that stored energy during peak price windows.

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This approach means you buy electricity when it’s cheap, put it in the bank and use it when it’s expensive.

Most modern power stations can use TOU ratings by allowing you to set when the device should be charged.

Check with your power company to see if they have TOU rates.

Your other options

Power stations are not for everyone. Maybe you don’t get enough blackouts, or you don’t mind going off the grid for a few hours, or maybe your budget doesn’t stretch to a power station and solar panels. Fear not, because you can still put some backups in place, just in case.

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Power banks are great, especially large units like Anker Solix C300carrying 288Wh power, a 300W (600W surge) AC outlet, and an emergency light (you can even get 60W solar panel for this device). I was impressed with how good the Solix C300 (and the C300 DCwith no AC output).

Otherwise, if you only have modest needs, like keeping a smartphone charged, you can have it power bank connected to the charger in continuous standby.

If you drive an electric vehicle (EV), you may be able to use that vehicle as a large power bank on wheels to power your home. The EV needs to be a vehicle-to-home (V2H) compatible vehicle, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning, Nissan Leaf, or Tesla, and needs to be equipped with a V2H power transmission system (that’s a professional job) or, at the very least, motor load converter.

Many options

There are many options — from cheap to downright cheap — to help you cut off the electricity, and they can help you save money by going solar or using cheaper rates of electricity at different times of the day.

How much power you want, and how much power you want to harvest from the sun, depends on how much you want to spend. A few hundred bucks gets you modest but portable unit suitable for emergency use, while several thousand gets you a system that will run your home for the day.