Category: Power Grid

Run Silent Run Deep: Generators for SHTF

The idea of having a generator for T-SHTF is not a new one, I probably wrote my first article about them almost 10 years ago.  Yet as technology changes the way we approach using generators should change.  We now have generators that can run on dual fuel (gasoline / propane), very powerful inverter generators that …

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What I Just Learned About My “Backup” Landline

Like many of you I try to have redundancy built into many of my systems / preps.  Take communication for example, my primary unit would be my cell phone with the alternate course of action being the land line.  The thought process behind this being that if cell towers were out due to an outage …

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Power Outage: Managing Watt Usage With CFL / LED Bulbs

In my home we have been transitioning from incandescent bulbs to CFL and LED bulbs, as it stands now we are about 50% complete.  While we could do it all at one shot these suckers are expensive!  However if you consider the true benefits (especially over time) they are well worth the one time cost.  Additionally …

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Assessing Your Off-Grid Power Needs

Realistically, most of us are not ready to take the plunge of going off grid where power is concerned. We don’t know how to live without it, we use too much of it, and we don’t have any idea what is actually using how much electricity. If you are considering going off-grid temporarily or permanently …

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3 Critical Steps to Maintaining Your Generator

By Clayton. When it comes to survival, it’s no secret that energy is the name of the game. In the most basic sense, you need calories (a unit of energy) in order to live; in a more complicated situation, you may need wattage to power your home’s most valued utilities. Some hardline survivalists may overlook …

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When The Lights Go Out

There’s been lots of chatter lately about a long term grid down crisis which could hit the US.  This chatter hasn’t been relegated exclusively to alternative news sites, it’s obvious the topic has gotten some traction when a former DHS Secretary speaks about the US’s vulnerability.  This coupled with a massive Grid Down Exercise is being …

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Prepper WAKE UP CALL!

Two weeks ago a massive solar flare, one capable of causing widespread disaster and sending many of us back to the stone age, barely missed our planet.  How many of you knew about this event before today? The earth barely missed taking a massive solar punch in the teeth two weeks ago, an “electromagnetic pulse” …

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7 actions to take immediately following an EMP strike

The threat of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) strike on this country is a very well documented one, I have written about the threat in the past and have used information from the EMP Commission report which was published in 2004 in several of my articles.  Most recently I read an article published over on the …

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The EMP threat, Microwave Ovens and Faraday Cages.

If you’ve read the book One Second After by William R. Forstchen you know all too well just how devastating an EMP attack would be if carried out on the continental United States.  Mass chaos, horrific violence, millions of deaths and years to recover are just some of the hardships the book describes in vivid detail …

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5 reasons why you shouldn’t count on a generator when T-SHTF.

Generators are great for short term power outages.  They are relatively cheap and can be sourced from most home improvement stores.  If the grid goes down for a few days after a major storm generators help to keep the food in the fridge from spoiling, keep the sump pump running and make sure a few …

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National Research Council: Electric Power Grid ‘Inherently Vulnerable’ to Terrorist Attacks

I recently wrote about the vulnerabilities of our national power grid and referred to it as our nation’s Achilles’ Heel.  Personally I feel this is one of the largest threats that we face as a nation, even more so than traditional terrorist attacks. We recently witnessed the chaos that erupted after Hurricane Sandy knocked out power …

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Cyber expert on smart grid: massive vulnerability, who’s accountable?

In addition to the article I just posted about the vulnerability of our power grid, I thought to post this video which echoes similar warnings. As we modernize our grid system and tie it into the Internet we simultaneously leave the door open to hackers. I’m sure you’ve seen those commercials where happy people turn …

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The Power Grid: Our Achilles’ Heel

You come home from a long day at work and hit the garage door button inside your car, the door opens and you pull inside.  You step inside your home, disarm your alarm and flip a few switches on the wall, the lights come on.  Opening the refrigerator door you reach inside to grab a …

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