Power outages - ready?

#1

BBC News - Lebanon left without power as grid shuts down

I’ve known about the sad story in Lebanon for a few years, politics isn’t working.

It does keep in my mind power outages for me and family.

I don’t particularly invest in solving it, I didnt invest in a generator, I only keep Powercore total 100Ah and Bolder LC40 LC90 LC130 maintained charged, and 40W solar if it’s longer than a few days.

I keep a freezer in the coldest part of property and camping fuel and stove (*)

It wouldn’t take much more than say two weeks before it gets difficult for me.

Anyone here got a fuller system ready?

UK has nothing remotely as bad as Lebanon but it does help enunciate how things can get bad. I nearly completely eradicated driving, mostly biking now, and insulated the house so don’t need heating. I’m thinking of solar but all the information tells me to wait.

    • I may buy another litre of Alcohol for the camping stove, it’s one of the safest fuels and cheap. My stove was new in 1983.
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Anker 625 Solar Panel
#2

After the El Niño several years back and several power outages after that, I did invest in a generator about a yr n half ago to provide power to the fridge n or one or two things.

A power max for cell phones or wifi

A gas grill n one or two other things of needed.

I will say the one thing that I love that we have is the 3 solar light lamp post my father in law has made for us to walk up the walkway. We have about 18 lamps to pull off the post and place them in the house for light after dark. We replace in the morning to recharge as we use the next ones the next night.

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#3

Here in Germany all nuclear power plants will be taken from the net by and by.
All should be “green” ( wind turbines).
But no wind no power.
If surplus energy how can it be stored? -> Anker powerbanks!!!:smiley:

And of course all cars should be “green” e-cars.
Who is finding the error?

Not to forget if there is no electricity, there is no gas heating (water pump!)
and no “green” heat pump.
I have wood and a tile stove! :joy:

By the way the price for natural gas will increase enormously this winter.

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#4

While what you say is true, it’s a different issue in Lebanon.

Correct, taking Nuclear stations off and not building new ones, combined with renewables which rely on wind, is just going to cause power outages.

If you suffer outages often enough you do adapt.

Storage is critical to handle the peaks.

I could probably handle power off half the day, comes on to chill the fridge and recharge whatever is plugged in.

The AAA battery stick on Eufy lights are handy for winter.

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#5

We all here know the “green” solution In Germany if there is a “bottleneck” ->
Import of the demonized “dirty” nuclear electricity from France, Czechoslovakia etc…

No more comments!
Those will be political ones! :shushing_face:

#6

UK feels like it would be beholding, need to do the bidding of, foreign powers if getting power from outside, so the plan is more local renewable and attack down demand. But the point you make is valid, what happens when the nuclear stations isn’t there/functional and it’s not windy or sunny.

We have to move to assuming power outages. Plan accordingly. Every technology decision I have made last few years is assuming that.

I do periodically check out electric cars, it’s been the same “product will improve” reason to not buy for years. They do however store energy and I’ve seen them also be considered to power the house from their store.

6 Powercore in the house. 2 20000, 3 10000, 1 26800.

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#7

We were talking about batteries in the last regarding e-cars.
There is still no satisfying solution ->
charging time, reach, weight, durability.

And not to forget the production of such an e-car is much more
environmentally unfriendly than that of a normal car.

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#8

I looked into the cost this last week of a e-car. Makes no economic or logistics sense yet. We do so little driving now it’s cheaper to have an old car with a full tank waiting on the drive.

Doesn’t mean we’re immune, any of us, from issues as we implicitly rely on others who have needs.

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#9

Same here in München.
We got a “pensioner’s ticket” for the public transport
which can be shared.
If we act in a simple logistical way, its very easy and there are no conflicts! :laughing:
Rest can be done easily by bike.

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#10

If your electricity went out for say a week, what would you do? I know you have wood for tile stove, and we all (don’t we ???) have Powercore, but your old ThinkPad would stop working so you move to your tablet?

Candles, read books, walk and talk with neighbours? Sound kind of idyllic although I’m sure it wouldn’t be for many.

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#11

As a neanderthalean I would find a solution.
I got powerbanks a tablet, no phone.
Of course there are some candles in the house and there is a spirit stove
and a huge bottle of spirit in the basement.
Would be hard in summer all my handmade “Ködel” in the freezer would have to be eaten immediately!
But I could share with neighbors, thats true!

But what would happen to all supermarkets?
No more cash decks, no more credit cards.
And the fuel stations?
No power for the pumps no fuel.

But what I really would miss : No music!
There is a piano in the basement, but “out of tune”.
I could try to play a little! :joy:

OK lets become “true peppers” :smile:

#12

I could handle 2 weeks easily, eat the fridge contents then eat the freezer contents working top down as it defrosts, then dried then tinned.

But I only have a week of water and if the power out the water pumps out also so…

Have a local stream but I’d have to boil water to make safe.

Only way I could handle more than 2 weeks is make a large investment. Dig a well, store more.

Of course if this was a real or frequent issue I’d do the investment.

Makes me have sympathy for the people in Lebanon now.

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#13

Oh yes water.
Better beer!
I have to store more!:rofl:

Prost!

#14

Lol that would NEVER work here in the US :joy:

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#15

USA has its own issues, the free speech without responsibility means anyone can say a false thing. Hence “news” channels are little news lots of opinions.

Add the internet where those who have harmful intent can hide, and finding topics to divide a nation which otherwise would unite against those intent of harm.

Today’s Lebanon can be tomorrow’s USA. All too easily. I do wonder if a nearby country with oil has caused a problem it’s liberation army can help protect.

So be kind, consume the least you need so resources are available to those with no option, and keep a few Powercore, works for floods fire outages etc.

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#16

Haha.
Who can tell you what is a false thing?
For some its false for others its true!
Usual Politics argument this way
Always the others are false.

How can I discuss with someone who is absolutely sure
he is right and I am wrong?
No chance.

#17

People can disagree over opinions not fact. To make something up and claim a fact is wrong, to hear someone say something they made up, assume it is true as it aligns with your beliefs, without checking, is part of the problem.

Anyhow, I’ve seen on Twitter that carrots are going around murdering people. Loads of retweets so must be true.

I’m off to capture some carrots and question them.

However, I also heard the UK has to slaughter pigs as a shortage of labour to properly butcher them, so while murderous carrots is obviously true, I fact checked it. Seems the real story is China has a pig infection last year, culled local Chinese pigs and ordered more from Europe. Production of pigs is 11% higher than this time last year then cancelled orders forfeiting deposits, i.e. a supply driven excess. However, the news is saying shortage of workers, it’s the same amount of workers as last year. So a false narrative. I checked it, I didn’t assume news is valid.

If you think something is important, important that you think. But those carrots are in for hell!

#18

I found these murderers.
There is is the most dangerous one.
But I know you will not believe! :smiley:

murderer
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#19

I found these murderers.
There is is the most dangerous one.
But I know you will not believe! :smiley:

murderer
murderer.JPG4593×3218 575 KB

Today all these ones escaped from their dark prison.

#20

I am sure if I search far enough I’ll find a story about deadly asparagus too.

A conclusion is always able to find its own facts.

Lebanon, it is complex, I only know a corner of the issue. The issue is that last year a global shutdown dropped supply of difficult to staff energy sources, then demand went up and there is a lag until supply catches up. Compounded with an unusually cold winter in some rich countries drained energy stores, particularly gas which can be store, but also LPG. As energy is key to manufacturing, the big manufacturing countries, like China have been buying up resources, so the poorer countries were caught short. Add that political based negotiations means some countries are being punished. Politics.

While you cannot realisitically alter politics, you may even be fighting for a false cause as you believed something made up, you can protect yourself locally. Buy a Powercore if not already.