Articles · Topic
Articles about Solar
47 articles across 4 sections
Section
Self-Reliance
Energy Independence and Home Power
Domain hub for home energy self-reliance. Two tracks: building permanent energy independence (solar, wood heat, propane, battery systems) and responding when the power goes out (generators, emergency lighting, heating and cooling during outages).
Electric Vehicle Preparedness
The honest EV preparedness guide. Strengths (home charging, low maintenance, V2H/V2L power) and vulnerabilities (grid dependence, charging fragility, range under stress). The 50% charge habit, vehicle-to-home power from F-150 Lightning and Ioniq 5, charging network planning, and the honest scenario trade-offs between EV and gas vehicles.
Powering Your Radios When the Grid Is Not
How long handhelds, weather radios, and 50-watt bases run on batteries, what to stock, how to size a 12-volt LiFePO4 battery or power station, and how to recharge from solar or a vehicle safely.
200W Solar Panel + Power Station: Plug-and-Play Setup Guide
A plug-and-play 200W solar setup with a foldable panel and power station. Apartment-friendly, no permits, no installation. Honest costs and what it really runs.
Battery Banks for Off-Grid Solar
How days of autonomy translate into bank capacity, why usable energy sits well below nameplate capacity, and how lithium and lead-acid reach the same usable figure at very different sizes. Includes the cold-weather charging limit that quietly damages lithium banks.
Charge Controllers and Inverters for Off-Grid Solar
Where array output becomes usable power. Sizing a controller from array watts and bus voltage, why MPPT recovers energy that PWM discards, the cold-morning voltage that sets a controller's rating, and the surge behaviour that decides whether a well pump starts.
Cooking
Turning stores into meals. Bread baking, fire and hearth cooking, cast iron, meal planning, and the cooking knowledge that makes a working pantry worth building.
Generating Your Own Power
Track 3 of the Energy domain. Continuous power generation at property scale across six areas: solar, micro-hydro, wind, biomass and heat conversion, continuous-duty engines, and site-specific sources. Written for a property that intends to produce its own electricity as normal operation rather than for a household sizing backup.
Ground Mount, Roof Mount and Tracking
Choosing between roof mount, ground mount and tracking for a property array. Tilt and azimuth, the winter bias that favours December over annual yield, snow shedding and airflow, and why adding panels usually beats adding moving parts.
Portable Solar Panels (60-200W): Pairing Panels with Power Stations
How to choose a portable solar panel in the 60 to 200 watt range, pair it with a power station, and get real results for camping, outages, and off-grid power.
Rooftop Solar Primer
What to understand before calling a solar installer. System types, battery backup, sizing, incentives, and the questions worth asking every quote you receive.
Sizing a Solar Array for a Property
Sizing an off-grid array from the ground up: daily watt-hours, the standing draw that inverters and controllers pull around the clock, worst-month peak sun hours rather than an annual average, and stacked system losses. The arithmetic is shown end to end on a single property.
Solar & Battery Setup, Support, Skills
Small solar charging system setup, the four components, wiring and fusing, charge controller configuration, battery types and state of charge, and the utility-connected systems that always require an
Solar at Property Scale
The Solar track of the property-scale Generation section. Seven guides covering what changes when an array has to carry a whole property rather than supplement a house: worst-month sizing, storage measured in days, mounting, code, and winter. One worked example runs through all seven.
Solar Basics for Power Outages
What small solar can actually do during a power outage, and what it cannot. From a $30 phone charger through portable panel-and-battery systems.
Solar Battery Systems: How to Size and Pair Panels with Power Stations
How to size a portable solar-and-battery system: the energy budget math, panel-station pairing, day and night cycles, and when to scale up.
Solar Lights for Emergency Preparedness: Lighting That Recharges Itself
Solar-powered lighting for power outages and off-grid use. Path lights brought indoors, portable solar lanterns, and solar shed lights. Zero battery cost, indefinite runtime.
Solar Power Banks: What the Built-In Panel Actually Delivers
How much power a solar power bank built-in panel really produces, when one is worth buying, and when a separate panel and power bank is the better choice.
Solar Through Winter
Cold weather helps panels and hurts everything else. Short days and low sun angles, snow cover and shedding, the charge cutoffs that take a cold bank offline, and the compound run of grey days an off-grid property has to survive on storage alone.
USB Solar Chargers: The Definitive Guide to Foldable Solar Panels
How foldable USB solar chargers actually work, what each wattage tier delivers in real sun, and how to choose and use one for outages, camping, and everyday backup.
Well Water Preparedness: Solving the Power Dependence Problem
43 million American households lose water when the power goes out. Generator sizing, hand pump backup, solar options, annual testing, and shock chlorination for well owners.
When Household Solar Stops Being Enough
How to tell whether a household has genuinely outgrown its solar system, the cheaper corrections worth trying first, and what property-scale generation actually asks in money, space and maintenance. Includes the case for staying where you are.
Wiring, Disconnects and Code
What an off-grid system demands electrically and why the work is licensed. DC arc behaviour, battery fault current and interrupting ratings, voltage drop, disconnects, and the permit and inspection path. Explains the requirements without publishing conductor sizing or installation procedure.
Zoning and Land Use: What Your Property Actually Allows
How to read zoning code, what residential zones permit by right vs conditionally, and how to navigate approvals for chickens, ADUs, solar, composting, and home businesses.
Section
Preparedness
Balcony Solar and Portable Solar for Renters
What a renter can realistically generate with portable solar panels. Foldable panels, balcony and window placement, charge times, power station compat
Solar Flare & Geomagnetic Storm Preparedness: Grid Failure & EMP Risk
A major geomagnetic storm can damage power grid infrastructure and disable electronics across entire regions. Learn what a Carrington-class event would mean today and how to prepare your household.
Section
Gear and Buying Guides
Anker SOLIX PS100 100W Review
The Anker SOLIX PS100 is a 100-watt foldable solar panel with a four-position adjustable kickstand and IP67 waterproofing. Here is what it actually produces, where the kickstand matters, and who shoul
Best Portable Power Station for Emergencies (2026)
Jackery 300 Plus, EcoFlow Delta 2, and Bluetti AC200L compared on usable capacity, LFP chemistry, recharge speed, and what they can actually power in an outage.
BigBlue 28W USB Solar Charger Review
The BigBlue 28W is the USB solar charger most worth owning. Here is what field testing and thousands of owners confirm, what it actually delivers in real sunlight, and who should buy something else.
BigBlue SolarPowa P25 25W Solar Charger Review
The BigBlue SolarPowa P25 is a pocket-sized 25W USB solar panel that weighs under a pound. Here is what it actually delivers, where it fits in a preparedness plan, and who should get the bigger panel instead.
BLAVOR PN-W12 Solar Power Bank Review, New World Survival
Honest review of the BLAVOR PN-W12 20,000mAh solar power bank. What the solar panel actually delivers, what owners report after months of use, and whether it belongs in your emergency kit.
BLUETTI PV200 200W Review
The BLUETTI PV200 is a 200-watt foldable solar panel with MC4 connectors that work with nearly any power station. Here is what it actually produces, how its parallel wiring handles shade, and who shou
DOKIO 160W Portable Foldable Solar Panel Review
The DOKIO 160W foldable solar panel weighs 9 pounds and delivers 98 to 105 real watts in direct sun. At roughly $80 to $130, it offers the best watts-per-dollar in our portable solar review set.
EcoFlow 220W Bifacial Portable Solar Panel Review
The EcoFlow 220W Bifacial solar panel generates power from both sides, pulling 190 to 200 watts from direct sun on the front and adding 5 to 25 percent more from reflected light on the back. It is the
Energy Books
The best books for household energy resilience, backup power, home systems, and keeping small gas equipment running. Buy a copy, or find it at your local library.
Feeke 36,800mAh Solar Power Bank Review, New World Survival
Honest review of the Feeke 36,800mAh solar power bank. At 280 grams, the claimed capacity is physically impossible. What it actually delivers, what the weight tells you, and who should pass.
FlexSolar 20W USB Solar Charger Review
The FlexSolar 20W is the lightest and cheapest USB solar panel worth considering. Here is what it delivers, what its PET surface means for longevity, and who needs more panel.
FlexSolar E40 40W Solar Charger Review
The FlexSolar E40 produced the highest energy output per ounce of any panel in independent testing. Here is what 40 watts, a DC port, and USB-C PD actually deliver, and who should get a smaller panel instead.
Hiluckey T11W 25,000mAh Solar Charger Review, New World Survival
Honest review of the Hiluckey 25,000mAh solar charger with four folding panels. The only solar power bank where the solar actually matters. What it delivers, what it weighs, and whether it belongs in
Jackery SolarSaga 100W Review
The Jackery SolarSaga 100W is the best-selling portable solar panel for a reason. Here is what it actually produces in the field, how it fails, and who should buy something else.
Jackery SolarSaga 200W Bifacial Review
The Jackery SolarSaga 200W is a bifacial solar panel with IP68 waterproofing, built-in USB ports, and the best waterproofing in its class. Here is what it actually produces, where it falls short on shade, and who should choose a different panel.
Jackery SolarSaga 40 Mini Solar Panel Review
The Jackery SolarSaga 40 Mini is a certified, well-built 40W panel with a 5-year warranty. Here is what the premium price buys you, what the proprietary DC port means, and who should get a cheaper panel instead.
Mregb 42,800mAh Solar Power Bank Review, New World Survival
Honest review of the Mregb 42,800mAh solar power bank. The bestselling solar power bank on Amazon, but is the capacity real? What the weight says, what owners report, and whether it is worth the low p
Renogy 100W Portable Solar Suitcase Review
The Renogy 100W Solar Suitcase is the toughest portable panel in its class, with a rigid glass frame, built-in charge controller, and universal MC4 connectors. Here is who it is for and who should loo
Riapow 26,800mAh Solar Power Bank Review, New World Survival
Honest review of the Riapow 26,800mAh wireless solar power bank. Honest capacity, Qi charging, IPX6 waterproofing, and a single solar panel. What it does well, where it falls short, and how it compare
ZOUPW 100W Portable Solar Panel Review
The ZOUPW 100W is the best budget portable solar panel we have found. Its 5-in-1 connector cable works with nearly every power station on the market, it costs less than the brand-name panels, and it d