Solar Candle

This morning I received an email requesting information on a solar candle that I refered to in one of my earthtoys.com articles. It has been a couple of years since I bought mine and a few for my family so I couldn't remember if I purchased them at Home Depot or Lowe's home center.

Well after a quick check with both web sites, I found the small LED solar candle at Lowes.com for under 12 bucks. The picture shown on their site is upside down, so I've turned it around for this blog.

This solar candle is very similar to the popular solar lights that are sold everywhere with one yellow LED light and a small ni-kad battery in the unit. The reason I like it is that it is small and portable. In a pinch if the lights go out in the house, these little things would provide a few hours of safe lighting.

Of course other types of lights are brighter, even a flame candle would be brighter, but the thing is, flame candles during emergencies can be very dangerous.

During a seminar put on by The American Red Cross that I hosted a few years ago, the ARC representative warned us not to use any flame lighting during power outages if at all possible. She said that all too often a minor inconvenience during power outages turns into a family disaster when an accidental fire is started during the blackout. Often during a power outage after an emergency situation there is a strong chance that clutter is on the floor making it easy to trip while moving with a flame candle or oil lamp or other flame light (like after an earthquake). This can cause a disastrous fire if you trip. The Red Cross rep told us that often there are several candles or lamps lit in various rooms in the house and it is easy to forget one is burning. Well, you know the rest of the story: fire!

I have searched various sites to find specific numbers on houses that catch fire during or after emergencies and disasters, but I have not found the data yet. If you know of a site or an organization that has these specific figures, please notify me so that I can post them on this blog.

Anyway here is a link to the Lowe's online store for the solar candle.

Have a safe day.

Solar for Emergencies' Posts

Often relevant posts get hidden deep within a blog, so here are a few posts that may be of interest:

Battery Condition
Preparedness Discussion Group
Generators and Disasters
China - Energy Black Hole?
Dig out those old Y2k books
Solar is Perfect for RV's!
People in Blackout don't have Radios!
Wheat Mills (Grinders)
Mother Earth News
Backwoods Home Magazine
Food Storage Shelf Life
Wanting People to be Prepared is Not Enough

We have found terrific solar products that could be used for emergency preparedness at:

Sundance Solar
Alternative Energy Store

Most of their solar products do not overlap so I hope you visit both of them to evaluate further how solar products can help you before, during and after an emergency or disaster.

Be sure to visit Solar for Emergencies web site for updated links.

Have a safe day my friend.

Alternative Energy Store

Getting serious about solar energy?

I've found a site that has some great prices on solar energy products. They carry all sorts of systems, panels, windmills, even composting toilets. The Alternative Energy Store has a huge selection of the hard lines of solar power. Their site is also a good reference for solar documents and information. Just navigate through their site to products that interest you. Go to the bottom of the page and there is usually a document you can download.

Whether you are a novice starting to learn about solar energy, or a serious solar power user, you will find this site a valuable addition to your favorites.

Click the display ad below to visit the Alternative Energy Store.

Solar Backpacks?

Yes, you read that right - solar backpacks! I just can't believe some of the things that they are coming up with. Well, it doesn't take much imagination to see how a backpack with a solar panel and a battery can help before, during and after an emergency or disaster situation.

Listen, everyone needs an emergency plan. One of the critical components that FEMA, the American Red Cross and countless civic organizations have preached for years is a "mobility bag". Ya, you've called 'em "72 hour kits", or "evacuation bags" or what-ever, but they are essential. We all saw how important they could have been to the good people in the Gulf Coast during/after Hurricane Katrina.

The local authorities in New Orleans should have (did they?) insisted that every person below sea level have a mobility bag packed with water, a little food and other supplies. I would have thought an axe in the attic would be standard.

Sure, water is most important, next shelter from the elements (clothing), then food, then communication and lighting. These backpacks can hold your stuff, then provide a power source for your communication equipment and limited lighting devices.

Ya, they cost a bundle, but just think how important they could be? Think of it as a type of insurance. I know you pay a lot more for your car and house insurance than the cost of these backpacks!

Anyway, just another device that could help you in a pinch, and that is what this blog is all about. You can find different configurations of solar backpacks at Sundance Solar. Have a great self-sustaining day my friend. Mike

Foldable Solar Battery Charger

The new PowerFilm 10 watt foldable solar battery charger is now available from Sundance Solar.

These chargers are the worlds lightest and most compact solar chargers. Weighing only 9 ounces, these foldable solar chargers were originally designed for the military but are now available to retail customers.

Perfect for users who need lightweight portable and remote power for laptops, cellphones, satellite phones, GPS devices and other portable electronics products. These chargers can easily be stored in a backpack or laptop bag.

These foldable solar chargers can be used in 3 ways:

Charge portable electronic devices via included female lighter adapter (cellphones, sat phones, iPod, etc.).

Charge or power 12V systems.

Charge most NiMh, NiCd or Lithium ion batteries via accessory charger.

See this new foldable solar battery charger at Sundance Solar now.

This is a great addition to your emergency preparedness supplies, and you can use it camping to charge up those electronics. Use the above link to go directly to the PowerFilm 10 page. There are other sizes available. Mike

Sundance for Emergency Solar

A site that you should definitely visit is Sundance Solar. They have a lot of the best solar items that you can use every day as well as during/after emergencies. Of course, cell phones and iPods are extremely popular now and Sundance Solar has a high quality solar charger for these devices. Now you can always have your portable device fully charged in 3 or 4 hours! I think this will be a must-have item for many folks.

The Sundance Solar site has always been a favorite of mine. I just love to see what is new that they carry. I've visited a lot of solar sites that carry solar items, but I think Sundance Solar is probably the best stop for the readers of this blog.

They have hundreds of solar items that can be used for emergency preparedness. When shopping for preparedness items, I always tell my customers to only buy products that you can use on a day-to-day basis during non-emergency times then you will have it "just in case". Sundance Solar has a lot of items that you can use every day, and their solar products would be extremely valuable during emergencies or disasters.

I hope you take some time evaluating some of the many products Sundance Solar has to offer.

All the best my self-reliant friend, Mike

Solar Water Heaters Save Energy

Saturday I met with David Burrows, owner of Solar Developments at www.solardev.com. He sells an award winning solar water heating system for your home or cabin. He also sells solar pool water heaters. We are working out an arrangement with him to stock and sell his culinary systems in Las Vegas.

His site has a lot of information on it and through the years I have sent many people to his site for information about these energy saving systems.

There are several ways to go when it comes to solar water heaters, and one of the systems is perfect for those who want to become more independent from utility reliance. I am specifically thinking about the solar assist system you can find described on his site.

Back in the '80's I sold a lot of solar water heaters with the reliable grundfos pump. But the only problem with the pump is that it needs 40 watts of 120v power to operate. The solar assist system uses another type of pump that uses only 3.5+ watts of 12v DC power. This means that a small 5 or 6 watt solar panel will operate the circulating pump when the sun is shining, whether or not the utility grid is connected. This is great for those of us who want to be independent of utility reliance. Check it out! Solar Developments

We have a cut-down version of one of his panels in the showroom at Vegas Trailer Supply. Stop by to see this high quality system soon. We will be discussing this great system on this blog much more in the future. We hope to be stocking the complete systems in the Spring of '06.

All the best my independent friend! Mike