An Illustrated Guide to Emergency Solar

Part 1: An affordable, portable setup

Don’t forget the inline fuses.

You probably don’t need anyone to list out all the reasons for investing in some kind of emergency solar option. Even the most hardcore, off-grid homesteaders still use technology, even if they wish they didn’t. And yet, rooftop solar remains a big commitment. They’re expensive to install. If you’re doing it yourself, it’s time-consuming and potentially dangerous.

There’s another option.

I’ve figured out a way to rig a portable setup with folding panels and a solar generator for a home or apartment. Compared to a rooftop system, it’s more affordable and gives you more options, and it’s much safer for beginners. I’m sharing the first part of the guide now. In the next version, I’ll talk about slightly more elaborate setups with LifePO4 batteries. All of this will go into the final version of the guide, which you can read about on this Substack page.

You can support it here.

One extra thing: When you wire panels in parallel, you also make each panel function independently. So if one fails, it doesn’t affect the others. In that sense, it’s better than series wiring, where one failure can cascade.

In the next update, I’ll share work I’m doing on edible weeds.

Let me know your thoughts.