Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4-6. Compact portable solar power pack with battery storage and AC/DC inverter.
Photo courtesy of SolMan
The details and instructions for providing a renewable energy system for your home are
beyond the scope of this topic, but may be found in some of the recommended references in the
appendix.
About Generators
When shopping around for generators, consider the following questions:
1. Is your generator for occasional backup usage, or might it be a primary source of energy for long
periods of time? Whole-house generators to provide long-term off-grid power will be consid-
erably larger and more expensive than smaller, more portable generators for occasional backup
power and multipurpose use, plus they will consume quite a bit of fuel over a surprisingly short
period of time (and can be shockingly expensive to operate).
2. Will your generator be hard-wired into your home's electrical system? If so, it should be installed
by a qualified electrician to meet electrical codes that require a transfer switch to disconnect your
home from the grid whenever the generator is operating (more on this later). Whole-house gener-
ators are quite expensive, and may be installed to automatically and seamlessly disconnect your
home from the grid, and switch into generator operation, whenever the grid goes down.
