You Need a Backup Power Source – Part 1
Every year, tens of millions of homes throughout the U.S. and Canada lose power for hours, days or even weeks. Severe weather in many parts of the country occurs more frequently these days, and the electrical grid becomes increasingly vulnerable.
Usually our power outages don’t last too long, fortunately. Most outages don’t continue for more than a few hours. But it doesn’t take long for problems to develop once the power goes out, especially when the weather is bad.
And in cases where a major storm such as Katrina or Sandy strike, entire neighborhoods can be plunged into darkness for an extended period of time.
Severe Weather Isn’t the Only Problem.
North Korea announced in January 2016 that it had successfully tested an H-bomb capable of destroying the entire U.S. Naturally, our government brushed it off, saying its size was only a fraction of a real H-bomb.
But some experts have pointed out that the weapon tested was exactly the size of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon.
If detonated over the U.S. – which officials believe North Korea has the capability to accomplish – it could destroy our entire electrical grid, plunging the country into chaos and eventually killing millions.
Regardless of when North Korea plans to strike, this highlights the underlying weaknesses of our country’s electrical infrastructure.
Being Prepared With Backup Power Is the Key.
We can’t control when the electrical grid shuts down and fails to provide power to our homes, but we can do the next best thing by being prepared for those occurrences.
Having a fully-charged generator in your home gives you peace of mind because you know you can have the lights back on and your food kept cold in a matter of minutes, should your power go out for any reason.
Of course, there’s a cost involved with generators, and it can be steep. Standby generators, installed outside of your home, can cost $5,000 to $15,000 – depending on the power capacity – and require professional installation.
Most Americans don’t have that kind of money sitting around. A much more affordable solution to the problem is a lithium-iron battery generator such as the Patriot Power Generator. Click here to check it out.
This generator operates quietly and produces no emissions.
How Else Can You Prepare?
Modern society depends on electricity to run everything from banks to police and fire departments, grocery stores, gas stations and even hospitals. Given the threats to our grid, it’s obviously foolish to take electricity for granted. Even more disturbing, there’s a distinct possibility that terrorists could plunge us into darkness for the foreseeable future.
In this situation, the best way to protect your family is to hunker down. If authorities are able to restore power, bugging out is an unnecessary risk.
What can you do to safeguard yourself? Here are three steps you can take now to protect your family later:
- Create a family emergency plan. Priority number one is making sure your family knows where to go in an emergency, and that includes grid failure. You’ll want to outline alternative routes and methods for getting back home.
- Stockpile food and water. With no way of knowing how long the disruption will last, it’s important to have enough food and water to provide for your family. Build your stockpile in increments, starting with a three-day supply and building up to a year or more.
- Store other essential items. You’ll need more than just food and water if the grid goes down, so you should also think about storing other essentials such as gasoline, flashlights, batteries, tools and medicine.
We don’t know when the next grid failure will occur. All we know is that it will happen. Extreme weather is always a threat to the grid, and our enemies would love to shut it down themselves. Experts believe an EMP attack could wipe out 90 percent of our population over time. Who will survive? You can bet it will be those of us who are prepared with a portable, solar-powered generator.
What’s the difference between a lithium-iron battery and a lithium-ion battery? I believe you meant to say lithium-ion not iron.
A lithium-ion battery (a.k.a Li-ion) is rechargeable battery with lithium cobalt dioxide (LiCoO2) or lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) as a cathode
For the more technically minded, lithium ion batteries are secondary cells constructed from layers of lithium sandwiched with an electrolyte and stacked into rectangular packs, although they can also be wrapped into a cylindrical shape.
The distinction between lithium, lithium ion and the other varieties of lithium packs is the kind of electrolyte used. Their primary advantages are the energy density and faster charge/discharge times compared to the nickel based batteries historically used.
Lithium-Cobalt-Oxide (LiCoO2 ) characteristics:
Highest energy density
Popular for phones, PC’s etc.
Risk of thermal runaway in larger systems
A lithium-iron battery is also a rechargeable type of battery but made with lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) as the cathode material.
While lithium-iron is a newer version in the lithium battery family, its anodes are also made up of carbon in batteries.
Phosphate based technology possesses superior thermal and chemical stability which provides better safety characteristics than those of Lithium-ion technology made with other cathode materials. Lithium phosphate cells are incombustible in the event of mishandling during charge or discharge, they are more stable under overcharge or short circuit conditions and they can withstand high temperatures without decomposing. When abuse does occur, the phosphate based cathode material will not burn and is not prone to thermal runaway. Phosphate chemistry also offers a longer cycle life.
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4 ) characteristics:
Most stable
Good density
Long life
Economical
The lithium-iron (LiFePo4) battery has a slight edge over the Li-ion (LiCoO2) battery for safety. This is important because a battery should not get overheated or catch fire in case of overcharging.
The lithium-iron battery has superior chemical and thermal stability. A Lithium-iron battery remains cool at room temperature while the Li-ion may suffer thermal runaway and heats up faster under similar charging conditions.
LiFePO4 is a nontoxic material, but LiCoO2 is hazardous in nature, so is not considered a safe material. Disposal of Li-ion battery is a big concern for the manufacturer and user.
See More Information at
http://www.newcastlesys.com/blog/lithium-ion-vs-lithium-iron-batteries