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Safety snapshot of mobile work before merging upstream chat-v2: - Qortino AI: QDN pack discovery/download (Q-Share ids), external app storage, install validation, teach/report Q-Mail, PDF thumbs+zoom - Android share target "Quitter" with native ShareReceiver plugin - Categorized device saves (Images/Videos/Audio/Documents/Apps/GO state) - createNamedFile helper: cordova-plugin-file clobbers global File Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>
79 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
79 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
# Grid-Down Power: Sizing, Solar, Batteries, and Protection
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*Educational preparedness information. Mains-voltage wiring and generator
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transfer connections must be done by a qualified electrician — backfeeding a
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generator into house wiring can kill line workers.*
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## Start with the math, not the gadget
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Two numbers decide everything:
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1. **Peak watts** — the biggest simultaneous load you must run. A phone
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charger is 10-20 W, LED lights 5-10 W each, a laptop 30-65 W, a router +
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modem 10-25 W, a CPAP 30-60 W, a fridge 100-200 W running but 600-1200 W
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at compressor start, a freezer similar, an induction plate 1,000-1,800 W,
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an electric kettle 2,000+ W.
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2. **Watt-hours per day** — load watts × hours. A modern fridge uses roughly
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1-1.5 kWh/day (it cycles); comms + lights + phones maybe 0.3-0.5 kWh/day;
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a laptop workstation 0.5 kWh/day.
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Match gear to the numbers: a 200-300 Wh power bank covers phones, lights,
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and a router for a day; a ~1 kWh station adds laptop and CPAP for a couple
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of days; a ~2 kWh station (now available under 18 kg) keeps a fridge cycling
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for roughly a day per charge — which is why solar input matters more than
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raw capacity for outages beyond 48 hours.
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## Solar recharging
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Panels are rated at ideal conditions; real-world planning: a 100 W portable
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panel yields roughly 300-500 Wh on a decent day (much less in Nordic
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winters — plan 5-10x more panel or alternative charging at high latitudes in
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December). Rules: point panels within ~30° of the sun and re-aim every
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couple of hours; even light shade on one corner can halve output; keep
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panels cool and clean. A 400 W panel array + 2 kWh station is a realistic
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"fridge + comms indefinitely" summer setup. For permanent installs, an MPPT
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charge controller, LiFePO4 battery bank, and proper fusing are the modern
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standard — LiFePO4 gives 3,000+ cycles vs ~500 for lead-acid and tolerates
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partial charging.
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## Generators
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Fuel generators deliver high power but need fuel logistics: a typical 2 kW
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inverter generator burns roughly 0.5-1 L of petrol per hour depending on
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load. Petrol stores ~6-12 months (longer with stabilizer); diesel and
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propane store for years — propane-capable dual-fuel generators pair well
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with the same 9 kg cylinders as your stove. Run generators outdoors, 5+ m
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from windows, exhaust pointed away: carbon monoxide from generators kills
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people in every major blackout. Run the fridge and charge batteries in
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generator "shifts" of 1-2 hours a few times daily instead of running it
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continuously — this cuts fuel use by 70-80%.
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## Protecting electronics
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- **Surge protection:** a whole-home surge protector at the panel plus
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point-of-use surge strips for sensitive gear covers most spikes. Surge
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strips wear out silently — replace after major surge events.
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- **UPS:** for routers, NAS, and computers, a line-interactive UPS with
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automatic voltage regulation (AVR) rides through sags, spikes, and short
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outages and gives you minutes to shut down cleanly. Size it: UPS runtime
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claims assume full load; at 50 W of network gear, even a small unit runs
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30-60 minutes.
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- **EMP/severe solar storm (worst-case layer):** the cheap insurance
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discussed in the preparedness community is Faraday shielding for spare
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electronics — a fully enclosed metal container (galvanized bin, metal
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ammo can, or nested cardboard-lined foil wrapping) with no gaps, contents
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insulated from the metal. Store: spare radios, a basic phone, USB sticks
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with documents, charge controllers, LED lights, and cables. Whether or
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not one expects such an event, the cost is a bin and an afternoon.
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## The unplugged baseline
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Electricity-free fallbacks so power becomes optional for survival: wool
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blankets and sleeping bags rated below your climate's worst temperatures,
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headlamps + lithium primary batteries (10-20 year shelf life; alkalines
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leak), candles and an oil lamp with stored fuel, a thermos (boil water
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twice a day, hot drinks all day), hand-crank radio, paper maps, printed
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contact lists and manuals, board games and books. The goal of a power plan
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is to shrink the list of things that truly need power to: refrigeration,
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communication, light, and medical devices.
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