Gas vs Solar Generators: After Testing the Choice is Obvious for Emergencies

[@Noneofyourdambusssiness]

I agree. We spent 46 hrs w/out power due to a storm. I was glad for my set up. I have a Westinghouse 12kw genertor I run on propane during the day. Propane keeps longer than gas as far as storage and is more efficient(slightly less power output but more efficient). At night, I lock the gennie up so it doesnt get stolen and so everyone around us can sleep. I then switch over to my 2 Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultras each w/3 batteries, these have a capacity of 36kWh to power the house over night. Next day I made sure to top off the batteries w/ 1200kW solar input and also gennie plug combo for speed. I think it doesnt have to be a "this" or "that".

[@chumps7974]

That's what I do as well. I don't have enough solar power generators to power the whole house but we don't need a lot at night

[@michaelballard676]

I was looking at the Ecoflow set up and man, it's expensive. I'm sure 2 of them with 3 batteries each, a 1200w solar input AND a 12kW generator probably cost quite a bit. But you will never be without power, that much is for sure

[@Noneofyourdambusssiness]

@chumps7974 I bought everything sale 1 piece at a time. Also I signed for for Ecoflow Eco Credits Rewards and those will save you some money as well.

[@Noneofyourdambusssiness]

@michaelballard676 You'd be surprised. The gennie I got on sale on Amazon for like 20% off. It's not one of their inverter nor one of their top models, so it sells at a pretty reasonable price. As for the Ecoflow gear, again sales help. I also signed up for Ecoflow Eco Credits and that will save some money when you buy direct from Ecoflow. Outbound Power is also a really good online retailer with good discounts. To me the big thing was that this type of equipment is eligible for the 30% tax credit.

[@Zalanify]

I think aside from the conversations revolving around apocalyptic scenarios, having a diverse set of tools (generators in this case) is indeed the correct approach. I would like to add that should include small portable wind turbine generators, that have been advancing despite their draw backs, and water source dependent hydro generators, that are small enough to deploy on a creek now. Each person should determine what resources are most available to them when choosing what to buy. If things really were apocalyptic, air conditioning and other high watt activities would not be priorities. That means less reliable or lower output generation methods would be viable, especially when used in tandem.

[@freshlycharged]

100% agree. What's your favorite method to store energy from wind or water?

[@notsure6070]

@@freshlycharged balloons... duh!

[@freshlycharged]

@@notsure6070 brilliant!

[@Zalanify]

Always in battery form. But I've seen some batteries that are just gravity and water over a hydro electric generator. During the day the solar energy runs an efficient water pump that pumps water into an elevated container or reservoir. Then at night the water is released over the hydro generator to release the stored energy. Some of the world's largest batteries are these pumped storage hydroelectric setups. I've seen some people make miniature versions but they are much less efficient. I personally have a 30kw rack battery array in my garage that can run my house and our heat pump for a couple days. It charges from solar and cheap rate grid power at night if needed. But If I didn't live in Colorado where stuff freezes at night a third of the year like Jimmy and Andrew, I would probably experiment with pumped storage hydro too.

[@Dudeman9339]

not to mention some good gravity powered options.

[@rui1863]

Both - Use the gas generator to charge the battery bank. This will extend fuel consumption. Without a very large solar bank; solar is just not going to cut it.

[@Sanibelsnook]

During milton we used both..gas during the day to keep the fridge and freezer up while charging the ecoflow for night use.. Usb powered lights and fans are also handy. In an extended shtf period we are all toast as civility will go out the window in less than a month..and the summer of 2020 will look tame in comparison.

[@NotHappening-b8t]

as someone who studies and plans for the worst case scenario....... one thing i always have to point out and remind people. if u are the only one around with power. you become a target. if you have food...... you are a target. etc. ofc this is for worst case scenarios.

[@freshlycharged]

How do you prepare for that?

[@trevic1346]

Guns

[@nickbrashear2693]

I would say rather that you become a target for protection. You have to give people more credit. The raider has to know that I'm just as much a threat to them as they would be to me. I think in a SHTF situation, communities will actually get stronger. People will work together, not against one another.

[@WillofNewZealand]

There's so much cheap solar about you won't be the only power station.

[@nickbrashear2693]

@@WillofNewZealand Yeah, I agree. In 10 years, the majority of houses will have solar. And in 20 years, nearly every house. And home battery systems, as well.

[@kevtop351]

One of our government's worst decisions was introducing ethanol/corn into our gas.

[@johnblaker2454]

Pretty solid analysis. One thing to note, if you’re talking about STATIONARY needs (like your home) a gas generator (as in natural gas not gasoline) is substantially more reliable in an extended outage for a few reasons. First, the pipes are much harder to take out than power lines (duh dude, we aren’t stupid we already know metal pipes in the ground are more secure than power lines resting against trees in high wind). Which brings me to 2) how the natural gas grid works. Short answer is it’s much more secure than the power grid. The compression stations often can be run on the gas they are transporting. So essentially, the generation stations and the distribution stations are connected and run each other. There’s also much less complexity in the gas grid. It’s like the water distribution systems but able to power itself. 3rd due to most major infrastructure having natural gas as their primary backup source, and gas leaks being extremely dangerous to property/other infrastructure (cause boom and burn). Any disruption to the gas line is going to be addressed very quickly. From an emergency management response standpoint, getting residential power lines operating is WAAAAAY down the list compared to natural gas infrastructure and refined product pipelines. Final point though, If you’re without natural gas for a week or more, solar is probably the only power you’re going to get for a VERY VERY long time. And honestly, you probably better be ready to defend those panels like they are the chopper in Black Hawk Down. Down for an hour in daytime? Solar. Down for a few days or a week? Natural gas No natural gas for 2 weeks? solar, bullets and defensible terrain.

[@Tonedog88]

Best description of generator use I've heard so far. Many thought the solar generators were the solution to one's power problems, but this video shows that they're just batteries with fancy circuitry but can still be useful when combined with a gas generator. That video actually has me considering a solar generator to use exactly as he describes. Great video!

[@mikeintampa250]

Hi Jimmy, excellent topic and great points raised as usual. Another way you can power your home or campsite is if you have certain EV's or plug-in hybrids. One of the reasons I bought my Mitsubishi Outlander phev what is the fact that it had AC plugs that I could tap into to run appliances, a router, and computers if needed. If the battery ever runs low the ICE automatically kicks into recharge it, like the combination generators you recommend.

[@rl8571]

I took the concept of storing gas into canisters to storing solar power into multiple lifep04 batteries. Same concept with differing storage mediums. I was able to charge up two 1k batteries with one 300 watt solar panel per day. Just doing the math the amount can be scaled to your daily needs to cover night time usage. Thanks for sharing.

[@chip6954]

You don’t need to transport/store fuel if you’re just charging power banks from your gas generator; you can use a pump/siphon to get gas from your vehicle tank, ideally parked in a garage/secure area. Also, the generator in your video is dual-fuel, so it also runs very efficiently on propane.

[@Card_addiction]

Very informative video, I have about 14kwh of batteries in different power stations and after hurricane beryl we lost power for 5 days. I only have 400w of solar and that was not enough to keep up with the demand (sxs fridge,freezer,fans,tv and WiFi modem) no ac. After 48hrs I was out of power and had to find someone who could lend me power to charge up. After this experience we decided to buy a generator to run a portable window unit and charge the batteries as needed. When there’s a disturbance in the gulf I’ll fill up my 40gals of gas.

[@TheQuixotic1]

One of the technologies I am hoping to see catch on more is iron air batteries for home energy storage/backup. The idea that you could have a cheap(er) & "safe" ~40kwh battery backup system that is a little bigger than a washing machine and could be sustained by solar panels or an exterior generator? That could take a lot of stress off the grid AND give many people peace of mind and a sense of resiliency. I love how technology is always looking for thinner and lighter (solid state, most notably), but sometimes a major solution can also be an obvious and large one.

[@WillofNewZealand]

I've make salt batteries. And others I won't name. Some people now sell sodium batteries. Solar water up to tank then back over Gen at night. There's many ways.

[@WillofNewZealand]

I've made air batteries. Not fridge size, but it's nice to know various ways to dance.

[@derjoh1986]

I really appreciate you doing this! I was on the fence on all of this stuff! But since you laid it out the way you did, I have some ideas on what to do as backup, just in case I need it at my home! Bravo to you

[@freshlycharged]

Good luck with getting your backup system together! Appreciate the support!

[@michelleevans9869]

I agree. One needs to diversify just like a stock fund. This way you’ll have best of both worlds.

[@HomesteadEngineering]

I have been running battery backed solar combined with gas generator backup for about 8 years and its a really good solution. That said, I think a better solution is to just go bigger. It won't surprise me to see a typical solar power system have 20kW of panels and 200kWh of battery backup in the very near future.

[@azndrifter204]

I borrowed my friends gas genni in tandom with my solar. And I was in awe how they are great together. I'd top off my solar with the gas, and the gas was able to charge my emoto as my solar would be eaten up quick if it was pure solar. I too am in the market for a gas genni now that I experienced the benefits of both in tandom.

[@freshlycharged]

SYNERGY!

[@HighmageDerin]

you get BOTH! because the generator runs all the time at max Watts, typically 2000+ no matter what, your wasting all that fuel just to power your 300 watt laptop. OR you can charge the battery and on the days it IS sunny you can indeed save even more fuel that you dont need to burn. ( I started typing this before he got to that part in the video, but the point still stands :)

[@Bobster986]

The best thing is an external natural gas generator that is connected to your utility company service. It would be highly unlike that the gas coming to your home would stop flowing for a very long time. Solar is good for camping or if you were living off the grid.

[@chip6954]

Natural gas production and distribution systems have valves and other systems controlled by computers, so there’s no guarantee you’re going have uninterrupted gas. If the reason the grid went down is nefarious, there's even a strong argument to cut off natural gas at the distribution point to prevent sabotage along the distribution lines.

[@kylefrandsen2665]

If you're not trying to run your whole house or charge multiple solar batteries, rather than a dedicated gas generator, you can get a 500 watt inverter to connect to your car battery/alternator to charge the solar battery. It may not be as efficient as a dedicated generator, but you're already doing the maintenance on your car, so you don't have the added maintenance of the gas generator and you don't take up space with the gas generator. I don't recommend going over 500 watts unless you know your alternator can handle the output in idle for an extended period. Otherwise you might burn out the alternator. My fridge/freezer with icemaker (opened occasionally) only uses about 120 watts per hour. That plus a laptop connected to my cellphone for internet and a couple lights are my only real needs in an emergency situation (gas stove and gas water heater with a propane grill/range if the gas is also out). Even if there's no solar, I can run the car a few hours a couple times a day and last a month if I have a fairly full tank in both cars - longer if the sun comes out. Granted, I don't live in a place where the temperature gets below freezing so I don't have to worry about heating. I haven't tested to see what it would take to run the blower on my central gas heater, but I do have a wood-burning fireplace. If you do decide to get a dedicated generator, using propane only in a dual/tri fuel will cut down on the maintenance needs. Propane stores better than gasoline and doesn't gum up the engine when it sits unused for extended periods.

[@freshlycharged]

Thanks for the advice! Do you have an favorite inverter and generator that you could recommend?

[@kylefrandsen2665]

@@freshlycharged I haven't tested anything beyond the Renogy equipment I bought. I imagine almost any brand-name pure sine wave inverter would be decent. I built my own solar generator system with Renogy components and some cheap LifePo4 batteries specifically with car-charging in mind as the primary power source and solar as the backup source. I have a Renogy combo 30 amp MPPT/DC->DC charger (RBC30D1S). I went with the 30 amp model because I was worried the 50 amp would be too much for my alternator idling in my driveway (70 amp alternator when running at driving RPM with wind blowing over it to keep it cool). I would do it differently if I started over. The Renogy 30 amp combo device will only handle 30 volts/400 watts solar total, so although it works well charging from my car, the solar options are fairly limited. My advice is more for the people who would use an all-in-one solar generator. Even using a 500 watt inverter, they would need to make sure the AC charging on the solar generator is 500 watts or less (some are adjustable).

[@t.d.harris1311]

Thanks for the work you do putting these videos together and your profession of helping save peoples lives.

[@railzip]

I watching this post Milton. Just got a gas powered 10000 watt Dewalt generator but will also grad a battery/solar powered power station as well.

[@rapmeister1000]

One thing people don’t observe about gas generators was discovered during Hurricanes Katrina & Sandy. When the main grid goes down, there’s no power for gas pumps unless the station has backup power.

[@johnblaker2454]

This has been largely addressed through modifications to compression stations to use gas directly off the pipeline itself to fuel the compression stations. The only time this setup failed on a large scale in recent years was the 2021 Texas freeze. The idiots didn’t connect the pipe warmers to the backup electrical supplies and the pipes froze.

[@rapmeister1000]

@@johnblaker2454 those type of set up’s don’t exist everywhere. Where I live, the gas is still delivered by tanker.

[@WillofNewZealand]

Ive been used to building guff but the new bread of light weight power stations, id say im impressed, foot in won me over camp.

[@Bob-p2q9q]

Having both is a good deal,plus if you try to power whole house gets expensive, i set up one room for alternative power,which i mostly use on a regular basis,last power outtage i didn't know about till i got up to fix coffee

[@af1023]

Good video and excellent points. I have found that a hybrid solution is the best for extended outages

[@lenwhatever4187]

Two solar powered boats on YT. Both were able to cross the ocean..... One went north.... enter gas generator. The big advantage of an IC genset really is the space that spare power takes or power density. Maybe in a house it doesn't matter (well except cost). I think though the biggest thing holding solar/battery back is the inability of people to use less power in ones living space. One learns this real quick in a boat. Priorities rule. The first thing a home backup needs, is a breaker setup that allows a priority set of loads to be separated off in emergencies. Other back ups besides power to me would mean alternate heating.... wood for example... which may mean the whole household sleeps in one room. Meals can be prepared also with the right setup without power. I could also suggest there are ways around AC if the house is properly designed in the first place. I'm not sure what the best deal is either. Grid tied solar is not it for sure.... I'm not sure about gensets either IC or solar.... though in a long term blackout solar wins... the freezer keeps going if that power is managed right. The BBQ runs till it runs out. Camp fires after that. sooner or later squirrels or feral rabbits run out too.

[@whattheschmidt]

I have 2 backup batteries that tie in and power my whole house - then the dual fuel generator that I use propane with to put DC power to each battery (Ecoflow) I could go days if needed. Oh, I also have solar power (8kw) but I can't run that with the grid down, until I get a whole house battery. Lot of options out there just make sure you have something for your house!

[@terryxperry]

Haveing both and with other power stations and power banks. Plus have device with batteries are worth buying

[@pammyschaber4273]

Totally amazing video - i have the dual gen and its great but i do believe i need solar gen as well - great information

[@JayS-el2wd]

I 100% agree with your assessment

[@freshlycharged]

Great minds!

[@WillofNewZealand]

Your solar should be fully charged on a cloudy day, else re look at how many panels your running. I sometime have covers over some panels in summer and uncovered in winter.

[@Justice098]

I learned two things from a major power outage…. A solar generator is superior to a gas one, but a gas engine vehicle is superior to an electric one.

[@WillofNewZealand]

Petrol? And in a disaster thats available? Im solar only. Storage is not a requirement, its an option. Power can go from creation to use with no storage, people seem to think storage is necessary for some strange reason, its not. Yeah on my solar set ups i do store, lithium and lead acid. I have some fun other guff, salt batteries, and various novel small power makers just a fun hobby.

[@freshlycharged]

Sounds like an energizing hobby!

[@WillofNewZealand]

A billion might sway me to hand my top fun over. Maybe.

[@jamesv4463]

Energy storage is important. It's storing electric energy that doesn't matter. Your hot water heater stores energy. Your fridge does in a way.

[@Kiwicountry]

Solar can’t give you instant power in the middle of the night during a storm unlike a petrol/diesel generator which can anytime

[@WillofNewZealand]

@@Kiwicountry its 9pm. At night. I have no Gen. Oh it's movie time, the credits are rolling. I notice all the gravity generators around the world. For example water pumped up hill during day then flows back over Gen to power at night, so in all those cases they make lots of power at night, made by solar and stored as water. By the way power can be made on the fly with no storage required so it's not nessasary to store any, its an option. Power can be made in dark in many ways.

[@SheriKeenan]

Bolth it’s bolth I can say with 100% bolth but really solar is needed most. FYI building a home can say the ups and downs no solar but have solar battery bank with its come along solar panel and gas generator. Ups gas gives power on crappy days solar gives power on good days saves gas.

[@patricklacson]

Any links to solar panels that you recommend? Those look like big 400watt individual panels that you unpacked on your doorway.

[@WillofNewZealand]

I always use pure sine wave else my neighbors cry about tv static and interface from modified sine wave inverters.

[@z50king29]

That's interesting... Prices are falling for batteries and inverters, but coats have stopped falling for ice generators

[@superstitiousfishes1247]

kudos to Predator for this stealth ad. i'm not hating. i'm actually looking to buy a Predator.

[@dresmart432]

Hi bro! For charging an Tesla or EV, witch better : solar or gas generator ?? :-)

[@freshlycharged]

I've never tried a gas generator to charge my Tesla, just a solar generator... it's not very fast, but it works!

[@williamwilson6499]

The obvious choice is both. Case closed.

[@WillofNewZealand]

On going petrol bill vs one time buy, right now is there a choice.

[@HorseRadish403]

I have both

[@freshlycharged]

You are smart and prepared.

[@Kiwicountry]

Petrol/diesel generator for me, solar is way too expensive ATM

[@GezusJones]

Gas generator in dry grass, not a good combination.

[@BudgetNugs]

So as a data driven guy this video is damn near useless. No solid numbers for anything sad. 😢

[@freshlycharged]

Just meant to be a big picture overview for those "non-data" guys.

[@AskIveSolar]

I'm glad you understand that your preference is for data. I personally hate data driven videos. Haha. I like high level ideas