Use solar landscape lights for emergencies
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #141 • May/June, 2013
Solar-powered landscape lights in dark room.
Note different light patterns and brightness.
People own all kinds of household items that can be used to make life easier during...
Don’t discount a generator, especially a diesel generator, as your primary power source
By Skip Thomsen
Issue #28 • July/August, 1994
There are three major reasons that wind, solar or hydro-electric systems are impractical for some folks: not enough wind, too many cloudy days, and no stream. In that...
Power your bug-out bag
By Jeff Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #160 • July/August, 2016
More and more people are starting to see the advantage of having a bug-out bag for each member of their family. Normally these bags are kept...
Build Your Own Car Wash
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #133 • January/February, 2012
Completed car wash in operation
If someone told me a year ago that I would have a commercial car wash behind my garage, I would have laughed....
Power-up bag
By Jeffrey R. Yago, P. E.
During any emergency or related power outage, the most important electronic device you need to keep operating is your cell phone, at least as long as cellular service is...
Water pumping windmills
By Dorothy Ainsworth
Issue #90 • November/December, 2004
Standing tall like a giant sunflower in a sea of undulating prairie grasses, or in any rural setting, a windmill is a thing of beauty. Not only are...
Solar charge controllers — myths, hype, and facts
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #153 • May/June, 2015
Most people with a basic understanding of solar power are aware they need a solar module and a storage battery to power an electrical device using...
Solar power for farm and ranch
By Jeffrey R. Yago, P.E.
It may be surprising to learn that there are now all kinds of do-it-yourself solar powered devices specifically designed to make farmers and ranchers lives easier and safer. Many of...
What if the electricity GOES OFF?
By Michael Hackleman
Issue #55 • January/February, 1999
Just as everyone was getting ready to throw the party of the century and millenniumout with the old and in with the newsomeone springs Y2K on us. Power...
Walden Pond — the solar version: Part 2
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #100 • July/August, 2006
In the last issue I provided the initial steps required to design your remote cabin or retreat for off-grid power. We also reviewed the types of...
For a truly independent energy system, your choices are solar, wind, and water
By Larry Elliott
Issue #28 • July/August, 1994
Just as the words "backwoods home" conjure up images of farmhouses, livestock, woodstoves, tractors, and gardens, the words "independent energy" bring to mind a whole new set of...
Installing your own small, remote off-grid solar system
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #116 • March/April, 2008
A typical residential-size solar system installation will involve properly sized and installed AC and DC electrical wiring to reduce the risk of electrical fire, a proper...
Get the most out of your vehicle and your maintenance dollar
By Len Torney
Issue #116 • March/April, 2009
Let's face itwe all own vehicles. Our rural lifestyle pretty much leaves us dependent on our vehicles for all of our daily transportation needs, as well as the...
An $89 backup generator
By Jeff Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #159 • May/June, 2016
While I strive in all of my articles to only recommend products of high quality and reliability, I realize many of us are on a fixed-income...
Solar Power 101 — Batteries: Part 1
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #87 • May/June, 2004
This article is the first in a series of what will be a beginner's course in solar electricty. Simultaneously we have instituted a Home Energy Information...
Solar system codes — Build it right!
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #154 • July/August, 2015
Here, multiple homemade solar modules have caught fire and burned.
The further you go into the mountains or rural countryside, the more some people think building codes...
