Batteries that kick in when power goes out

[jpak]

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/home/15420852.htm

With summer storms here in earnest, prudent homeowners are thinking about what to do if the electricity goes off. And while gasoline-powered generators are a common solution, they are not a realistic option for those who live in apartments and those who do not want to store gasoline.

Advances in battery technology have made it possible for homeowners to have clean, quiet and virtually instantaneous emergency backup power without firing up gas generators.

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Alta Power Corp. in Trumbull, Conn., sells the 1,500-watt Sumpro backup system, which can be used to run critical equipment like sump and well pumps, furnaces and refrigerators.

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"Depending on what you're backing up," Cotrona said, "you're looking at anywhere from 28 to 85 hours of run time." The Sumpro costs about $1,400, including shipping.

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[napi21]

1. I love the idea of the battery backup, but it doesn't last long enough.

Our power goes out at least 3 times a year. However, when it goes out, it's usually out for several days. From everything I've read, the batteries just won't last that long.

As noisy and polluting as they are, it looks like I have to go with a gas generater.

[jpak]

2. I have a friend in Alabama that bought a $800 gas generator after Katrina

and used all his car's fuel in a futile week-long attempt to find gasoline to run it (there was none - and he never used it).

Where stations had gas, they couldn't pump it because they had no power.

Many people died of carbon monoxide poisoning from gas generators after Katrina as well.

For 1-3 day outages, batteries are viable option (and especially if you are an apartment dweller and can't use a generator in the first place).

[skids]

4. Here's a unit that's expandable...

...unfortunately you'll have to go north of the border to a Canadian Tire store to buy it. Base unit costs $900 Canadian. It also has a DC input for local wind or solar power.



http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/231/p/1/pt/30/product.asp

[ThoughtCriminal]

3. I have a portable battery pack for emergencies

Mainly to run a CPAP (which my wife needs to breathe properly she she sleeps). It weighs about 25 lbs and I think the capacity is 20-amp hours. We're not sure how much the CPAP pulls, but I've tested it for 10 hours.

edit: it cost about $120

I also keep a 200 watt inverter that plugs into automotive cigarette lighter. This allows us to use our car or truck as a low-power generator. Inverters are esay to find at automotive parts or big-box stores and are much cheaper than generators. You don't have to store gas, just keep your vehicle gassed up. The downsides are that it cannot be used to run any heavy-duty appliances (microwave, refrigerator, air conditioner) and you probably do not want to leave your car running very long and never unattended. You could just run off the vehicle battery, but obviously you do not want to drain it to where it won't start. So, it is only practical for short term, low power applications (fan, some power tools, battery recharge, etc). Obviously, you would not want to run the engine inside a garage, so you also need an extension cord that will reach where power is needed.

[bain_sidhe]

5. better, cheaper choice (IMHO)

About $300.00, when I bought it.

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/63/p/1/pt/29/product.asp

XPower Powerpack 1500 is a portable power system that can supply up to 1500 watts of household electricity – enough to run almost any electronic product or appliance you might connect to your wall outlet at home. XPower Powerpack 1500 consists of a battery pack that stores electrical energy, state-of-the-art electronics that convert 12 volts from the battery pack to household power, an AC power panel that contains two standard outlets, and a DC power panel that is used to run 12 volt products. These components are packaged into a rugged “cart” with a removable waist handle that allows XPower Powerpack 1500 to be wheeled from room-to-room or outdoors over rough terrain.

XPower Powerpack 1500 is an excellent alternative to a generator – no noise, no fumes, no fuel, and no moving parts. With the accessories provided, recharge XPower Powerpack 1500 using utility power from your wall outlet, from your vehicle, or from a solar panel.

[muesa]

6. Stan Ovshinsky - the solar energy and NiMH battery guru

and star of has a couple of integrated photovoltaic cell -- NiMH battery units that kick in when the grid power goes out. Stan is an intuitive physicist and an inveterate tinkerer.

[Ready4Change]

7. Exactly.

Add an array of solar PV's and you can charge that $1,500 battery pack from the sun, and thus power a homes essential systems for the next 20 years, not just a couple days.

If, after a few years, you find you like that, you can add more panels and expand the battery array, and power your TV and fridge during power outages. More panels and more batteries and you can unplug from the grid entirely.

I truly think this is a nightmare for many power companies. That customers will realize they can become their OWN power company, leaving the big power generators with no customers while there is still coal and NG and oil under the ground. All those lost profits! The HORROR!

Luckily, most consumers are too ignorant to see this as a possiblity.