This post requires a simple declaration: I am not a solar power expert and I have no stake in any solar power equipment company or supplier.

As a Prepper, I am often contemplating how I will respond to situations that bring about changes in my day to day life that I have little or no control over. At the very top of this list is what I would do if the power goes out for more than a day or so. Historically, the power only goes out for extended periods as a result of some calamity that destroys infrastructure. Most other disruptions such as a transformer overheating and blowing out or a transmission line breaking are repaired fairly quickly. In today's economy we also have to be cognoscente of the possibility of not being able to afford to purchase as much power as we were able to do in the past

Whether you lose your job, become injured or ill and are no longer able to work, or suffer a natural disaster that results in long term power loss, having a plan to keep at least a few lights on in the dark is an important consideration for all of us.

Thus far, my backup power solutions have been tailored to deal with the short term power disruption - the power goes out and my grid powered rechargeable batteries kick in and provide limited power until these storage cells are drained, then they become really heavy door stops. Without grid power, I have no way to recharge the backup system.

The cost of simple backup solar systems is dropping like a rock and it may be a good time to consider your options for keeping some lights, a computer and a few other small appliances operating. If cost were not a consideration, then yes it is possible to power much of your home all of the time with an extensive solar power generation system installed on your roof. For most of us, the cost, or the time to recoup the investment may be higher and longer than we can justify. It is possible to acquire a portable solar system that can beat back the dark and then recharge itself the next day to repeat the process every time the sun sets.

Because I am not an expert it wouldn't be responsible for me to detail exactly what you should be buying. I just want to get you thinking about a small solar system that you could set up if the need ever arises. Of course you will need to do some research and speak with solar companies to get their recommendations of exactly what equipment you will need to power 2, 4 or 10 lights, charge cell phones, run a laptop, run a water pump etc.

Before the power goes out, you will need to decide just what equipment you "need" to power and from there you can determine how much electricity your portable solar system will need to produce and store during the time that the sun is up. Me, I need the ability to power some movable "plug in lighting", charge some low voltage gadgets, recharge batteries for flashlights and to run a sump pump on occasion. It would be nice to be able to power the AC but that mission, is beyond the ability of a portable solar system that I can set up when required and later take down when the grid power returns. For me, any portable system needs to be movable so that one person, can realign the solar collectors as the sun tracks across the sky. I do this with my solar oven but a large array of solar panels that aren't mounted permanently on my roof would be more work and effort than I am prepared to commit to.

*To recap, having the ability to produce at least some small amount of electricity on an ongoing basis will make your life a whole lot better if the wall sockets cease to provide juice for whatever reason.

*Achieving this goal is getting cheaper and can be set up, taken down and maintained by a single person.

*Having some power available will make a difficult situation a lot more tolerable.

*Understanding that a portable solar system will not run your furnace, your AC and most of your other large appliances (freezers etc) means that you do not need a field of solar panels and thus do not need a lot of space for the system and that alone will keep the cost reasonable. I have a couple of 12V coolers that can keep some food cold. These low power electric coolers can run a long time before draining a marine or car battery. Being able to recharge these batteries when the sun comes up ensures that I have cold storage on an ongoing basis without having the resort to ice blocks.

*As with all prepping projects, once you identify the need that you must satisfy, the rest of the process of meeting that need becomes pretty straight forward with only a minimum amount of time and effort.

As an example of just how cheap a simple portable system has become, please click here. I am not saying that this example is exactly what you need for your home, but it gives you a place to start and upon reflection, should allow you to see that producing some power for yourself is do-able and probably advisable.

[What have you done today to prepare?]