First World Generators

By Keith Heyde

In America, people complain a lot about losing power. Whether it is during the dog days of summer or the frigid cold of a blizzard, losing power is always the source of cancelations, time stops, and, if nothing else, a nuisance. Perhaps it is because of the relative infallibility of our electric grid that we complain of its failings so much (that is not to say that our grid is without fault, a whole other article all together).

However, rather than discuss the faults of the system as a whole, I wanted to spend a couple minutes talking about some of the interesting (and rather amazing) backup power generation capabilities we have at our fingertips.

First off, is the classic generator. The generators that most people know and love (or envy) work very similarly to your car motor. They take gasoline or oil as a fuel source and turn it into mechanical energy. That is why they are so loud when they are running. However, unlike your car motor (with some very rare exceptions) this mechanical energy is then transferred to electrical energy. Most generators accomplish this step by using a series of induction magnets. The spinning coils cause a current to travel through the stationary coil. This, by definition, is an electrical flow. Although they system is a bit more complicated (to ensure it delivers the proper voltage), that is the general idea. Cool right?

Conventional generators are pretty amazing feats of engineering. Not only can they come in hand-held packages, but they can also provide an astounding amount of electricity, for a very long period of time.  Although they do eat up a bit of fuel if you are trying to power everything in your house, they can give the type of electricity needed for the bear minimum with relative ease.

Without question, conventional generators are certainly the most reliable of the electrical sources; however, the other two do pose some interesting alternatives.

Solar panels, of course, keep you powered even when the grid flops. As countless people in California noted during the early 2000s, solar power kept things running even when the entire state was blocked out. However, as is probability obvious, without a storage battery, solar cells won’t do you much good at night. Furthermore, some solar panels are rigged directly into grid. This means that when the grid collapses your solar cells can’t help you. Make sure to look into your systems rigging to best cater to your needs.

Finally, human power offers a growing source of power. Don’t believe me? Well look at the trends around battery charging bikes. Minimalists across the world are actively pursuing means of powering their lives without the grid. Having a stationary bike that charges a battery can provide enough electricity to power a light bulb for up to 20 times the biking time. This means you pedal for half an hour and get 10 hours of light in return! Not too shabby.

Anyway, the point of the matter is that we have created so many amazing different systems for microenergy generation. We are no longer dependent (fully) on the grid and the centralized plants of the olden days. The time for decentralized energy production is right around the corner and as the grid evolves to cope with all of the new energy providers, hopefully energy consumers will evolve to live more hybridized energy lives.

Let us know what you think!

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