Irma brought down energy infrastructure as she blew through state after state. The Carolinas lucked out compared to Florida. While Duke restored power to the tens of thousands of Carolinians without in a matter of days, Floridians who call the Keys home expected to be without power for weeks.
Of the millions without power in Florida after Irma, there were reports of one man who managed to keep the lights on. He was able to do so with the help of a solar array and a storage battery.
A combination of an array and battery creates a microgrid, a system consisting of generation and storage. With such a system, individuals use a utility company’s generation as backup when their system is not sufficient. Microgrids producing enough energy allows an individual to operate when a utilities company is down for the count.
Of course, if solar arrays are broken, ripped off a roof, or covered in snow, the microgrid no longer receives power. However, a backup plan to municipal utilities could always come in handy.
The Floridian was able to power part of his house, including air conditioning and his refrigerator. Whether looking for some extra security or preparing for the apocalypse, a microgrid rises to the occasion. With such a system, lives could even be saved as air conditioning or heat is kept on and perishable food is kept cold. Some of the crises we saw
Consider the possibilities of not being dependent on municipalities.
