“What cha gonna do when
the grid goes down?” Well, apparently, I am going to bake a cake!
Fifty years ago, when my
home had a wood-burning stove, my mother would not use it during the summer.
She cooked and baked in an electric frypan with a lid. So, I looked at my
Anker generator, powered by the 300-Watt solar panel and decided to see if in a
situation of no electricity, I could bake a cake. (I baked a colored cake since tomorrow is Easter.)
I placed three pennies in
a triangle to keep the baking pan off the surface of the electric pan after it
had warmed up to 350 degrees via the generator. It was charged at 100% when I started
and 74% by the time I took the first pan out. I decided that since I gave no
time for lost heat to regenerate, that for the second pan, I would leave it in
closer to thirty minutes rather than the twenty-seven I gave the first pan. The
Anker had 59% left after the cake was baked.
Bottom layer just in.
Top layer baking.
I did not purchase this
system in expectation of the grid going down, though it is nice to be ready. I
am attempting to sever my relationship with entities that are under the
impression that they are my parent. Even though my electric bill is lower than
most (possibly because I do not have a SMART meter), it is nice being able to
stand on my own two feet as much as possible. Recently, the electricity in my home went
out for less than a minute, and even before it came on, I was using
the light from the Anker and ready to plug needed items into it. It was so
much faster to get light than to light my oil lamps or candles, or even to go
get a flashlight.
When it is sunny out, I
charge the Anker while it is in use. Usually, it handles the toaster briefly,
the computer, the cell phone, and such items. I have not tested the
refrigerator with it yet, but should the electricity go out, I would connect it
at least for a couple of hours during the day. I can connect the crockpot, or
the electric frypan to prepare a meal at any time. If we have electricity and
I need to quickly charge the generator because I see a storm coming and want to
be prepared, I can do that, too.
Portable generators and
solar panels are certainly an expense. You may need to save your pennies—having
willpower against all you could purchase while collecting enough. For me, I do
not frequent Starbucks as I see many doing twice on a daily basis. You could
look at my generator and solar panel as all the coffee I did not buy. And I tell you
what, it is nice to see physical items in place of something disposable.
So, what are you going
top do when the grid goes down? Burning wood is not very satisfactory for
several reasons: it informs others that you are cooking (more so than the scents from the cooking meal) and it requires a lot
of wood to be stored and consumed. Are you intending to stand on your own feet
or do you expect government officials to parent you?
Here is a recent link to
what I purchased. Rene has this company in Canada and he is very helpful when
you have questions or need to purchase extension cords. (If dogs are visiting, I can place the panel on a car in the backyard with the generator close to the car with no wires for dogs to get caught up in. But, usually, the sunniest spot for the longest is in the furthest corner of my backyard, so I need extension cords so I may use the generator inside while the panel is outside.)
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment