Solar Power 101 — Batteries: Part 1
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #87 • May/June, 2004
This article is the first in a series of what will be a beginner's course in solar electricty. Simultaneously we have instituted a Home Energy Information...
Walden Pond, the solar version: Part 1
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #99 • May/June, 2006
I have been writing solar power articles for many years on every possible application. This has included everything from simple solar chargers for cell phones to...
Keep the Ice On
By Jeffrey R. Yago, P.E., C.E.M.
Self-Reliance, Fall 2019
When I ask most people why they own or are looking to buy a generator, most will say it is to keep a refrigerator or freezer operating....
Make your own biodiesel for 80¢ per gallon
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #101 • September/October, 2006
My Ford F-250 diesel crew-cab pickup did not cause me to become interested in making my own bio-diesel fuel. No, the final straw was when I...
Just for Kids: Sun-kabobs and solar sizzle
By Lucy Shober
Issue #28 • July/August, 1994
Click on pictures for printable, full-sized versions to color.
Picture yourself in this dreamy scenario: It's a hot summer afternoon. The sun is beaming through the shade trees as...
Emergency solar power for $950
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #73 • January/February, 2002
For less than the price of a desktop computer you can have the piece of mind that your lights and small appliances can operate for months...
Use solar landscape lights for emergencies
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #141 • May/June, 2013
Solar-powered landscape lights in dark room.
Note different light patterns and brightness.
People own all kinds of household items that can be used to make life easier during...
Build Your Own Car Wash
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #133 • January/February, 2012
Completed car wash in operation
If someone told me a year ago that I would have a commercial car wash behind my garage, I would have laughed....
Design calculations for overshot waterwheels
By Rudy Behrens
Issue #18 • November/December, 1992
(For good background information for this article, the reader should read "Waterpower for personal use" in Issue No. 16 and "Design calculations for overshot waterwheels" in Issue No....
Solar-powered refrigerators
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #102 • November/December, 2006
In Issue #99, I discussed the importance of using the most energy-efficient appliances you can buy for any remote cabin or off-grid solar application. I also...
For a truly independent energy system, your choices are solar, wind, and water
By Larry Elliott
Issue #28 • July/August, 1994
Just as the words "backwoods home" conjure up images of farmhouses, livestock, woodstoves, tractors, and gardens, the words "independent energy" bring to mind a whole new set of...
Water pumping windmills
By Dorothy Ainsworth
Issue #90 • November/December, 2004
Standing tall like a giant sunflower in a sea of undulating prairie grasses, or in any rural setting, a windmill is a thing of beauty. Not only are...
Design calculations for no-head, low-head waterwheels
By Rudy Behrens
Issue #17 • September/October, 1992
(This is the second of our three-part series on waterwheels. The third installation (Issue No. 18) will deal with overshot wheels. -- Editor.)
For those of you who are...
Water: a safe supply when you’re off the grid
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #71 • September/October, 2001
That remote mountain property seemed like a steal until you found out you could not drill a well. Four years ago we were approached by a...
Generators alone are not enough
By Jeff Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #157 • January/February, 2016
When talking to fellow preppers at self-reliance expos across the country, I am always impressed by how many already have long-term food supplies, stored water, medical...
Prepper power! Part 2
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #137 • September/October, 2012
I discussed in Part 1 the many reasons why preppers need to think more long-term about providing reliable electric power. I also mentioned that while it's...
