Battery powered weekend retreat
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #83 • September/October, 2003
Blake McKinney owned several acres of beautiful deep forest wilderness along a fast-moving year-round fishing stream that was perfect for a planned weekend retreat. Mr. McKinney,...
An $89 backup generator
By Jeff Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #159 • May/June, 2016
While I strive in all of my articles to only recommend products of high quality and reliability, I realize many of us are on a fixed-income...
Solar-powered water purifiers
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #146 • March/April, 2014
Most of us can stay alive up to a month without any food if stranded, but we could not live longer than three days without water...
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...
Handy Keychain Mini-Gadgets
By Jeff Yago, P.E., CEM
Winter, 2017
I believe when most people think of being prepared, they immediately think in terms of bug-out bags, stored food and water, guns, and generators. However, there can be less...
7 Solar Water Heating System Designs
By Michael Hackleman
Issue #65 • September/October, 2000
(Rob Harlan is a general and solar contractor with 25 years of experience with solar water heating systems in Mendocino County, California. Rob primarily designs and installs photovoltaic...
Amateur Ham Radio – The Ultimate Tool for Survival Communications
By Jeffrey R. Yago, P.E.
N4LPE
During any major disaster or grid-down event, communications will not only be critical for coordinating rescue efforts, but could actually save your life by receiving alerts and evacuation instructions. Unfortunately,...
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...
Get the most out of your vehicle and your maintenance dollar
By Len Torney
Issue #116 • March/April, 2009
Let's face itwe all own vehicles. Our rural lifestyle pretty much leaves us dependent on our vehicles for all of our daily transportation needs, as well as the...
Walden Pond — the solar version: Part 2
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #100 • July/August, 2006
In the last issue I provided the initial steps required to design your remote cabin or retreat for off-grid power. We also reviewed the types of...
Millenium Vehicles
By Michael Hackleman
Issue #57 • May/June, 1999
A major failing of transportation worldwide is that 99.9% of vehicles on farms, street, and freeways work on one energy source: liquid fuels. In any disastersmall or large,...
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...
Energy class: Part 1
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #111 • May/June, 2008
Each fall when my dad took us to the State Fair, we could always count on this fast-talking salesman standing next to his car with a...
Are hydrogen-fueled cars pie-in-the-sky?
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #103 • January/February, 2007
Hydrogen-fueled cars is a topic of much discussion these days. People who want to see the U.S. freed from dependence on foreign oil often assume the...
Don’t discount a generator, especially a diesel generator, as your primary power source
By Skip Thomsen
Issue #28 • July/August, 1994
There are three major reasons that wind, solar or hydro-electric systems are impractical for some folks: not enough wind, too many cloudy days, and no stream. In that...
Installing your own small, remote off-grid solar system
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #116 • March/April, 2008
A typical residential-size solar system installation will involve properly sized and installed AC and DC electrical wiring to reduce the risk of electrical fire, a proper...
