Being a prepper means preparing for any eventuality that could interfere with your day-to-day life, such as when natural disasters or other SHTF scenarios hit. And when things start to go pear-shaped, the first thing to fail is usually the power grid.
So much of our everyday lives depend on electricity that without it, something as simple as staying in touch with remote friends and family becomes more challenging or even impossible without making the trek in person.
Two or three decades ago, if the power went out, your options were limited. Gas or diesel generators were available but were often prohibitively expensive even without including the cost of fuel. Today, there are a great number of alternative and renewable energy sources available to even the average homeowner, making it easier and more affordable to prep than ever.
What are the best types of renewable energy for preppers, and what does it take to set each one up?
Water
Using water as a source of energy is an ancient practice that dates back to the Han Dynasty between 202 BC and 9 AD. It wasn’t the kind of technology that we might think of as power generation by today’s standards, but we’ve been able to harness the power of moving water to spin wind turbines for grinding wheat, handling trip-hammers and more.
Today, by using turbines, it is possible to generate electricity with nothing more than a flowing river or stream. For a couple of hundred dollars, you can pick up a portable turbine that you can carry in your backpack and drop into any flowing water source to turn that movement into electricity.
Hydroelectric power is also used for large-scale power production. In 2020, hydroelectric dams produced 291 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) simply by pairing turbines with flowing water. This accounts for about 7.3% of the electricity generated in the United States, which might not seem like a large percentage but in some states, like Washington, these systems are producing more than a quarter of the state’s power needs.
If your survival shelter or homestead has flowing water on the property, you may be able to tap into that movement as a tool for power generation. This can be a valuable resource, even if the water itself becomes contaminated. As long as it’s moving, turbines can still generate electricity, though you will want to take extra precautions with contaminated water sources when you retrieve the equipment for maintenance and repairs.
Hydroelectric power generation is something that you can scale up or down depending on your needs, but it is dependent on the movement of water. If something — a fire, a drought, a nuclear bomb, etc. — diverts or stops the flow of your water source, you risk losing your ability to generate electricity. This can be a great choice for survival shelters, but don’t rely on it as your only power generation source.
Solar
Solar has quickly become the go-to technology when sustainability or renewable energy is mentioned. Homeowners are scrambling to add solar panels to their roofs — whether they get enough usable solar hours to justify the expense or not. If you’re heading out on a camping trip, consider picking up a solar-powered lantern or similar gear that will keep things illuminated when the sun goes down; some also charge your phone or other devices. The potential for these devices is nearly limitless because they have the ability to generate electricity anywhere there is direct sunlight.
Solar power systems aren’t perfect, nor are they the perfect solution for preppers when it comes to emergency power generation — at least not by themselves. The major downside of solar panels is that they only generate electricity when the sun is out. That means once the sun goes down, or you have a stormcloud or nuclear debris obscuring the sun, the solar panel loses some or all of its effectiveness.
In order for solar to be a viable option for survival shelters and preppers, the panels need to be paired with a battery backup system. These battery packs store any energy that’s generated during the day that you don’t use and take over the load when the sun goes down. For survivalists, opt for a battery backup system that uses marine batteries that are designed for multiple trickle charges and constant alternating states of charge and discharge.
The battery backup walls, like the ones that Tesla has been marketing as part of their solar roof strategy, have a limited number of charge/discharge cycles before they need to be replaced. More importantly, however, is that finding replacement parts for those after the end of the world — as well as an engineer that knows how to install them — is going to be difficult. Finding a few boat batteries or gel-cell batteries lying around will be significantly easier. Plan ahead!
Wind
If you head outside and feel a stiff breeze, there is the potential for power generation if you have a turbine and blades to capture it. The spinning of the blades, pushed by the wind as it blows past your towers, activates a generator that creates electricity. It sounds simple because, like harnessing water power, it’s something that we’ve been doing for centuries, such as using windmills for grinding flour and generating power for a very long time.
Like many of the forms of renewable energy we’ve discussed thus far, the main downside of wind power is that it only functions when the wind is blowing. If you have a particularly still day and your windmills aren’t spinning, they’re not generating electricity.
There is also the problem of space. Traditional wind turbines are massive, taking up three-quarters of an acre for each megawatt of power that it generates. Now, if you’re installing one of these gargantuan turbines, you don’t need to worry about adding multiples — a single 2-megawatt wind turbine could easily power around 400 homes. You’ll have power to spare, keep the lights on for your entire neighborhood, and make quite a few friends in the process. But that’s just not feasible.
Researchers are exploring the potential to harness wind power at higher altitudes where the air is almost always moving at higher speeds than it would be on the ground. Many of these are currently being designed for coastal areas that have constant winds blowing in off the ocean, but if you had a way to get them airborne, these floating wind turbines could help provide power if you don’t have a lot of space available to build a wind turbine on your property. Again, this is a long way off.
You can, however, DIY your own small-scale wind power; just do a YouTube search for DIY wind turbine and you’ll find plenty of options. And, of course, you can purchase something online, if you prefer. Regardless, you’re still going to need a battery bank, just like with solar.
Choose wind power if your survival shelter is going to be located in an area that sees a lot of constant air movement. Coastline locations, mountains, and large open areas are all ideal for this type of power generation.
Diesel (With a Twist)
In most survival situations, you’re not going to want to rely on anything that requires traditional fuel like gasoline or diesel. These resources will dry up quickly. Even the suggestion of a potential shortage sends people scurrying for the gas stations. The cyberattack that shut down the Colonial Pipeline in 2021, for example, led to empty gas stations and people so desperate to stock up on fuel that they started putting it in anything they had available, including plastic grocery bags!
This doesn’t mean that diesel-powered generators are off the table when it comes to renewable energy — but you’re not going to be making a trip to get your diesel from your local gas station. Most modern diesel engines are easy to convert to burn biodiesel, an alternative fuel made from the decomposition of organic waste. With careful planning, you can turn all of your organic waste — from human waste to food scraps and even some yard waste — into a fuel replacement.
If you’re planning to utilize diesel generators, make sure you opt for a model that is easy to convert to run on biodiesel. This isn’t going to be a perfect solution, because running a diesel generator constantly will cause it to break down a lot faster than some of the other renewable options, but if your survival shelter is located in an area where solar or wind isn’t an option choosing biodiesel can help keep the lights on if the grid fails.
Geothermal
Before we start, let’s be clear — unless you have a very specifically designed home in a unique environment, you’re not going to be using geothermal energy to generate electricity. Traditionally, geothermal energy involves using the heat radiating from the interior of the earth. This requires an entirely unique setup, including boilers and turbines that the average prepper isn’t going to have the knowledge or experience to build and maintain. That doesn’t mean that geothermal energy should be entirely off the table, though.
Geothermal pipes, installed in the ground below the home, can be used to heat and cool the property. Hot air is piped down through the pipe system, cooling as it travels because the temperature below the surface is cool and constant throughout the year. During the winter, that same cool air may still be warmer than the exterior, making it easy to keep the interior of the home more comfortable.
You can install a heat pump in this system, but in a survival situation, it is important to keep in mind that these pumps will run on electricity and you will need an alternate power source to keep them running. There are passive systems as well that you can utilize that don’t rely on a powered heat pump, but it can be challenging to manage if there are severe temperature changes throughout the day during the spring or fall months.
Not So Renewable Energy
There are some other renewable energy options that are beginning to emerge but they’re not ready for commercial use quite yet and might not be ready in time if the world ends. Hydrogen, for example, is the most common element in the universe, and when burned in an engine designed for the task, only generates water and oxygen as its byproducts.
Nuclear energy is often touted as clean and renewable, but the byproducts of nuclear energy generation are both toxic and long-lasting. Nuclear waste needs to be disposed of properly and takes hundreds – if not thousands – of years to decompose. A nuclear meltdown can make large stretches of land entirely uninhabitable for centuries.
Other forms of renewable energy such as tidal are heavily limited. They’re reliant on a very specific set of conditions — in this case, ocean waves crashing against the shore — and will only function properly in coastal settings. They sound great, but unless your survival shelter is on the beach, you won’t be able to utilize them properly, or at all.
Be Ready for Anything
Prepping is all about being ready to become self-sufficient in case things start to fall apart and you can no longer rely on governments and grids that we’ve become accustomed to. Power is an essential part of our everyday lives and it will continue to be a vital part of our survival if the world ends.
Renewable energy options are going to be the best option for survivalists and preppers, because in the long term when supply chains fall apart and we all have to fend for ourselves, they’re going to be the most sustainable way to generate power.
If you’re concerned about your ability to generate electricity after the grid fails and the world ends, start exploring these options to see what might work best in your area.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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