Independent Living THE. Presents. Published by American Lantern Press, Inc.

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1 Independent Living Presents THE DOWN AND DIRTY POWER SURVIVAL GUIDE Published by American Lantern Press, Inc.

2 The Down and Dirty Power Survival Guide 1 I love prepping, because so often the steps you take to prepare for the worst also make you more self-reliant in the process (and potentially save money, too!). A little extra self-reliance is always a good thing. One way to immediately increase your self-reliance is to reduce your dependence on the power grid. Take a moment to think about how dependent you are on the power grid. Almost everyone is these days. If the grid ever went down for an extended period, even a week or two, it could quickly become a nightmare. Solar panels are an excellent option for decreasing your dependence on the power grid, but are they a smart investment? Whether it s Good Policy or Bad Policy HUGE Tax Benefits Come with Solar Investments Look, I know that when many right-thinking Americans hear the term solar energy, they think taxpayer boondoggle. I m not one to buy into green products just because they re green. But I ve found a lot of reasons why you should seriously consider solar power for your home: It s fairly easy to install. Once installed, there isn t much maintenance. The power comes from an abundant resource not regulated by the government. There s no refueling of any kind. In states with buy-back programs, you could get paid for excess power generated by your solar cells that you don t need to power your own home. Increase your self-reliance, while providing yourself with a hedge against rising energy costs. Most areas of the United States get enough sun to make solar power worthwhile after tax incentives are taken into account. Drawbacks of Solar Power For Taxpayers Anyway No solution is perfect, and solar power is no exception. It does have its drawbacks. Solar cells have a significant up-front price tag, but federal renewable energy investment tax credits (up to 30%), can help you to recoup your upfront costs. Some states offer tax credits too, but even assuming electricity prices don t rise (unlikely), it could still take 8 10 years to recover your initial up-front investment.

3 2 The Down and Dirty Power Survival Guide Does Solar Make Sense for You? A lot of people think they don t live in the right climate to take advantage of solar power. But the truth is, most climates in the U.S. are suitable for solar power. Even if you live in an area with regular cloud cover and plenty of rainy days, installing solar panels may help you to reduce your conventional energy costs while increasing your self-reliance. In the United States, as a general rule, you can expect 4 to 8 kilowatt-hours (kwh) worth of solar energy to strike any square meter of space during the course of an average day. With solar panels, you can take advantage of that energy and harness it to power your home. For most people, buying enough solar panels to fully replace their home s daytime energy would carry a prohibitive up-front cost. Fortunately, you can purchase the number of panels that fits your budget now, and expand later. Even a few solar panels to start will help to reduce your monthly power bill and help you power basic appliances and gadgets in an emergency situation or weather-related power outage. Solar Electricity Becomes More Economic Even as the government is making utility bills artificially high (and higher), it is making the costs of solar panels artificially low. Tax credits, falling production costs, and increasing efficiency for solar panels now make it possible for many homeowners to generate solar power for their homes economically. Most homeowners that install solar systems remain hooked up to the grid. They draw from the power lines at night and become energy self-sufficient during the day. How much value you can derive from a solar power system depends on how much sunlight hits your solar cells. Not all locations are well-suited for solar installations. But more and more places are becoming viable as system costs drop. If you checked into solar systems in the past and were put off by the high costs, you might be surprised at how affordable they are now. Prices of solar modules are down 75% just since A supplementary solar system can pay for itself in 10 years or less and serve as a longterm hedge against rising utility bills. INDEPENDENT LIVING

4 The Down and Dirty Power Survival Guide 3 Solar Tax Rebates Can Be Lucrative While They Last Meanwhile, the government is heavily subsidizing renewable energy upgrades such as solar power panels and solar water heaters. Through 2019, you can receive a tax credit of up to 30% of the cost of installing a home solar system. That s a direct reduction in your tax burden for the year of your installation. Claim your credit on IRS Form Not sure if you re eligible? Here are the criteria, as described by the U.S. Department of Energy: A taxpayer may claim a credit of 30% of qualified expenditures for a system that serves a dwelling unit located in the United States that is owned and used as a residence by the taxpayer. Expenditures with respect to the equipment are treated as made when the installation is completed. If the installation is at a new home, the "placed in service" date is the date of occupancy by the homeowner. Expenditures include labor costs for on-site preparation, assembly or original system installation, and for piping or wiring to interconnect a system to the home. If the federal tax credit exceeds tax liability, the excess amount may be carried forward to the succeeding taxable year. This credit had been due to expire after But it got renewed through 2019 as part of the budget deal Congress gave to President Obama in December The new law stipulates that from 2020 through 2022, the value of the renewable energy credit will drop ultimately down to 10%. In any case, it s a good idea to check with a tax specialist before attempting to claim the credit. He or she can help make sure you get every dollar back you re allowed while surviving IRS scrutiny. Explore All Federal and State Tax Incentives Now, I have no love for government programs, and Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency are no exception. As I mentioned before, you can access up to a 30% tax credit on your solar system for the tax year in which it was installed. Don t forget about state and local tax incentives. Frankly, I consider it your civic duty to minimize the amount of money you pay to the government. Renewable energy tax credits are one way to get that number down to the smallest amount that is legal. I wish I could believe that abstaining from participation in such programs would make a difference and get us back on the right track, but it just won t. So make sure you protect your financial future and your family s security in the best way you possibly can. If that means getting a tax credit so that you can have a reliable backup power system, then so be it.

5 4 The Down and Dirty Power Survival Guide Long-lasting No-fuss System for Backup Power Solar power has a nice, long shelf life. They ll work reliably for up to 30 years, as long as you clean them two or three times a year. When it comes to reliable, long-term, no-fuss power systems, it s hard to beat solar power. In the long run, your solar panels could pay for themselves by reducing or even completely off-setting your monthly power bill. And if we ever experience a long-term power grid interruption, your solar panels will be the best investment you ever made. Solar Option: Cook and Purify Water Solar power is the green flavor of the month right now, but there is real lasting value in learning how to use the sun s free energy to your advantage in an emergency. The regulatory and legal mess that has prevented the modernization of America s antique and increasingly prone-to-failure power grid, increasingly exposes us to the potential for electricity outages. One critical first step to becoming prepared for an emergency is making sure you have enough fuel on hand to cook your food, keep yourself warm, and get yourself around. In a moment, I ll show you a low-cost way to cook food and purify water without using any fuel at all. Now, there will certainly be days you can t use this cooking method, because the conditions won t be right, but on the days that you can, it s a fuel-free, no-fuss way to cook a delicious meal or boil water for drinking. It s easy and affordable (you probably have most of these items on hand already), and can be a real lifesaver in a crisis. I m talking about building a solar oven. Harness Passive Energy from the Sun It s Easy We ll Show You How Passive solar power works by concentrating sunlight in order to generate heat. Passive solar power is most commonly used to heat homes. The huge advantage of a passive solar heating system is that it doesn t involve any mechanical or electrical parts. Because of that, taking advantage of passive solar power is one of the most efficient ways to use the sun s abundant energy. A passive solar oven is a handy tool to have in your preparedness kit. When it s sunny outside, you can use your passive solar oven for fuel-free cooking. You can even use it to boil and purify water it really does get that hot! INDEPENDENT LIVING

6 The Down and Dirty Power Survival Guide 5 DIY Simple Box Oven The easiest type of solar oven to build is a simple box oven. You ll need some plywood, a piece of window glass, cardboard scraps, a hammer and nails, aluminum foil, glue, black paint, and duct tape. Begin by framing in your box. You can make it any size you wish, but keep in mind that a larger box takes longer to heat, and won t retain it as well as a smaller box. On the other hand, you need the box to be large enough to accommodate the cooking pot you wish to use. A box 12 inches high by 18 inches across is a good size to start with. Of course, you might also choose to base the length and width of the box you make to the dimensions of the glass you are using, especially if you don t have a glass cutter. Use a hammer and nails to assemble the box (four sides and a bottom), leaving the box open on the top. Use duct tape along each inside seam to create a tight seal. Next, line the inside of the box with the layers of cardboard you cut. You ll want to stack each side with at least an inch of cardboard all the way around the sides and the bottom of the box. Make sure to cut your cardboard across the top so that everything is flush. Paint the outside of the box black. Make sure to choose a non-toxic paint. The piece of glass you picked for this project will sit on top of the box, which is why it s so important that your cardboard is flush with the top. It will serve as an insulator and help to create the seal between the glass and the box. For safe use and storage, you might consider using Plexiglass for the top of your oven instead of regular glass. Next, you ll want to make a reflector using a piece of cardboard that is the same width (less two inches) as the box. Wrap the cardboard in aluminum foil, using the glue to affix the foil to the cardboard. Then, vertically nail two small pieces of scrap wood (about one inch by six inches each) to the back of the box at the top of each corner. They should sit three to four inches above the top of the box. Nail two more pieces of similarly sized scrap wood to the bottom corners of the cardboard. Finally, nail the pieces of wood attached to the cardboard to the pieces of wood attached to the box. Do this at an angle, so that your cardboard reflector leans over the top of your solar oven at an angle of about 20 degrees. Your solar oven will work just like a slow cooker. Put your food into a pot and then put the entire pot inside an oven-roasting bag. The bag will help heat the food faster, and will keep it hotter throughout the day. Put the pot and the bag together inside of your solar oven. Place the glass lid onto the top of your oven, and face the solar reflector to the south (or to the north if you happen to be in the Southern Hemisphere).

7 6 The Down and Dirty Power Survival Guide The food will take about twice as long to cook as your slow cooker recipe calls for. You may need to start cooking dinner by mid-morning, but as long as the day averages at least 20 minutes of sun every hour, your meal should be ready by dinnertime. Solar Funnels: Another Great Emergency Option To build a solar funnel, you ll need a two-foot by four-foot piece of cardboard. Cut a half-circle out of the bottom of the cardboard. The diameter of the circle you cut should be the same as the diameter of the cooking pot you intend to use. Next, cover the cardboard with aluminum foil by using glue to fix it in place. Gently bend the two edges on either side of your half-circle together to form a large funnel with a hole at the bottom. Make sure you keep the foil on the inside of the funnel shape. Secure the funnel with metal brads, or use a hole punch and string the two sides together. Place a block of wood in the bottom of your cardboard or wood box. Fill a black cooking pot with food, put it in an oven bag, and set it on the block of wood. Put the foil-covered funnel down around the cooking pot. The edges of the box should hold your funnel in place. Leave your solar funnel out in the sun to cook whatever you re making for dinner. Solar funnels usually cook food a little faster than solar ovens. Experiment with your own slow cooker recipes to find what cooking times work best for your fuel-free oven. Purify Water with Your Solar Oven If you need to sanitize water, you can use a solar oven to bring it to a boil. Put your water inside a canning jar that you ve painted black on the exterior. Leave a strip up the side of the can unpainted, so that you can see inside when the water is boiling. Place it inside your solar oven, and watch it throughout the day. Once the water reaches a boiling temperature, allow it to boil for an entire minute to sanitize it. You could also boil water in a pot, if the pot has a clear lid. When you re purifying water by boiling, it is important to be able to see when it reaches a boil. The clear lid may make the process less energy efficient, but it will allow you to see inside. INDEPENDENT LIVING

8 The Down and Dirty Power Survival Guide 7 3 Tips for Solar Ovens Here are three more tips to help you get the most out of your solar oven: 1. Solar ovens can reach temperatures of up to 275 degrees, so make sure to use potholders when retrieving whatever you ve cooked inside. 2. For the best results, clean your reflective surfaces periodically so that they reflect the most sunlight (and therefore the most energy and the most heat) possible. 3. Check to confirm that your food is thoroughly cooked before you eat it. In an emergency, being able to cook a meal or purify water without using fuel is extremely useful. You can literally build a solar oven today using things you already have in your own pantry, garage, or basement. Don t wait until the stress of a full-blown emergency or power outage is overwhelming. The time to assemble your own solar oven is now, when you have access to supplies and time to plan. This is definitely one tool you d want to have on hand to be sure you re ready for anything.