The National Weather Service is predicting a lighter hurricane season than normal this year, but that doesn’t mean everyone shouldn’t be prepared. As we’ve seen in the very recent past, it only takes one major storm to make landfall and throw everything into chaos. One of the best ways to prepare for a major storm is to make sure you have a properly maintained standby generator. Consumerreports.org has some excellent advice for those who are looking for or who already own standby generators—read on for some great tips!

Depending on what you plan on running in the event of a power outage, you’ll need a different size of generator:

Midsized standby generators (5k – 8.5k watts): standby generators of this size can power the refrigerator and sump pump as well as most lights in your home, a portable heater, computer, and heating system.

Large standby generators (10k to 15k watts): large standby generators can power everything a midsized standby generator can, along with a small water heater, central air conditioner, electric range, clothes washer, or electric dryer (although not all at once).

While we don’t often feel the brunt of major hurricanes around here, we still live in a risky area and it’s important that proper precautions are taken. Here is a list of hurricane preparedness tips from Ready.gov:

Before the hurricane:

When a hurricane is likely in your area:

During the storm:

After the storm:

We don’t often experience major hurricanes in our area, but it’s still important to be prepared! Kolb Electric sells and installs Generac generators, so if you want to be extra prepared this hurricane season, call us today!

The storage of renewable energy for business and homes, and it’s applicability as a renewable energy solution is often seen as a daunting prospect, but solutions are now available that truly bring this “next generation” technology to a level that can be easily implemented and understood.

Renewable power needs to be broken down into individual applications and needs. Not everyone cares about promoting technology and advancements, but by taking steps one at a time, we accomplish two things. One is education on possibilities, and two is further development on technology. Here is my idea on awakening society at a level most people can comprehend until other options become refined and perfected.

Storage of renewable energy with Wind and Solar for daily use:

Photovoltaic and Wind technology together make this really cool. When you add power storage with renewable energies, these automatic transferred units can be programmed to “sell back” electricity when electrical demand and storage capacities are satisfied. All of this is programmable in any order/sequence desired. By putting the units side by side, these systems can produce 240 volt single phase or three phase power with a pure sign wave.

Here is a great example of a real world solution that we call the Power Cart. This example utilizes solar panels, yet wind power could be added to the system very easily. This Power Cart system provides 20,000 watts of usable power, rechargeable through 4 solar panels, offering any home or business the ability to create, store, and use their own renewable electricity on a daily basis, and maintain power in the event of an outage.

Power Cart

Power Cart will have a Continuous Output of 3.6KW with a 9KW Surge start. This 48 volt grid interactive Outback power plant has 60 amp input/ output, and a UPS 60 amp transfer switch. It works from batteries, generator, or grid and can be charged by sun, wind or any type of generator or from the utility grid. Recharge can be programmed to take advantage of these in any order or percentage you desire. It is internet programmable and monitorable taking over 400 screens in excess of 10,000 commands – including the most important one ‘Let me work on automatic and don’t bother me.’ Also included is complete DC protection from the array to the charger, and from the batteries to power plant& AC protection via 60 amp breaker outlets (wired per country – as per order) also available in any output voltage ex. 100-150 volt, in 50 or 60 cycle.

Power Cart is a 4 wheel trailer – Ready to Work. No assembly required

These can be daisy chained for more production, more voltage, more storage.

Wi-Fi capable.