Hurricane Website

When The Electrical Fails, Will You Be in the Dark?

There are three primary reasons to be concerned about our electrical grid failing:

Solar Flares, Terrorist & Hackers

Naturally, a backup set of batteries is a standard part of any survival kit, but do you have ample supply? How old are those batteries? Remember, they lose power over time. Do you really know what your power needs will be when an emergency hits? 

Did you know you can charge your “AA” rechargeable batteries with those unusual solar lights outlining your driveway? Yes, you can! What does it take? Very little effort – they are already designed for charging batteries.

Solar garden or landscape lights supply little actual light; nevertheless, they do have two very prominent features: 

1. They are inexpensive
2. They do an admirable job as simple solar charging units for AA size NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) or NiMH (Nickel Metal Halide) rechargeable batteries.

At this writing, Amazon.com sells Moonrays Solar Patio Lights in a pack of 10 for about $35. Most other models are basically the same. 

Most of these solar garden lights are powered by one or more replaceable “AA” sized NiCad batteries – which naturally means it will also charge them.

That means I can simultaneously charge 10 “AA” batteries for all of $30. Not bad at all.

These solar path lights may seem like just a minor feature in your landscaping; but if your regular battery charger is nowhere to be found or broken, they might save you during an emergency and more than cover their own costs. In some cases, these little solar battery chargers can be lifesavers; in a blackout, you may need them to charge up your batteries. Using this solar light to charge batteries may be the only option you have. You might view it as a small emergency backup power system, and the only one small enough to fit in your portable survival kit. 

If you already have them functioning in your garden, that’s fine but keep in mind that they will keep on cycling every day and will wear out in a year or two.

I would rather keep a set in reserve and not use them at all until needed. Of course the batteries still need to be checked and charged every so often and not left to sit for long periods uncharged. 

Be sure to use the kind of batteries recommended for the type of solar garden light that you purchase. Most  manufacturers recommend NiCad but some will take either.  

There is a difference between the way NiCad and NiMH batteries are charged and it appears that I should be able to charge NiMH batteries in any of these solar light chargers because they charge so slowly. These are basically “trickler chargers” and are not likely to damage any battery.

Depending on light conditions, it might take a few days to completely charge NiMH batteries due to their extremely high capacity. 

Another basic point: Most, if not all, of these lights have a photo-sensitive switch to turn the light on and off at dusk and dawn. If you buy your solar garden lights just for producing light, it is no problem. But if you plan to use them exclusively as emergency chargers, you should disconnect the bulb to avoid discharging the battery.

This is a quick, cheap, painless method to ensure you’ve always got a way to recharge small batteries.

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