A truckload of Generac gas generators arrived for the victims. I kept thinking how much better off they’d be with a Bluetti and some solar panels.
As with every hurricane the gas stations also lose power and close up. The few that are open have to limit how much gas you get because of huge lines. Then you had people without official gas cans and were using milk jugs or even quart jars and such, (that’s supposed to be illegal). They will have waited in line longer than the generator will run, unless it’s a Honda. Those can go some 8 hours on a gallon depending on the load. Some cheapo generators might manage 3-4 hours per gallon.
I lived through Hurricane Maria that hit us September 17th, 2017. After the storm passed, our utility power went out for over two months. I had to buy gasoline to feed our Onan 6 kW generator, buying 10 gallons of gasoline every two days at my closest station, only 600 feet away. The station had its own Onan generator running to power the pumps.
There were over fifty people in line in every visit. Once a gasoline tanker arrived, escorted by two police cars, since there were reports of tankers being hijacked. We cheered and applauded the driver, since he was also in charge of filling the station tanks. We waited ovet two hours that day, but we were happy that we can buy fuel.
Now I have 24 kWh of B300 batteries and 32 kW of photovoltaic power with two AC300 and a P030A Fusion Box Pro, feeding 240 VAC and 6 kW to my home. If we get hit by a new hurricane, and lose utility power again, I will only worry if there isn’t enough Sun to charge my batteries. I will never have to buy gasoline again to genearate power.
I just wish those residents in Florida had the foresight to buy and install a Bluetti system with photovoltaic panels to keep their homes powered after Hurricane Milton passes.
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I am one of those folks in NC. I lost power late on Thu Sept 26, and the hurricane hit the next day. On Sat the 28th, i ordered an AC500 w/ a B300s. The AC500 arrived on Sat, and the B300s arrived yesterday. It’s currently charged & running my dehumidifiers. There’s an AC300 w/ B300k, and an AC180 on the way, along w/ some solar panels. So some of us are investing in future disasters, while trying to clean up from this one.
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Yes! it makes sense to invest in some type of PV charging in case of emergencies.
One piece of advice I can share regarding the gasoline… If you can, buy the ethanol free gas, as it’s much better on the small engines and won’t gum up anywhere near as much as the ethanol containing gas.
The other added benefit is that it’ll last longer on the shelf. Although I’d still recommend to run those generators for about a dozen minutes every month!
Totally agree with the Bluetti system and solar panels. I would do both though, a small gas generator will still be useful as long as you have some gas on hand and use it sparingly. high winds can damage solar panels. The flexibility of having more than one type of system, (gas and solar) beats just a single source IMO.