Without Bluetti and Ecoflow. The developer shared his own recipe for energy independence for $900. Here is the set of devices he uses

«I want to write about something important in today’s realities for IT Ukraine — about survival in conditions of power outages. Yes, probably only a lazy person did not write about Bluetti, power banks and flashlights, but, in my opinion, these are all very ineffective solutions, due to a lack of awareness of the global problem. And the problem is that power outages are with us for a long time and there will only be more of them. Bluetti, Ecoflow, power banks — it’s cool when there is no power for 2-4 hours at most, and there is hope that the power outages will stop. The situation is different with us,» the IT specialist states .

He talked about his own path to energy independence for comfortable work.

1. First (this is even step 0), if you haven’t installed your optics yet, then look for a provider, it is highly desirable that he guarantees the operation of his system for at least 8 hours during a complete blackout.
2. Secondly, as a user of a UPS system based on a solar inverter, I can recommend it. There may be options here, but the minimum is a solar inverter (not to be confused with just inverters) at 24 V 3000 VA. This is if you need to power the Internet and a computer + a refrigerator and light bulbs in the apartment.
   If it’s something more serious, it’s better to take 48 V+.
   As for batteries, I use 2×12Vx100A AGM batteries, which are the bare minimum, and they are enough for a 4-hour outage. So I’m going to buy the same amount more (here’s the main advantage of the system — easy scaling to a certain threshold).
   If you plan to use them, then you need to take the following calculation: minimum (your consumption in WT)/24 (the operating voltage of your inverter) *10 — this will be your capacity in Ah, because for AGM it is critically important not to load the battery with more than 10% of its capacity for a long time, otherwise the efficiency drops, and the battery dies quickly. Let me give you an example — if you have an average consumption of 500 W, then you need to take batteries with a total capacity of (500/24)*10 — that is, at least 200 A, do not forget that when connected in series, the current strength does not add up, so it will be an assembly of 2×12×200 or 2×12×100×2. With this arrangement, you will get ± 8-9 hours of quiet continuous operation of all consumers, without even noticing that the light was turned off. For those who are not from such a family, but from a rich one, and also not gasified, it is better to take a 48(52)V inverter + a lithium assembly for 10+KV, here you can choose either second-hand assemblies from electric cars, or LiPo assemblies from craftsmen, or «branded» Chinese ones (no need — they suck), or even branded ones if you have nowhere to spend your money.
3. Thirdly, a bonus plus — of course, it should be remembered that this is all just to smooth out the use of the network, ideally, generation is needed. For lucky homeowners with a territory, everything is simple — a bunch of generators — quiet inverter or economical powerful gas, a rooftop solar power plant, and that’s it.

Here is the set that Serhiy uses.

• UPS/inverter
• Batteries

«I bought them more expensively, back in February 2023, but at that time such a 2400 Wh kit cost me $900, including the connection kit, while all sorts of Bluetti and Ecoflow cost $2,000 and you had to wait six months for them,» the developer noted.

What should those who are not so lucky do — that is, those who live in apartments?

Serhiy advises the following:

1. Buy an inverter generator just in case (by yourself or with your neighbors). As a last resort, you can put it on the balcony (it’s not possible, but it’s worth it in such conditions), or under a window if it’s on the first floor (don’t forget about the TV).
2. If you have a sunny side, especially if it has a balcony, install several solar panels, since the government has doubled and this can be done with a 0% loan. If there is access to the roof, then you need to install a solar power plant.

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