The last thing you want to worry about after a real-life emergency is a dying cell phone battery.
Accurately preparing for an emergency can be tricky but there are a few steps you can take to rule out some potential troubles. Take what precautions your can by assembling a survival kit that’s complete with backup solar power.
Top 3 Recommendations
- Understand the potential risks in your particular community.
- Have a plan of action. In the event of an emergency, the whole family should have an agreed-upon plan of action. Discuss potential meeting locations and establish third party emergency contacts.
- Prepare survival materials accordingly. Keep one or two disaster kits stocked with basic survival supplies:
- Water and Food
- Emergency Radio
- First Aid Kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Bandana or mask to help filter the air
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for sanitation
- Pocket knife with a can opener
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Space blanket for heat
- Any needed medication, diapers, etc.
- Backup Battery with solar power to charge phones
Oddly enough, emergency power isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when putting together a survival kit. Here are a few steps to make sure you won’t be left in the dark.
Identify Critical Loads: What do you need?
Figure out what you’ll actually need in the event of an emergency. Unless you plan on spending tens of thousands to to run the AC and watch TV during a disaster situation, you’ll need to prioritize. Solar itself is inexpensive but storing that energy in batteries can easily drain your wallet.
The word need might seem pretty relative, but a realistic goal is keeping your cell phones charged and maybe a couple LED lamps in the evening.
Choose a solar charging system
For modest power needs, this little guy might be all you need.
Keep your cell phone charged on the go with this durable, lightweight solar charger.
The JOOS Orange is reliable and waterproof, delivering power for your iPhone, GPS, Camera, cell phone, and all your other hand-held electronics wherever you go.
The JOOS Orange will charge in the shade and even light rain! If you have a tight budget but you want to keep your cell phone powered during a blackout, the JOOS Orange is the right choice for you. 
Keep your cell phone charged for 5W for 95 hours with the Adventure Power, a “plug and play” solar power system for emergency situations.
The Adventure Power has a 60Ah internal battery that gives you consistent, reliable energy while on the go or during a blackout! You can add more batteries if you think you’ll need more power. Keep all your critical loads powered through the Adventure Power’s 4 AC receptacles or 2 USB ports.
Want to get technical? Calculate your load requirements here.
After using GoGreenSolar’s load calculator to get a quick breakdown of typical wattage requirements for common appliances and estimate how much electricity your critical loads will consume. Once you know how many Watt-hours you would use on a daily basis, you can select the right portable solar system for your emergency kit.
Learn more about off-grid solar batteries here.
Wh = mAh × V / 1000
mAh = Wh × 1000 / V
What kind of portable solar charger do you keep in your survival kit?
