You’re cold. And your family is hungry. But all the stores locked their doors weeks ago, when the shelves were emptied by frenzied crowds.
Even if they were open, you wouldn’t have the money to buy supplies. Credit cards have been deemed 100% worthless pieces of plastic and you ran out of cash the first week…
Along with everyone else.
That’s why, on the second week, crowds stormed financial institutions and broke into ATMs, vending machines, and even parking meters. After that, Americans quickly realized that two new currencies rule the day — barter and theft.
Planes, trains, and automobiles have long been left stranded. Gas stations were siphoned dry by panicked mobs weeks ago.
Ships were abandoned, too. Unable to unload cargoes, they were ransacked and left at sea. Air-traffic control systems have been down since day one. Not a single plane has been seen in the sky for a month.
Backup power for cell towers faded a week ago… telephone and Internet is lost completely. Radio and TV stations have stopped broadcasting. Communication systems for police and firefighters were the last to fail — but they too went down.
Water treatment plants? They’ve been inoperable for a few weeks, and potable water is now a rare commodity. As a result, raw sewage has been seeping into lakes and streams, making many people sick.
In turn, diseases like dysentery and cholera are spreading and running rampant. And without refrigeration for drugs, hospitals can’t help the sick and dying.
Forget a collapse of the monetary system for a moment: America’s grid is the REAL glass jaw that could bring this country to its knees — inweeks.
Unfortunately, we are far too dependent on the crumbling grid.
That’s why, today, we’re going to show you the BEST, most affordable solution for becoming independent of the grid when/if you need it most.
More on that in a moment.
We bring this nightmare scenario up today for a reason…
If you, like us, are on the East Coast… Joaquin just missed us.
It’s times like these, though, when we’re happy — and feel fairly vindicated — to be one of the “paranoids.” Because we’re already pretty well prepared if things get hairy.
But the “beauty” of hurricanes is, of course, you have plenty of time to do what you need to before they hit. Provided you act quickly enough before the herd.
So, if you haven’t already, at least go out there and get the essentials.
If you’re lucky enough to be out of Jaoquin’s supposed path, don’t get too comfy…
As you’ll see in a moment, given the dismal state of our grid, the whole shebang could fall apart at anytime — with or without a major storm to push it over the edge.
We hope you’re aware of what the American Society of Civil Engineers wrote in their Report Card For America’s Infrastructure.
If not… and even if so… take a quick look…
Report Card For America’s Infrastructure
Energy — D+: Outages and disturbances cost up to $180 billion in annual economic activity
Dams — D: More than 4.000 require repair or replacement
Drinking Water — D-: Local systems leak an estimated 7 billion gallons daily
Bridges — C: 26 percent either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete
Rail — C-: System reaching capacity in bottleneck areas
Wastewater — D-: More than 850 billion gallons of sewage discharged into surface waters annually
Levees — D-: About 9% expected to fail during flood events
Aviation — D: Air-traffic control system outdated and inefficient
Roads — D-: Congestion wastes some 3 billion gallons of fuel each year
In short, America’s infrastructure is crumbling. And, to be frank, it’s teetering on the brink of failure.
Unpredictable weather patterns, solar flares, cyber-attacks, EMPs, and other potential malicious attacks threaten the grid far more than our officials are willing to admit.
And because the grid is so idiotically interconnected, we’re at risk of experiencing a domino effect of one big rolling blackout — where most of our 5,800 power plants follow the first lemming off the cliff.
That’s why, today, no matter where you are, we urge you to heed the following advice from our friends at Independent Living News…
In a moment, you’re going to learn how to secede from your local utility — and get your energy independence with four simple solutions. (Don’t miss Option #5 below. It is, in our opinion, the absolute best solution on the market to free yourself from over-dependence on the grid. And hundreds of Americans agree.)
Make sure you read every word. If you’re still 100% dependent on the grid, it’s never been more important.
Read closely…
How to Secede From Your Local Utility With Five Simple Solutions
By Lee Bellinger
We’ve been warning readers for months, even years, that America’s power grid is overburdened, out-of-date and totally unreliable.
You can customize your home power generation system to fit your needs and budget. Most of the technologies mentioned below qualify for a 30% federal tax credit as well as many state and local utility incentives to cut down on your costs and keep more of your taxes in your own pocket.
If you build a big enough system, combine the technologies, and design it right, you could produce all the power you need night and day and completely cut yourself off from the local utility.
However, unless you have a property that’s far from local utility connections and generating your own power is a necessity, most choose to generate power at home to cut their costs and save money, while benefiting from a reliable backup system when the local utility’s automatic and “not so smart” systems goof up.
Option #1 – Home Fuel Cells
Out of the four options discussed here, use of a home fuel cell, also known as microgeneration, is the only one that is non-renewable.
This is not the same kind of fuel cell concept that requires space-age technology or rare elements like liquefied hydrogen to work. No, this system is actually quite robust. It requires a fuel source (i.e. natural gas) to operate and produce energy. And it is efficient because within the same unit it will generate both power and heat.
A home fuel cell is relatively compact, quiet, and works a lot like a home furnace, except that it heats water, heats the home, and generates anywhere from 1 to 5 kilowatts of electricity, or more for a bigger system.
As long as you have a reliable and uninterrupted fuel source, the fuel cell can produce energy 24-hours a day.
Fuel cells may also qualify for the 30% federal tax credit. According to the IRS you must install an “integrated system comprised of a fuel cell stack assembly and associated balance of plant components that converts a fuel into electricity using electrochemical means.“
To qualify for the credit, [the equipment] must have a nameplate capacity of at least one-half kilowatt of electricity using an electrochemical process and an electricity-only generation efficiency greater than 30%. The credit is limited to “30% of the cost, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity” and it is only available on a principal residence, not a second home.
Option #2 – Solar Power
The sun is a great source of renewable energy. Almost everyone has access to the sun and even people who live in seemingly “dark” latitudes, like Germany, generate a ton of watts from solar power. So you don’t have to live in a tropical or desert environment to take advantage of solar power.
You should keep a few things in mind when considering a move to solar power. You’ll need room for the solar panels. They could be mounted on a rooftop or the ground. The panels should point in a southward direction to get the most sun exposure. And you want to make sure the light isn’t blocked by other things like a tall building, trees, or even nearby mountains, which would effectively shorten the day.
Installed solar electricity systems qualify for the 30% federal tax credit as well as many state and local utility incentives. And the red tape is minimal. Buy photovoltaics (solar panels) to generate electricity for your home and you can claim the credit.
Option #3 – Home Wind Turbine Power
We’ve been harnessing the wind’s power for centuries. However, turning it into electricity and delivering that power where it’s needed most in a cost-effective manner may prove to be the biggest challenge.
After decades of government subsidies and special favors, the wind power industry still can’t stand on its own merits. However, if you live an area with adequate wind and install the right-sized wind turbine, you could generate an abundant amount of power for your own needs.
Even if the wind in your area is not constant, you can combine a wind turbine with any of the other technologies like solar power or a fuel cell and raise your level self-reliance.
Wind energy also qualifies for the 30% federal tax credit, and like solar power, it has little red tape to follow: Simply use a wind turbine to generate electricity for your home, and it qualifies.
Option #4 – Home or Micro Hydroelectric
Out of the four technologies mentioned here, this is the only one that does not qualify for the federal tax credit. But if you live in an area with high rain or snowfall, live near a flowing water source, or harvest your rain/snowmelt, this could greatly improve your energy independence.
The design of this system is simple. A pool of water at a high vertical level, piping that guides the water down using gravity, and shooting the water through nozzles at a pelton wheel turbine, which spins and generates electricity.
Combining a home hydroelectric system with other power generating systems would further enhance your overall energy independence.
First published here.
