I actually have not waited until a nuke attack or any kind of SHTF to happen, IF any of that will ever happen. Possibly but on my remote mountain survival retreat with bunker etc. I do have plenty of power / electricity.
I have 2 small generators but the past five years, mainly from June to late October I use what is shown below. The fancier solar setup is a neighbor's with a cabin a couple miles down the road but my solar power is not too bad and furnishes plenty of power for my cell phone, radios etc.
I also have a hundred foot power cord running from the solar panels to the bunker / underground shelter >
This is my solar setup and also a neighbor's who I work for sometimes.
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Solar panels on sunny hillside on top of tree stump
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Solar panel box with batteries, controller and inverter >
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The above pic shows the hole I am digging for my new partially underground cabin with a view of the Snowy Range to the east. And the 3 solar panels I set on a tree stump so they are about 4 feet above ground and even when it snows in October and Nov. I can use them. The deep snow above 4 feet is usually not until December.
I plan to set solar panels even up to 20 feet above the ground. As seen below of a neighbor's solar panel on a tree >
Here is the solar panel box on the tree >
And the controller box and inverter inside the cabin >
Closeup of the lightning arrestor on the wiring box >
Empty cement hole - container for the solar batteries >
And the 4 batteries in the cement container underground that store the energy from the solar panels >
As people can see the neighbor's solar set-up is much more elaborate and expensive than mine. Last summer he even set up one more large solar panel mainly because his place is in the shade quite a bit and he wanted more when he goes up there in the winter, maybe every other month. He spends more time up there in the summer since he is a professor at a NE university.
My panels are only 15 watts and the 3 total 45 watts which is plenty since I only use electricity mainly for my tracfone and some radios. Sometimes for lights but that is mostly after Labor Day when the nights are getting longer.
My solar set up is a "cheap" Harborfreight one but it must be pretty good since it has worked well for 4 summers now. Although my 12 volt deep cycle Deka RV marine battery seems to have died just before I left late last October. So I must get another one. I almost always have just the one battery with the solar although I have also tried to use a car battery sometimes. But the RV deep cycle battery is best with solar.
There is also a voltage - small metal controller box to plug in the panel wires etc. to although I should get a new and better one of those also.
I also bought a 400 watt inverter but have a 1,200 watt inverter just in case I need more power but have not used that yet.
I also have a 3500 watt gas generator but it is at least 10 years old and needs some work. I have hardly used the gas generator since I got the solar panels 4 years ago.
Here is one out of dozens of pics I have of my bunker which is mainly a good strong secure storage area and storm shelter >
Close-up of concrete roof and stovepipe >
Link IF any wish to see many more pics, links and others shelters etc. also >
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=107463
My solar panels did not cost too much - $150 for the 3 panels, control box etc. Although the Deka RV battery was about $90 and the 400 watt inverter around $30.
And IF anyone has any other questions just ask and I will eventually answer about anything.