[TXplt]

Totally agree. How did we get to this point? I'm no spring chicken but I ain't that old either. Growing up in the mid-west in the 70's and 80's everyone would have been considered radical preppers by today's standards. We had thunderstorms in the summer and fall that knocked power out for hours/days. We had snow and ice storms that knocked power out for hours/days+ in the winter. We had wind in the spring that knocked power out for hours/days. And of course, we had 1970's - 1980's grid technology that failed at random times simply because it was 70's and 80's technology. We knew it. We expected it. We prepared for it. It was not an "alternate lifestyle". It was life. You were not a "prepper". You were just prepared.

I shudder to think what would happen today if the S really did hit the F.

The big difference then is there weren't the stupid rules in construction limiting fireplaces, and that furnaces or heat sources IN construction ran without electricity. Those are rare now if you're in a suburban area with newer homes; usually there's so much building rule crap and restrictions that most everything needs electricity to function.

 

[TXplt]

I was just posting in another thread about renewable energy and how it can be successful. Down in Kodiak they have been 99% renewable (wind and hydro) since 2014 and they have some harsh weather conditions. It can be done, but only if you properly engineer it with a safety factor (such as irregular weather), have the proper geography for the system, and you take the necessary steps to maintain the system. Miss one of those three items and you will have a failure.

lol....ALL energy is renewable and all is not. (for the 'not' part all forms of energy devolve into heat).

Some of it just takes a wee bit longer to renew (like millions of years).

At the end of the day everything non-nuclear comes from the sun anyway. In fact, coal is a form of solar energy. I oughta use that on my 'green' friends.

It comes down to suitability for ones' needs. Which energy source best functions reliably for the local situation. If ya got a shiteload of coal, use coal. If ya got a shiteload of water energy, use it. If ya got a shiteload of wood (and it isn't gonna mar your landscape to harvest it) use that. And so forth. Haven't built my own reactor yet, but if this [email protected] thing continues it may well be in the cards (and no, I'm NOT getting a license if I figure a way to get and split the uranium or whatever fissile material I might need).

 

[Get Out]

If you haven't checked your camping, survival or recreation gear in a while do so now. Don't wait for a Texas scenario to catch you flat footed. I keep extra camping propane bottles on hand stored in the garage in case of power outages. I found 2 of my 6 bottles had lost propane gas pressure and were empty.