Sweet Tatorman's blog

Battery Power in a Salvage Economy

  • Posted on: 21 March 2020
  • By: Sweet Tatorman

Here at Green Wizards we like to promote a "Renascence man (or woman)" style of learning, where you don't be a specialist know one subject well, but a generalist, knowing many subjects half way well. There was a time in American culture where blue collar workers, could and did discuss in the public square all sorts of important subjects.

One such Green Wizard is the gentleman who goes by the name of "Sweet Tatorman". If you've visited our forums, you will often see him sharing his plant, farm and garden knowledge. He knows much more and sent me this detailed discussion on battery tech.

Enjoy and learn...

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Battery Power in a Salvage Economy by Sweet Tatorman


A 21 cell grouping from a Ford C-Max Energi
A 21 cell grouping from a Ford C-Max Energi. The entire battery is comprised of 4 such groups.


Over the years I have given quite a bit of thought as well as performed hands on experiments on the matter of rechargeable battery power in a savage economy. In this post I will discuss what is available should the grid go down long term with a focus on low power usage such as LED lighting and low power electronics. My focus is not on large storage capacity arrangements such as a fully capable system sized for refrigerator/freezer/microwave oven etc. I will discuss available battery types and the characteristics and utilization of each type. Implicit in much of the discussion is that the charging means will be via solar panels.

Up until a couple of years ago I was considering only 12V lead-acid (Lb-acid) automotive batteries and small Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries of the type found in various consumer electronics and cordless power tools. My rational was/is that both types are readily at hand for everybody. A couple of years ago I broadened my focus to include hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and full EV autos. Previously I had ignored these but I received a request from an in-law mechanic to develop testing methodology for evaluating batteries in hybrid autos suitable for non-dealership mechanics with limited resources. Fulfilling that request necessitated a close look at the state of hybrid auto battery technology leading to the conclusion that hybrid/plug-in hybrid/full EV autos should also be viewed as a battery resource.

A brief description of how the battery in a regular (not plug-in) hybrid operates is in order.