In times of emergencies, electrical grid power is the first to go out. Blackouts, floods, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, landslides, you name it, the natural world can unleash catastrophes which leave people without basic services, and especially sources of electricity.

Solar energy is an excellent source of power for charging batteries especially in emergencies and prolonged blackouts. Available in some degree every day and everywhere on the planet, solar energy can be a practical source of power for use anytime, day or night, for powering smart phones, GPS, cameras, and other consumer electronics in an emergency.

This book describes how to build a solar power supply and system which is portable, rugged, and sturdy in construction, highly efficient at battery charging, and produces DC power through a Universal 12 VDC "cigarette-style" plug or USB output day or night on demand to power electronics for outdoor use and during natural disasters.

A personal rugged power utility, the "emergency sun" is a portable solar power system which charges internal rechargeable AA batteries to provide power at any time and nearly anyplace by simply plugging in.

Available in most hardware stores around the world, the rechargeable AA battery format as the storage technology of choice provides a least-toxic battery technology, universally available, safe to fly, ship, and travel, and provides up to 600 charge and discharge cycles per typical battery set - allowing daily use for about a year and a half on one set of batteries. The solar panel has an estimated life of over 25 years for a long useful life.

The emergency sun design described in this book can be built using the Emergency Sun Kit, which contains all of the parts you'll need, or you can source the components on your own. A complete parts list and tool list is provided with complete procedures for building your own portable solar power supply.