Hi Mr. Rawles:
Thank you so much for your efforts on this blog as well as Rawles Gets You Ready. I have a question that I haven’t seen addressed. Are there products out there based on pedal power? Meaning, I can’t afford a real alternative energy system or a large storage area for gasoline. What I’d like is a way to keep a few deep cycle batteries charged to power my rechargeable AA-size batteries (do they make rechargeable batteries in any other size?), my cordless power tools and other objects. There must be alternator/bicycle systems to do that but I can’t find any. Also, I’d like to power a water pump by bicycle so that I can draw water from my well or the creek a couple of hundred yards away. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks, – Joe F.
JWR Replies: Yes, there are several proven products. See the SurvivalBlog archives. For battery charging, it is probably best to use a fairly large generator to charge a pair of 6 volt DC deep cycle batteries. Then, you can use that battery bank as a 12 volt power source for an automobile-type charger for AA Batteries
