I am not making progress on my system as quickly as I would like, but I have most of it here now. That is with no wind power since the wind power equipment requires different charge controllers.

Part of the issue is that solar can be purchased in $100 to $200 increments, so as I get extra cash, I buy solar power system components at about that rate. Wind power kits require the purchase to be in around $450 increments. That makes scaling a system up or down a bit more tricky.

The other thing with solar is that I make use of roof space on trailers that is otherwise not being used. Once the solar stuff is mounted, its done, no getting it out to set up once I park somewhere, but then there is a limit to how much power someone can make in those small square footage areas, so a real retreat ready system would be more like what Walfred's associates have. It has to include stuff that gets taken out ans set up somehow.

One survival structure option some people are looking at on youtube is knock down buildings. These are panelized construction buildings which are designed as prefabricated and take a half day or so to set up or break down. It is not majorly difficult to set them up with solar panels that go on roof sections.

The idea on all of this off grid power is not so much SHTF/WROL having power in the middle of the big city when nobody else has it but obviously that is one of the benefits in the "what if" scenario, but in normal times, it allows you to use locations which are normally much less costly due to lacking regular utilities.

In the food cart business here in Portland, that means the difference between a $50-$100 per month location in a parking lot vs a $350-$600 per month location with power and or water. Those locations normally used for the "food carts" which are usually a converted trailer of some sort and the main reason this place is getting to be a culinary destination for tourists. We have gourmet food from street vendors all over the place at prices roughly comparable to fast food joints, which just are not opening new stores very often at all in Portland proper. That's just one sort of business.

Another business that some people used to do along the Oregon coast (but I had not seen them for a long time0 was they would go and set up in large empty parking lots at strategic locations with what was pretty close to the same stuff you would see in a Harbor Freight store. Roughly the same prices too, but they were setting up in communities where shipping costs otherwise nail the consumers pretty hard, not to mention the convenience issue of being nearby. Someone running a business like that with an off grid living arrangement then has the option of setting up in empty lots for very little money as opposed to needing to rent houses, apartments or commercial retail space at higher rates, yet with off grid power systems they can live relatively comfortably.

Remember for the younger family types, we want to promote the lifestyles which are less dependent on "the system" to survive. Promoting self sufficiency and actually providing the resources for it.