So made a post a while back about the power grid features and basically got the response that it was all vehicle related but stuff but have since noticed people with screen shots of installed solar panels in safe houses, is there new gear that can be powered by such systems or are they just putting the vehicle stuff in their home and powering that way?
The latter. No active power constructions have been implemented yet, as far as I know.
I think there are plans for non-vehicular power systems someday, perhaps as constructions, but from what I can tell thats a “someday” project.
To make an electrical system correctly you would need the various gauges of insulated wire as that limits the current that can go through them or you overload the circuit and cause fires. Hooking it back into the ‘grid’ isn’t going to work as that would just be a massive sink. So it would have to be isolated.
If you put too much load on a circuit but didn’t have any type of breaker or way to trip/shut it off automatically, it would start melting/frying the circuit and look fire. That’s not even talking about the 3-5 various Big Companies and standards for breakers and Service in the U.S.
I can see many fires in the future if it’s ever coded, which is how is should be. It’s all mathematical though so at least that part would help. Every device connected to it would need a wattage draw. You would need to break it into circuits etc. If all of it was in 1 big circuit, it would just trip or the load would be too big for the gauge of the wire and heat up.
All of this is assuming you could find/make decent gear for us. There would be pieces of it all over in hardware stores for a while.
From personal experience try and install it when your hands are all 1/2 numb from the cold. That brings back too many memories of helping my Dad with his electrical business in Minnesota in the winter. Have to heat up the wire so you can unbend it and then pull it before it get’s cold again is not a fun experience to do for a day or two as you (rough in) wire a house. Another day or two to put all the devices (Plugs/switches/lights etc) in after drywall is painted (this is as an experienced installer, inexperienced people will take much longer, there’s many tricks and techniques that save time, and having a Master electrician with 15+ years show you how it’s done and why helps).
Also many specialized tools help. Like mastering the use of this:
So you go “what the?” the bend, makes it spin, really fast. Makes putting a screw in for a plug/switch simple, provided you can apply constant center pressure so it doesn’t spin off. I can put a screw in about 3-5s on average. If the house is properly prepped before final installation. I can put a single device in with the cover in about 1-2 minutes. You don’t see them used in many other fields because electrical devices screws into plastic, there isn’t much pre threaded spots, and you don’t need torque.
You can use a drill too, but lugging a drill around, pulling it up, putting the screw on. The screwdriver above is actually faster. I’ve done it both ways and after a house your wrist is far more sore from holding a drill all day. Also you don’t over drill.
It would be cool to do though, even if it was a bit simpler with wind and solar panels. Although solar panels in this game generate way too much power.
If I had the desire to code I think I would work on it.
But, @ the age of 20, I went for the newer IT jobs over 16 years ago. Considering the construction style job decline due to a few Depreession’s we’ve had it wasn’t a bad choice overall for me.
I feel like a gas powered generator would work pretty well too, and wouldn’t require hooking things back up to the grid.