Short story.... my Mom wanted a wireless mouse for her computer. She is frugal like most elderly that lived through the depression era. She hated the battery life and buying new batteries. I then showed her how to swap out the nicad batteries in her solar yard lights every few weeks. She has the type of “solar” yard / landscaping lights all over her yard, adjacent to walks and patios, in raised flower bed planters etc .... about 60 or more on her property. She loves the “free” recharging of AA batteries !
We use such as well at our home as storm lighting when power fails. The different types allow us to walk outside and grab a few off the patio and bring them indoors for use as emergency lighting and put em back during the day as “passive” battery chargers. AA type solar yard lights used so we keep a few SW/AM/FM radios, Flashlights and other AA sourced gadgets that can use the NiCad’s that stay topped off all the time.
Our home has an enclosed central courtyard where pilfering and theft threat is moot shy of the dedicated corpse that wants to get a free solar yard light from two rottweilers and a armed homeowner by crawling over the roof to get in the middle of a shit storm for a AA battery.....:o)
One of the bosnian conflict “improvised” wind and water type generators I saw used the GM type alternators that had an internal regulator. Cheap from a junk or abandoned car, easy to rig up to every thing from a indoor exercise bike to a water wheel or wind generator using an old box fan etc etc ...
They work.....
Some ideas, my opinion and experience for cheap sources of power.
Stay safe !
Selfbump For review. Thanks pal.