Check out this show on The Discovery Channel called The Colony. It's about what it would be like to recolonize the world after a apocalyptic event occurred and left the world abandoned. Watch as they discover how to use batteries to capture power. This is a simple configuration that takes all the energy from the battery bank and pass it into the inverter to convert it to a usable 120V for standard lights and appliances.

The funny thing is that something so simple, generally abundant and accessible becomes a dire need and can soon cause panic when without it. As individuals, we take for granite what we have and forget that it all could be gone one day when we don't respect our environments. The colonist soon learn to take there resources serious and use them sparingly.

Check out the website at The Colony on Discovery.com