Just get a small inverter generator. They are good for electronics, as they have no real power fluctuation. http://www . electric generators direct . com
Where do you live, Antarctica? I suggest moving to civilisation! Also, you should use a UPS to prevent the 20 seconds downtime, you don't want to lose power just as you are about to place a big order. Or just use the poor man's UPS/generator, i.e. a trading laptop. With 7-10 hour batteries nowadays, that covers one whole market session, two if you have a backup laptop/battery. You can then recharge outside market hours, using backup batteries, generator, dynamo etc. For laughs, get a bicycle-powered dynamo - lose weight and keep fit while powering your computer and lights during longer power outages. "I can't hear you, pedal faster"
I installed one for a customer a few years ago, well my electrician and plumber did most of the work. It is a nice set up, it turns itself on I think it was once a week for a few minutes. The specs recommended a higher pressure on the natural gas line than what was at the house but everything worked fine.
If you're going to set up stanby power, you should first asess your perils. If you're in an earthquake region, a natural gas utility would probably be the first thing to shut down or fail. If you're in a hurricane region, you won't be able to get fuel. That does not mean you have to have a 500 gallon tank. You can have 10 gas cans (5 gal each) and go get 50 gallons of fuel before a storm and use leftovers in the cars, boat, etc. The 50 gallons plus the fuel already in the system should carry you until you can get fuel. Too big of a tank on any system results in bad fuel from sitting. If you're in a flood zone, don't forget to elevate your system. Add some freeboard because flood maps assume average, not worse case, floods. Transfer switches have to be approved by the local electric utility in most regions. They will advise you for free. And whatever type system you get, make sure you run it periodically. Nothing is worse than a standby system that fails. Properly designed, installed and maintained, it's your best friend during an otherwise tough time. You will have more friends than you ever knew you had. Air Conditioning, hot showers and regular food are awesome when the town is half gone. I say that from experience.
+1. In this instance I would stand on my porch/front yard w/ an AK and say "no one can come in unless they can help me optimize my trend following system to account for chop or if you're a proud member of ET (I'd look up your handle before letting you in)."
I live in suburbia and I can say with confidence the power does go out here for a total of 1-2 weeks out of the year. There will be snowstorms, rainstorms and other such things which will take the power out for 2-3 days at a time....usually the power goes out at the most inopportune times. The outage usually disturbs my entire lifestyle and I have to operate essentially back in the dark ages. I have seen generators which operate on propane and there are some that operate on gasoline.
The issue with less expensive generators is that air cool are not reliable. Liquid cool generators have a longer life. Also less expensive generators use brushes, brushes can get dust and sand in them which can cause problems. Brushless technology is better.