This rainy week has been challenging for #offgrid baking, it takes 25% of my battery to bake a #sourdough loaf, but I've managed to make 2. This one ran the battery down to 9%. #solarpunk
Here's a big #offgrid site: 5 megawatts of solar (plans for 25, think 100 acres of panels), with 3 megawatts of batteries, to charge EVs and electric semi trucks (at 1.2 megawatts).
It's wild that this is (apparently) economical now. There are surely better arbitrage opportunities with a grid connection, to charge the batteries from the grid and sell back to the grid as well as selling EV fast charges.
But interconnection lag be damned, we need this now.
This one took weeks to write. It's about me finding a way to significantly reduce the power consumption of a Raspberry Pi Pico W working as a weather station, collecting environmental data.
I am also writing about powering the Pico using solar panels, and this time it's a success, my weather station can now run indefinitely, powered by the sun!
Gestern bin ich auf #Risiko gegangen und habe die Popkornmaschine über das Bordnetz des #Velostudio laufen lassen Auf dem Foto ist der Stecker in der Steckdose die ich über einen Wandler aus den Batterien mit 240 Volt speisen kann. Und: es geht - und sogar ziemlich lange. Gestartet bin ich mit 52 Volt Batteriespannung. Der Wandler schaltet sich bei 45 Volt ab. Bis da hin wurde drei Stunden #Popkorn gemacht. Da hätte ich eine Option für #OffGrid Popkorn ;-) #Energiewende#Fahrrad#Dortmund
Video Overview of the Meshtastic Radio Mobile App Interface and Settings
This video explores what the Android app looks like, how to use the main screens, and what various settings and menu options it has. It gives a good feel of how you’d use Meshtastic radio communications from the app to control the radio settings and ...continues
Does anyone have experience with #humanure processing?
We're weighing the pros and cons of #biogas digestion and typical turn-heavy aerobic #composting. Also thinking about a combination of the two but going from anaerobic to aerobic processing could create more labor.
The downside of #offgrid living - while at our friends in Edinburgh we topped up the car overnight on their charger. 69% to 100% battery at a cost of about £2.
I know we're no worse off than those living in flats or those with on-street parking, but the profit margins for the companies and councils owning the charging infrastructure must be sky high.
And I still don't understand why Perth & Kinross can charge 54p a unit for their chargers while Highland Council gouges 70p from us.
The fun of self build. I've spent most of the day working out how to design a sewage treatment plant and drainage field where the water table almost reaches the surface in winter.
I'm now looking at a holding tank and pump to squirt the outgoing liquid from the treatment plant into a "drainage mound". As the saying goes ... its a load of sh1t.
My next task this weekend is to do a "percolation test" so I know how big to make everything.
Climbing the #EnergyAccess ladder at a Finnish #offgrid summer cottage:
The first PV panel 15yrs ago was 40W and ok for phone charging and 2 LEDs (tier 1)
The current 160W panel has been ok for using a laptop for several hours a day (tier 2)
Now I brought two additional 400W panels in order to power a fridge (tier 3).
A new battery might not be necessary if I keep the thermal mass inside the fridge high with water bottles etc and install one of the new panels towards east and one west.
Not as "prise it out of my cold dead hands" as I expected, so I won't be grappling with the dilemma of paying Elon more than £1k/year. Phew!
It's impressively easy to set up and use and works on the roof of my #narrowboat. The 45W consumption has some downside but the fact is I really can do 99% of what I want using a 4G mobile at £240/year. So it's not worth the money to me.
My friend, also on a boat, uses it for endless video conferences. #offgrid
#Internet#Starlink#5G#SolarPanels#OffGrid#Technology
I was hoping for advice /help please ,I am not at all clear about 5g and other off grid internet options.I had 4g my last place it seemed to use very little power ,but had to be ended when the forestry blocked the signal.Here we have highland wifi ,but my daughters getting starlink which I refuse to use ,EVER .I will carry on paying for highland wifi ,but need something portable for use in a tent/caravan at the off grid site below soon
A Non-Technical Introduction Video to Meshtastic Off-Grid Radio Communications
This is an open-source solution that works with inexpensive LoRa radios, and your mobile phone or laptop, to be able to pass messages directly, or in shared channels, between the various nodes with no Internet or mobile phone coverage required.
Three Meshtastic nodes are active in Cape Town for off-grid communications during disasters or just to meet your neighbours
Myself and two other ham radio operators have established 3 Meshtastic nodes that will operate 24/7 to help build out more connectivity across Cape Town.
We are using license-free 868 MHz radios, so anyone can buy these cheap (ish) devices and ge ...continues
Last september, my #landlord decided to double my #rent, effectively kicking me out of my #home of 11 years. I fell into #depression. Luckily my parents own a plot of #land, and thus, with my dads help, i set off to build a #tinyhouse without rent. After 4 months and several tens of thousands of dollars of materials (which i raised by selling old #videogame collectables), i am ready to move in.
This thing is fully #offgrid. I use a #composting#toilet to do my business, which then goes into the small #garden on the right. I have a #rainbarrel to catch #rain water for my #water system, which is #filtered by rocks, to shower and stuff. I am in the process of building out a #solar system to #power the thing (my solar system should cost about $2000 to build out). My family owns this #land, so no rent. I have brought my living expenses down by thousands per month.
Fun number of the day. Our EV charging station has delivered more than 2MWh (2'000'000Wh) since it's been installed. Reminder: we are offgrid. Living only from the sun. It amazes me every time.
this is me showing my nibling how to harvest salt from the shoreline rocks. it hasn't rained for 3 weeks (very unusual for east hawai'i! it's because of El Niño.), so the salt nooks were in peak shape!
every patch tasted just a bit differently!
the story i had heard was: to gather salt at the shoreline, wait for a big storm with big waves. then, wait for everything to completely dry out. then go look for white salt deposits in the depressions in the rocks.
i figured that even though i hadn't remembered a big storm, 3 weeks of zero rain would certainly result in some good salt buildup. i was right!
cliff salt isn't just salty, it tastes like the sea. a friend told me: "it's concentrated mana from the ocean." it's not like eating table salt.
plus, we were just using the tips of our fingers to get a little out of the caves, so we weren't eating it by the tablespoon. we didn't harvest any to take home, we just did taste tests. by the time we'd tried a bunch, we didn't want any more salt.
it's good to know that should the boats ever stop coming to the island, i know where my nearest salt is: a mere 5 miles away, completely downhill. 🌊 🌋