Paper on the technical and economic potential of European homes going off-grid.
-Sample of 41 million European homes
-In 2020, 53% of homes would have the technical potential to be energy-independent. By 2050, 75% could reach that target.
As the solar power dwindles this time of year and we actually have to use grid power again, I realise that for the last 5 months we've been paying a standing charge just for a damn sine wave. #solar#gridtied#offgrid
I had so much fun building my 12V powerbank in a toolbox that I built another one, this time a mini edition, with a 10Ah battery. The special feature of this one are the protected connectors. I am very happy with how it turned out. I bought the battery on a sale for half price, so the total cost was below 100PLN / 25 EUR. #diy#offgrid
W zeszłym roku spędziłem w naturze, nad jeziorem Dzierżno Duże 2 miesiące pracując i odpoczywając.
W tym roku 4 miesiące, nad mniejszym jeziorem, stacjonarnie bo plany podróży pokrzyżował bór zielony, śmiejąc się z nich ;)
W przyszłym roku zamierzam spędzić w ten sposób 6 miesięcy. Startując 1 maja. Przez zimę dostosuję sprzęt do niższych temperatur i większego zapotrzebowania na energię ze słońca.
Czy można żyć, pracować i wypoczywać w pięknych miejscach naszego kraju, #offgrid i całkowicie niezależnie? Przez 4 miesiące?
Sprawdziłem, tak.
Będę miał teraz sporo czasu by wszystko opisać, w tym moje sprawdzone, ale i chybione rozwiązania techniczne, na nowopowstającym blogu w #Fediverse.
Field testing my off-grid power and internet solution <3
Everything is working like a charm, I am writing this toot using the Wi-Fi from the modem in the picture. Power is provided by the powerbank that I built, and that light source is a 12V bulb in a standard IKEA lamp.
After some 2000km on the #bike, I can confidently say that a simple #rectifier-based AC-DC converter for a #dynamo (#forumslader) does NOT provide enough current to consistently charge a phone #battery .
Version 2 will be based on a switching power supply instead.
I wanted to have Wi-Fi on my off-grid allotment, so I made my LTE modem run on battery power. In the post I describe the build process and the list of needed parts. It's a fun and simple project for everyone with a similar need :)
If you have #solar panels on your roof, the #Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) is about to take a vote that could dramatically change your bills every month.
I'm a slightly autistic introvert, interested in a lot of things like surfing, design, technologies and computer science. Russian (native), English (foreign). 35+ yrs old.
A short primer on Off Grid food storage for short and long term: as always, do further reading on these methods.
Shelf stable pre-packaged-
You can buy 1000s of different shelf stable kinds of food, canned, pre-cooked, dried, etc. but for the long term, this is not ideal or even possible. In a SHTF situation, those kinds of food will become unavailable and not be replaced. They are only good for a short term period such as a weather disaster in an otherwise stable country or area.
Shelf stable raw-
The best shelf stable raw food that can be stored properly for many years includes whole grains in their original form such as wheat berries, oat groats, dried beans, white rice, etc. preferably that you can source in your local area so they are as fresh as possible from the start. These foods need further processing and cooking, but are shelf stable in cool, dry, dark conditions. Acquiring air tight (preferably glass) containers while they are available should be done continually.
Root cellar-
Root cellaring fresh garden vegetables is a very good 6 months to one year storage method for food such as carrots, potatoes, beets, turnips, parsnips, cabbage, onions, winter squash, apples etc. A well ventilated, organized root cellar can hold a lot of food and keep it edible for a very long time.
Dehydrate-
The easiest method of preserving food while you still have electricity, or live in hot dry climates is dehydration. Almost any fruit or vegetable and many plants can be successfully dehydrated to keep well for several years if stored air tight, cool and dark. Dehydration is essential for raisins, figs, prunes, pasta, etc. Meat and fish can also be dehydrated to jerky.
Freeze Dried-
The most expensive piece of equipment you might want to get. Food quality and nutrition is excellent for long term storage. Takes lots of electricity, time and maintenance. Not practical in extreme situations for ongoing food storage. Only good to use this method before the SHTF.
Pressure canning and cooking-
The essential way of preserving meat, fish, and cooked vegetables plus other foods such as soups, stews, cooked beans, is by pressure canning. It is the only safe way to can and store these foods in the cooked state. A pressure canner can be used on electricity, gas, and in extreme circumstances, probably wood fires although I haven't tried this. Pressure cooking is a very fast way to cook food that normally takes a long time and a lot of energy to cook.
Fermenting, smoking, salting and pickling-
The oldest method of preserving food is by fermentation or pickling and salting then smoking of meats. Vegetables, dairy, and some fruits can be fermented or pickled then kept at cool room or root cellar temperatures for extended periods. Meat, fish and cheese can be smoked. These methods use a lot of salt or vinegar which could be tricky to attain depending on where you live. The best way is to stock up on a large quantity of salt while it is easily available. Practice making your own vinegar and save the vinegar mothers to reuse. Cultures such as yogourt, cheese and sour dough can be used continually with proper considerations. Now is the time to learn how to use these food products.
In ten minutes time that lid handle will be incredibly hot because of the charcoal briquettes directly under it. But I will forget this because double #negroni. #DutchOven
Adding 200 watts of solar power to my vehicle, just like that. Spent way too much time on the mount itself. Also spent a good bit of time routing wires, installing connectors etc.
I needed a portable power source for #astrophotography and to light my garden shed. The available solutions were not powerful enough or too expensive, so I constructed my own 12V powerbank. In my blog post I talk about the design and the build process. Anyone living off-grid can build something similar and use it daily.
Still hoping to touch base with someone that has knowledge or experience with small #septic systems and leach fields.
The immediate question is depth of the trenches. Our nonprofit has community members coming today and tomorrow to dig by hand while soil still moist from Hilary.