Recent projections made by the GEAB (Global Europe Anticipation Bulletin)point to March 2009 as the tipping point which will have consequences of similar magnitude to the systemic crisis of last fall. Their headline reads: “Global systemic crisis – new tipping-point in March 2009: ‘When the world becomes aware that this crisis is worse than the 1930’s crisis’”. Is GEAB a source worth listening to? Well, they correctly projected the financial crisis of the fall of 2008 many months in advance. You can examine their track record on their website by CLICKING HERE.
Could GEAB be wrong? Yes, inspite of the fact that their economic projections have been extremely accurate in the past, they could be wrong. If that is the case, it doesn’t change that fact that even if things don’t get worse than they are right now, we are currently in the worst economic crisis of recent history. It also brings into sharp focus that those who start growing their own food, learning and developing alternative energy systems for their homes, and simplifying their lives, will be at a great advantage. In other words, there’s no better time than now to learn about and start practicing self sufficient living.
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A new movie called “America’s Cities: The Coming Crisis” reminds us why self sufficient living is a better way of life. The film is a documentary featuring interviews with top experts from leading universities, Washington, D.C., and the military which point to a looming crisis headed for America’s metropolitan centers.
While the potential of disaster is certainly a good argument for moving to the country, learning to grow your own food and setting up an alternative energy system, there’s an even better reason for self sufficient living – it’s just a healthier, more sane way to live. CLICK HERE to see the first movie trailer at www.thecitymovie.com.
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With the advent of modern conveniences, wood cook stoves have long since been replaced with either electric or gas ranges. But with an increased interest in self sufficient living, interest has also been growing in wood cook stoves. Although it takes some practice to learn to cook with these stoves, the work is well worth it, and will be found to be invaluable in the coming days. We recommend the Flame View, an Amish built stove.
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An important aspect of self sufficient living is the need for long term food storage. While many people depend daily on the supermarket for their meals (some even shop between meals), recent disasters such as Katrina, remind us that situations can quickly change, making it difficult to depend on the grocery store to supply our needs.
While definitions may vary, I think a one-year supply is reasonable. Utilizing a variety of preservation and storage methods, most families can acheive this goal with a little planning and budgeting.
Rather than deal with the topic in depth on this blog, check out http://www.longtermfoodstorageblog.org.
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The main component of a home wind power system is the wind turbine. The main determining factor in power output is the diameter of the blades or roter on the turbine. The other parts of the system are the tower, wiring, batteries, charge control, and invertor. If you are using wind in conjunction with solar or hydro, then you can utilize the same battery bank and invertor (you will need a separate charge controler). While towers should be at least 30 feet high, higher is better. In fact, there’s 40% more wind at 100 feet elevation than there is at ground level.
Most home wind power systems use towers that are supported with guy wires. These are assembled at ground level and then tilted up into position. These types of towers can often be assembled with no more than two people.
When selecting a wind turbine, make sure you know the unit’s power curve. This refers to the optimum wind-speed range. For example, many systems produce optimum electric output in a range of 20-30 mph. If the average wind on your site is outside that range, then you’ll want to make sure you get a system designed accordingly. To determine average wind speed, you can do that manually, by setting up an anemometer and recording results for at least three months. You can also purchase a system to calculate the average for you.
Typcial cost for a wind generator system starts at about $3,200.00 if you’re willing to do the installation yourself.
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Today we’ll pick up our discussion of hydroelectric generator systems where we left off in our last post. Let’s discuss the power output to be expected from a water source. To determine that, we first need to know the flow rate and the head (difference in elevation over which the water will travel in a pipe to get to the turbine. The most efficient type of wheel – the pelton turbine – will require a minimum head of about 20 feet (at least 50 feet is better). You can still generate electricity with less head, but you’ll need to turn to a reaction or propellor type of turbine, and you will see less power output. To determine the head, simply measure the difference in elevation from the pipe intake to the location where the turbine will be mounted. The flow rate can be determined quite simply with the use of a bucket and a stop watch. Simply measure the amount of water delivered per minute.
Now to determine how much power the water source will produce, use this equation:
Net Head (in feet) X Flow (gallons per minute) / 10 = Power (Watts)
Keep in mind that “net” head means we have to account for friction loss in the pipe using a friction loos flow chart. The larger the pipe, the less friction loss.
So if we have 50 feet of net head and 100 gallons per minute, the expected power output woud be 500 watts, or 1/2 Kilowatt.
The cost for a domestic micro hydro system (including hydrogenerator, charge control, batteries, and inverter) can be anywhere from $4,000 – $6,500.00 depending on the type of components you select. This does not include pipe which would vary from site to site.
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While solar power offers tremendous advantages over non-sustainable energy, it’s hard to beat hydroelectric generator systems. If you have a good source of water and some difference in elevation, then hydro electric may be right for you. With a year around water source, one advantage of micro hydro power is that it is generated all the time – not just when the sun is out. Another plus for hydro is that it can be less expensive than setting up a solar system. There is a downside, however, and that is that micro hydro systems do have moving parts, which means periodic maintainance and/or breakdown.
We use the word “micro” to designate small, domestic power generator systems. Micro hydro turbines are readily available from alternative energy retailers. When it comes to water turbines, the Pelton Turbine is considered superior for it’s efficiency. A simple system involves delivering water downhill through a pipe to the the pelton turbine which is attached to an alternator that charges a battery bank. Systems can be extremely simple and yet very effective. For example, many simply use PVC pipe and a truck alternators attached to the turbine. You do need sufficient drop in elevation from the water source to the turbine, as well as ample flow of water.
Keep in mind that the pelton turbine is not necessarily the best in all circumstances. If the water source has plenty of volume but not as much drop in elevation, then a propellor or reaction type turbine will work better.
In our next post we’ll discuss the amount of drop that is needed for a typical domestic hydro electric generator system as well as sources for turbines and other equipment.
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This is a follow-up from yesterday’s post in which we looked at the use of solar energy for heating domestic water. Hot water solar panels are relatively simple to install. There is plenty of information online regarding this approach to heating water. CLICK HERE to see a website which provides information explaining how this type of system works, and how to install the panels.
If you want to save money and are interested in a construction project, you can find plans for building your own system. CLICK HERE to view a sample website with plans and instructions for a rudimentary system. With a bit of ingenuity you could improve on this, but it shows how simple a system can be and still effectively produce a significant amount of hot water.
Here’s a great resource for many aspects of solar power including a chapter on heating water. Click the image or CLICK HERE for more information.
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An important consideration for self sufficient living involves hot water. There is really no excuse these days for doing without hot water as there are several ways to get it. While it might be considered a modern comfort, it can be a necessity for the use of hydrotherapy (we’ll have to cover that in a future post). One important method to obtain hot water is by tapping into the energy of the sun.
A simple solar water heating system pumps cold water to a collector and then the heated water flows back to a storage tank. The water pipes in the collector are attached to an absorber plate, painted black to absorb the heat from the sun. As heat builds up in the collector, it raises the temperature of the water passing through the tubes which finally flows to the storage tank. A good system will even heat water on a cloudy day.
The use of hot water solar panels is simple and doesn’t create any pollution. More elaborate systems can even be used to heat a home through the use of radiant heat tubing.
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With food shortages looming around the world, there’s no better time to adopt self sufficient living and start growing your own food. Just last spring, the Wall Street Journal published an article addressing the prospect of a food crisis right here in the United States. The article written in April of 2008 pointed out that food prices were already rising faster than the returns a person would likely expect by keeping money in the bank or a money market fund. Manu Daftary, a top Wall Street investor and the manager of the Quaker Strategic Growth mutual fund stated, “I think prices are going higher. People are too complacent. They think it isn’t going to happen here. But I don’t know how the food companies can absorb higher costs.” Couple that with the reports which followed in the summer warning that crops were only average at best. Soy beans in the United States were running 16% behind when the article was written in June of last year.
So here’s the question – is it really practical for families to think about growing their own food? While it’s unrealistic to think that you will grow everything – fruit, vegetables, grains, etc., you can certainly grow more than you might think. What’s more, you can have enough surplus to share or trade with others who grow the things you don’t manage to produce. To do that will require careful planning, preparation, and yes – hard work. But those who do it agree that it’s well worth it.
Where do you start? I want to recommend an excellent book written by an expert who’s been growing much of his own food for a long time and making a living with the surplus. I consider The New Organic Grower a must read for anyone who wants to make a serious dent in their food bill, and explore the idea of becoming more self sufficient, perhaps even making some money to boot. The book covers everything from the tools you’ll need, crop selection, planting and crop rotation, and pest control. The beauty of this book is that Eliot Coleman shows you how to have a successful small family farm which can provide both food and a living. With spring just around the corner, it’s not too early to get ready for your garden now.
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