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5.26.2010

Let’s talk, all or nothing

When you make the noble decision to switch over to near full self-sustainability there are some things to consider. Many things you can to do achieve self-sustainability have a symbiotic relationship with others. These relationships need to be understood and preserved to reap the full benefits of self-sustainability.

Many people are seeing the move by car manufacturers to provide plug-in hybrids or EV’s (Electric Vehicles) which are powered solely on an electric drive system). These seem like a great way to quickly step into a self-sustainable lifestyle. This is an amateur mistake. You will partly help reduce our dependency on oil, but will still require power from the grid, which sadly, uses fossil fuels to produce electricity. What you need to do is supply your own power to charge the car. You should already be working towards having your home and/or office building set up to produce it’s own electricity. When your building(s) create energy in an amount that will power themselves during peak use, they will be producing and storing surplus electricity. This surplus would be put to good use charging your plug-in hybrid or EV.

When it comes to producing power for your building(s) there are a couple symbiotic relationships to consider and preserve. Most areas of the world won’t support a single type of clean power harvesting system. For instance, I live in the northeast and solar is a decent option, but won’t fully supply a home without being largely oversized. Also we all know that not every day is bright and sunny. In order to produce sufficient power for your home you need to supplement with another clean power harvesting system. The next most logical system is a VAWT or Vertically Aligned Wind Turbine generator. These are said to be more efficient and practical on a residential level. They also can start at a lower wind speed and continue to function in higher wind speeds. Personally I find that most of the designs for VAWTs are more elegant than your typical wind turbine you are used to seeing. So this system will work alongside the solar array system and produce even when the sun is on vacation for a day or two. Another option in lieu of a VAWT is hydroelectric power, but it is much less likely you will have a location to support such a system. There are also many permits and such that would need to be acquired to install them.

Now let’s call your solar array and VAWT your power producing system. This system is well and good, but what happens when the sun and wind are both gone for a day or two?! This is solved by installing a power storage system. Really this is simply a battery bank located within your building(s). The most efficient batteries are lithium ion and the like. This bank will reserve surplus electricity produced in low use hours. When your power producing system is unable to create electricity, the storage system will supply power to the building.

A storage system is unlikely going to be large enough to supply electricity for extended periods of time. This brings me to my final symbiotic relationship for a self-sustainable building, the emergency back-up system. I would find it wise to account for emergencies. My choice would be an, on site, buried propane/ natural gas tank to power a typical back-up generator. This model will work for the average sized home.

All of these relationships are essential in reaping the full benefits of being self-sustainable. Without one the other will suffer.

5.04.2010

One step forward. Two steps back

Lately I have been noticing a lot of talk about helping the environment and going green. Don't get me wrong, I think this is great. But, at the same time, I'm also noticing something disturbing. For every step we take in the right direction towards self sustainability and the reconnection with our planet - we seem to take too many steps back. Right now, in our country, there is a perfect example of this...

- One Step Forward -
For years, there has been a proposal in the making to build a wind farm, Cape Wind, about 5 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Recent happenings, such as the newly shown support from our government, have brought this project closer to a reality. I, personally, see many benefits in building a wind farm in MA. First, the obvious; clean energy produced in our own country which, in turn, brings about self sustainability. Secondly, taking on a job of that size will create numerous job opportunities. As we all know, that couldn't be better in our current state of economic floundering. Third, the farm will become a safe haven for ocean wildlife with the underwater portions of the wind turbine columns providing a base for reef growth. I don't know about you.. but, to me, that seems to be one huge step forward.

- One Step Back -
I'm sure you have seen the news about the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Louisiana. (If not, you seriously need to get in touch with current events.) I read the article and could feel my blood starting to boil in my veins. Not only should this have NEVER happened, our government and our people should be much more involved in a solution. Let me put something out that I think needs to be said, but may be offensive to some... Why can we, the great people of the United States of America, raise MILLIONS OF DOLLARS (in a recession, mind you) to help the people of Haiti BUT when a disaster happens in our own country that will likely have irrevocable effects on our oceans and wildlife... those same Americans turn a deaf ear??? It seems we have the capabilty to love and care for other humans, but lack the capacity to show the same respect for our own environment. We, as a country, should be racing to get in line to find a solution to the problems within our own country FIRST; then help others. A BP (British Petroleum) oil rig has exploded and pumped thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf. I haven't heard more than barely a peep from the people of our country... SERIOUSLY?! That is the first step back and, honestly, it makes me sick.

- Another Step Back -
During the small amount of care going into the BP oil rig disaster, a little blurb came out about our "administration's" intentions to further look into off shore drilling. The idea behind this being to allow Americans to free themselves from foreign oil dependency. Great, but that is not a solution. We'd still be drilling in the water... and the same problems that have arrised with this BP disaster are still going to be major problems no matter what water the oil is in. So, with that in mind, what was wrong with drilling in Alaska? At least if we brought it on land, those problems could be solved more quickly and more easily. Ultimately, I would love to see wind and solar farms in our country as our primary energy sources. However, I do know that taking a drastic leap like that is nearly impossible. But, I also know, we can't solve one oil problem by drilling another. And with that, we have our second step back.

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