Biodiesel

I have talked about the steps to self sustainability when it comes to cars in prior posts. I was focused on EV's. As I'm sure you are aware of, they are popping up everywhere. These are surely a viable option in a self sustaining lifestyle, but there is the looming question/ concern of range and initial cost. I'm not sure why this slipped my mind before but I should have went into some detail about the use of biodiesel. I didn't/ don't know too much about how or what biodiesel really is, so like any good person who is looking to become self sustainable I went to learn about it.

What is biodiesel?

Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. -(source; http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/biodiesel_basics/)

That description is the best and most appealing I have come across to date. I benefit of biodiesel for being self sustainable is that it can be produced by you on your property. There are countless websites that explain how to build your own processor, purchasing a kit, or purchasing a fully built and ready to use processor. Just google biodiesel and there you go.

I have personally become more interested in biodiesel for a number of reasons.

• It is a simple conversion to use from a typical diesel powered vehicle.
• farm equipment and lawn tractors typically run on diesel.
• it is far less expensive than EV's -(2011 VW golf, loaded, for less than $30k)
• biodiesel can greatly speed up the self sustainability process.
• Biodiesel is far less complicated than using solar/ wind to charge an electric vehicle.
• domestic! domestic! domestic! in terms of the fuel source.
• you can recycle waste oil from local restaurants.
• it is also possible to power your home with biodiesel.

I will more than likely post more about this at a later date as I learn more about it. I will also be doing some research on the processor's themselves and where to get the oil to use. Stay tuned!!

ps - this LINK has good information about biodiesel.

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.