Living off the Grid

With Alternative Energy Sources

With our petroleum addiction wrecking havoc on our nation’s finances and our environment, more and more left–winged, environmentally conscious people are turning to sustainable living. On the other end of the spectrum, the belief that Obama is moving so far to the left he is turning America into a socialist dictatorship is inspiring more and more right-winged conservatives to get off the grid as well.
The two biggest eco-friendly steps we can make are to reduce gasoline consumption and to live in an energy efficient home. Seventy percent of the electricity produced by U.S. power plants goes directly to commercial and residential buildings¹ and fifty-seven percent of that electricity comes from coal burning power plants.²

Net Zero Homes vs. Off the Grid

   Sustainable living can be achieved by living completely off the grid or by maintaining a zero energy (or net zero) home.
A zero energy home is connected to the grid, but the home produces as much or more energy than it uses on an annual basis and feeds its excess energy back to the electric company.
   Homes that gain their energy through solar panels may feed energy to the electric company during the day, but use current from the grid at night. A home in a colder climate may use the grid for heat during the winter months, while a home in a warmer climate may draw on the grid for air conditioning in the summer, though both homes create enough energy in the other months to equal the energy used.
   The downside to being completely off the grid is the need to store energy with batteries. Batteries require maintenance. And you have to be careful that your usage doesn’t exceed the amount of energy stored, or you’ll have to use a fuel burning generator as a back-up system.
   While this article is about living off the grid, obviously, many of the same principles and

technologies should apply to anyone hoping to substantially reduce their home’s energy consumption.

Home Site and Design

The first consideration to living off the grid is the choice of a home site. Running water might provide hydropower. Shade trees could be used for cooling, while open spaces lend themselves to wind and solar energy. A good southern exposure is required for passive and active solar power, while a hill could be used to burrow a portion of the house underground.
First and foremost, the design of the home should be as energy efficient as possible, utilizing all available attributes of the site and built with construction materials that enhance every energy feature. The Earthship is one design that is completely off the grid. Built from recycled materials, these houses incorporate wind, solar, and geothermal into their sustainable design. Rainwater collection and filtering are also built into the system along with a greenhouse for growing food year-round.
Geothermal design can help heat a house in the winter and cool it in the summer. If built into a hillside, the submerged portion of the home will retain a median temperature, cutting or eliminating the need for backup heating and cooling systems. Or if a more

traditional building is desired, air can be used to heat and cool a house through geothermal designs that utilize passive solar energy along with geothermal principles such as those used to build Enertia ® homes.
Just positioning the home properly capitalizes on the cooling effect of wind and the warming effects of the sun. In much of the United States, a properly built home taking breeze and sunlight into consideration has little to no need for additional heating or air conditioning.
If a heating and cooling system is required, a geothermal heat pump (though initially more expensive to purchase and install than a conventional system) will recoup its cost and cut energy use.

Solar Power

There are several ways to incorporate solar power into the design of an existing structure. Solar power can also be used to heat water, heat the home, provide light, and create electricity.
Photovoltaic solar panels can be used to feed energy back into the grid in order to offset energy consumption for net –zero homes or they can send energy to batteries in off the grid homes. For homes that are off the grid, storing energy for night and cloudy days is essential.

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   For the do-it-yourself (DIY) type, the job is not too difficult. A solar power generator capable of powering a home consists of photovoltaic solar panels, batteries, a voltage regulator, and an inverter to convert the DC power in the batteries to AC power for the home.
   The technology of photovoltaic cells is advancing rapidly. Solar panels are becoming more and more efficient with promises of designs in the near future that will make powering a home with fewer cells easy. Just ten years ago photovoltaic cells were 10 percent efficient at converting sunlight into energy. Today the average photovoltaic cells reach 15 percent, with some new technology reaching over 40 percent, with talk of getting over 50 percent by the end of 2010. And technology is being developed using materials to gain 60 percent or more efficiency.
   Right now smaller systems can be built for only a few hundred dollars, and large systems that can power a whole home are becoming more and more affordable as the technology improves. Typical solar panel systems to run an entire home can cost anywhere from $4,000 to well over $20,000 depending on the amount of work the home owner himself can do on the project, the amount of energy the home uses, and the amount of sun the solar panels will receive.

There is a plethora of information for the handyman (or women) who wants to build their own solar power generator. We’ve compared the free information on the net to information for sale, and found the free information to be superior. Here are a few links worth checking out:

And for the batteries, check out Battery Options and Battery Maintenance.

Hydropower

Hydropower, or in this case more specifically micro hydropower, is a good

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option for those living near running water like a creek or a stream.
   There are two numbers required to measure the amount of energy available for micro hydropower: flow and head. Flow, obviously, is the amount of water flowing through a stream or creek. The number that is important in this case is the cubic feet of flow per second that one can divert from the water source to turn a turbine to produce power. Micro hydro-generators need only a modest flow of water to produce electricity, less than even a few feet per second depending on head. If there is enough flow year round then the reliability of micro hydropower beats solar and wind power.
   Head is a measure of the pressure of water falling."Low head" typically refers to a change in elevation of 10 feet or less. In most cases a vertical drop of less than 2 feet renders a hydroelectric system unfeasible. A high flow rate can compensate for low head (and vice-versa), but sufficient head can more easily compensate for less flow than vice-versa.
   Using the flow and head measurements as an estimate of the amount of kilowatts the water source is able to generate is fairly simple. Choosing the right micro hydropower generator with the right turbine is critical. The equipment includes pipes, turbine, generator, inverter, and an electronic control system.

The cost of electricity produced per kilowatt decreases as the size of the hydropower system increases, but cost also depends on available head, as high head tends to lower total cost. Low head requires specialized, more expensive turbines, especially when combined with low flow.
The cost for a complete system for the DIY type starts at around $5,000, and is often closer to $11,000.
Check out these links for more information:

Wind Power

Wind turbine technology has advanced far enough to give us affordable and fairly reliable power from wind without many of the drawbacks we had to consider just a short time ago. In the right area, a windmill

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generator can provide more electricity for less money than solar power.
   Most of the windmill towers are between 50 to 120 feet tall, because windmills have to be mounted about 30 feet above trees and other obstacles. They also require a clear circumference of about 300 feet.
   If you hope to install a windmill in a residential area, you’ll have to contend with zoning issues that regulate how high the windmill can be. Also, neighbors may consider your windmill to be an eyesore. Keep in mind anyone can sue for any reason.
   But there are alternatives to the more expensive and very tall setups typically used. Now manufacturers, like WindEnergy7, have developed smaller wind turbines that work efficiently mounted on the roof of a home.
   With a wide range of choices at a wide range of costs (from about $3,000 to more than $20,000 for a professionally designed kit not including installation), there is a lot of research to do before purchasing a windmill.
   For the DIY type, windmill power generator systems can be built from scratch for a few hundred dollars. But it is important to note that new technologies have windmills operating at very low decibels (often the noise level is lower than the wind noise itself) while producing considerable electricity from

relatively low wind speeds, starting at only 6 mph.
A wind turbine power generator setup will also need many of the same components as a solar power generating system, including batteries, a voltage regulator, and an inverter to convert the DC power in the batteries to AC power for the home.

Savonius Wind Turbine

One option that differs from the conventional windmill is the savonius wind turbine. The savonius design has a few advantages over the convention horizontal axis windmill. The savonius windmill is a very simple wind turbine consisting of two or three wind scoops on a vertical axis. This design is much more stable at high wind speeds, and can operate at varying wind directions. The design even works well with very low wind conditions, and the system doesn't require an expensive tower as it can be close to the ground.
The design is simple. Any alternative energy enthusiast can create their own savonius wind turbine for their home. When built properly, the system is even quieter than the latest conventional windmills. These systems are also safe for birds. But there is a disadvantage. The savonius system is only half as efficient as conventional wind turbines, which results in less power generation.

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For more information on wind power check out these articles and sites:

Water

Water access off the grid is a complicated and expensive issue that needs to be thoroughly researched and planned for.

Water for Use

While Earthships rely completely on rainwater, using water collected from roof runoff and stored in a cistern or using and reusing the water throughout the home and gardens, more than 17 million homes in the United States get their water from private wells. A private well is simply a hole dug or drilled deep into the ground with a pump that draws out water from an underground source. There are many regulations that apply to private wells, so using a licensed driller with a

good reputation can save money and headaches.
People who rely on their own well water often complain about the need to be conservative with water usage, especially during the dryer months. The best way to offset this is to collect rain water with a cistern (a large aboveground or underground tank made from concrete, steel or fiberglass). Typically, water from rain gutters is channeled into the cistern and then pumped back into the home. When the cistern is higher than the home faucets, the weight of the water provides water pressure for the home without the need for a pump. But people living near major sources of pollution, like a factory or a major expressway, are advised against using a cistern to collect drinking water. (Check your groundwater as well!) It’s also best to have a roof made of clay or metal rather than wooden or synthetic shingles for collection of drinking water.
The cost of a private well ranges from $3,000 to $15,000, depending on how deep you need to go. Rain water collection can cost virtually nothing or a few thousand dollars, depending how elaborate the system is.

Waste Water

A septic system is a 3,000 to 5,000 gallon

tank buried in the ground with a pipe spanning 100 feet to drain waste water into the ground. Every year or so, the septic tank needs to be emptied by a professional.

Septic System Alternative

There is a better option for those looking to live off the grid and be self reliant. Toilets use at least 1.5 gallons of water per flush. The use of a composting toilet will not only save a massive amount of water, but it can also eliminate the need for a septic system. And don’t worry about the smell - today’s composting toilet technology has advanced beyond that. If all natural biodegradable detergents and soaps are used throughout the home (laundry, dishes, body care, and such) then the gray water may be used to water plants and food. And the toilet provides valuable compost (provided the occupants eat right and are healthy).
For more information on using gray water read Recycling Gray Water for Home Gardens.

Lifestyle Choices

Families living off the grid tend to be much more aware of energy waste. Appliances are energy efficient. Dryers are a luxury seldom used, and electronics, if they have them, are not left on in standby or instant-on mode,

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drawing current. Many who live off the grid have chosen to live conservatively with a minimalistic lifestyle, a life with fewer attachments and less mind-numbing entertainment. They will tell you that this is the key to happiness.
On the other hand, in the right area with a lot of money upfront and/or a do-it-yourself attitude and a lot of forethought, it is possible to design a home that is completely off the grid, totally self reliant, and carbon neutral (or better) without the need for the occupants to be any more conservative than the average conventionally housed family.
Anyone interested in living off the grid should be familiar with the following magazines:

And also check out Backwoods Solar. They have good articles and products to help people get off the grid.

1 Zero-Energy Homes: A New Direction in Energy-Efficient Home Building

2 Power Score Card – Electricity from Coal

Living off the Grid with Alternative Energy Sources