25 Alternative Energy Strategies

For homestead and/or community independence

This series will provide an overview of the most promising energy systems and strategies for homestead or rural community independence. Most of these are available right now, some can be put together by the handy homeowner or community action group, and some will be available in the near future. Combined with common-sense conservation practices these can contribute a great deal to the independence of individual homesteads and rural communities willing to work together.

These technologies and ideas will be divided into particular technologies and presented together - 1. Electrical production; 2. Transportation alternatives - vehicles, fuels and power to operate the kind of equipment necessary to a rural lifestyle (trucks, farm and garden equipment, remote generators, etc.); 3. Building technologies and direct alternatives for heating/cooling and their applications; 4. Hybrid systems that can even out production and tie together for constancy of supply; 5. Collective strategies for small, cooperative communities striving for self-sufficiency and willing to invest together for alternatives that benefit all.

Part 1: Electrical Generation

We use electricity to light our homes and outbuildings, refrigerate our food, wash and dry our clothes, prepare our food, provide our in-home entertainment (music, television, computers), and sometimes to heat or supplement our heat during the winter. The “average” electricity use per home in the US (this is something we can personally adjust downward by conservation and appliance/heat alternatives) is ~900 Kilowatt hours per month. Get that down to ~700 for your home/homestead, and we’re talking less than 8,500 KwH per year.

What are the best alternative sources for that much on-site electrical generation?

1. Solar Panels

Quality solar panels and the accessories to properly install them, hook them together and get the energy available for use costs between $5 and $10 per watt with currently available technology. State and federal governments offer rebates on the systems (tax breaks), and some utilities will also rebate if you opt for the reverse grid tie-in that is in actuality a reasonable option for homesteaders and less expensive in initial outlay than storage batteries, converters, replacement costs, etc. to be completely off-grid. Here are some Fast Solar Energy Facts that may be helpful.

New solar panel technology from Colorado State University is expected to offer PV foil panels made of cadmium telluride rather than crystalline silicon, bringing the cost installed down to $2 per watt, in full production by the end of the year. Or, if you’re resourceful, you could Go Solar For Free.


2. & 3. Other Solar

(2) Making electricity (or power for other uses) using a Stirling Engine makes use of heat differentials… and guess what? The sun is hot! Check out this demonstration of a Stirling engine heated by sunlight through a Fresnel lens…

…just attach it to a generator and you’re in business! There are applications where geothermal heat could be used to power the engine, but most geothermal electrical generation will make direct use of the steam under pressure than simply the temperature gradient. This engine converts solar energy into mechanical energy, which in turn can generate electricity.

(3) The Fresnel lens can also concentrate solar energy in solar panel generation settings, or be used to generate steam for small steam generators using sunlight. Here is our friend at GreenPowerScience again with a solar steam engine…

4. Micro-Hydro Generation

Since water-power is a significant part of our overall national generation capacity, this source scaled down to generation of anything less than 100 Kw per hour is called “Micro-Hydro”. It’s really not that hard to find a water source with enough gradient drop to generate usable power for the homestead.

A micro-hydro generator system can be installed for as little as $10,000, and handy homesteaders can build many of the parts to save even more. The system can charge DC batteries or be wired straight into the home AC wiring. A 500 Watt AC system feeds a steady 500 Watts straight to the home/homestead’s wiring. 24 hours a day for 20 years or more. By choosing alternatives for heat gradient usage (home heating, clothes drying, water heating, electric ovens/ranges), using low-watt fluorescent light bulbs and getting low-watt appliances/gadgets, it’s possible to live all the way off-grid with a mini-hydro system.

5. Wind Generation

Wind generation isn’t practical for everybody, but if you live where the wind generally blows at a semi-steady 10 mph, it might just be the perfect answer. Like micro-hydro, electricity from the generator goes straight into the household wiring, while excess goes back to the grid. Wind turbines (and generators) can be purchased at about the same cost per KwH as micro-hydro, or again the handy homesteader can build their own.

When planning to generate electricity on-site for homestead or in dedicated systems for community use, it’s a good idea to negotiate with the local utility for the backwards meter set-up - the utility buys excess capacity so none of it’s wasted, the homestead or community purchases excess power during peak usage. This avoids the cost and fuss of battery storage (until something better comes along), and careful usage can even earn income for the producers! Buffer the interface and an outage won’t interrupt electricity, it’ll just limit available ‘trons.

Posts to This Series:
Part 1: Electrical Generation
Part 2: Transportation and Motorized Equipment
Part 3: Building Technologies & Direct Alternatives
Part 4: Hybrid Energy Systems
Part 5: Collective Strategies for Communities

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Filed under Alternatives, Building, Future Planning, Homestead, Independence, Rural Development, Solar, Water, Wind |