Where to move? - Page 2

 Wayne,


My thinking on #3 is that solar thermal heating is well understood,
build large once, and I can expect 20-30 years of service. I'm not
clear on how to retro-fit an existing structure for alternative energy
cooling, I know a lot can be done for cooling when building a new
structure, but retro-fitting an existing structure?


My current plan involves a large wind-turbine for electricity (point
1), retro-fitting an existing structure because of cost (point 2),
large solar thermal heating (point 3), and some bio-fuel (4+ acres,
point 2).

I don't have a family to worry about, so this whole thing is just
something that interests me, and will give me some worthwhile to do.

Thanks,

Curbie

  wrote:


In dry climes swamp coolers are popular, affordable, and can be
efficient enough for off-grid use. They need lots of air flow, which
can be achieved equally well with open windows, leaks, or bullet
holes.  :-)  

Insulation is good, but moderate average temperature is more important
IMO, because it's something that can't be changed later. In our
climate we can get away with zero heating or cooling year-round if
necessary, although at least some heating and cooling is preferred. We
used ground-source heat pumps and a zoned approach.


The bio-fuel thing sounds ambitious. I'm not doubting your abilities,
but I will say that of all the off-grid failures I've seen, if there's
any one thing they had in common, it was over-reaching. Since I've
been guilty of it myself I warn others to be cautious. So long as your
plans will work even if some of the elements don't pan out, you should
be good.


Sounds like you'll make it work no matter what location you choose.

Wayne

 Wayne,


Do I read that correctly - Swamp Cooler? Never heard of them?


The bio or just plain growing stuff is important, food like I grew as
a kid in Wisconsin and a feed crop for fuel.


I been researching alternative energy stuff for over two years
straight, not just fooling around research, but full time spread-sheet
work, for first year on what the options were striling, hydrogen,
steam, algae-oil, mainly figured out why a lot of ideas weren't
practical. Also found a few that were practical, and have spent the
last year researching and spread-sheeting them, they seemed to be
"tried & true" wind, solar heating, & bio-fuel with years of
experience behind them.

Bio-fuel, ethanol in my case, is another one of those "tried & true"
ideas with lots published from many different sources (cross-checking
the ideas), the spread-sheets kicked up an interesting relationship
between the un-used or produced summer heat potential of a large solar
thermal heating system and ethanol's requirement for heat for the
mashing and distilling procedures.

Converting gasoline engines to run on ethanol (generator, garden
tractor, and vehicle) is also well published and I have cross-checking
those ideas, which should be a lot easier than the race motors I built
as a kid, mainly larger idle & running jets with synthetic carburetor
gaskets and high compression ratio if doing a tear-down re-build,
though high compression isn't necessary.
 

I think the location is important to 2 of the 3 systems, proper wind
and climate for growing which explains the 4 point in my moving
location list.

Thanks,

Curbie

 19:15:39 -0400, Curbie, jim.richards65@yahoo.com wrote:

  You may have heard the term Evaportive Cooler.
Lots of cool for tiny price.  "They" say you need to
have RH of 40% or lower, and are generally considered
"useless in more humid climes, but there was one
installed where I used to work in Maine.  Difference is
that in arid climates, they're sized at about 2'x2'x2.5'
for a whole house, and the one in the hydraulic room
where I worked was 5'x5'x7' for a single room about
24'x28'.

 Steve,


Like the LP gas refrigerators in RV or I'm I thinking about a
different process?


Thanks,

Curbie