Things that are WAAY overdue

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

... And yeah, if we could replace our lawns with something that didn't need mowing (or watering, or chemical treatments), the better off we'd be.

For gardening, the suggestion here is to aim at plants indigenous to your location (as in, within a 20km radius). For obvious reasons, they're often best suited to both the climate (especially rainfall) and the soil, often reducing or negating the necessity of "enhancing" either. Good mulch helps reduce water usage as well. Our nature strip is now all mulch, with some plants added near the larger garden area in front of the fence. No more mowing!

Cheers,
Marc

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Patricia

They do still make old-fashioned lawn mowers that you just push. They have rotary blades. No power and no nasty cord. I'm looking for a used one.

My advice, borrow one first. I bought one that I used twice. My lawn is filled with divots after each winter where the hand mower loses traction. And you have to mow more often, and you have to be very strong to use one.

Originally Posted by GeoffC

get
sheep
goats
ducks !!!

That's what I meant by edible lawnmower.



On an other note, I Have started to replace my grass lawn with white clover. It grows more slowly thus less frequent mowing, is more resistent to droughts thus no watering is more shade resistant because we have many trees and is more comfortable under foot when coming out of the pool. Plus is gorgeous as the flowers come out.

[yvanleterrible]

An other thing that is overdue. Photovoltaic Solar panels. To refresh some memories, PVs convert solar light directly to electricity.

It has been calculated that if every roof in the world was covered with PVs, we would have enough energy to cover all our needs, three times over. And that includes transportation.

Some will argue that PVs are ughly. Not so, have a look at newer offering at Home Power.com

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

On an other note, I Have started to replace my grass lawn with white clover. It grows more slowly thus less frequent mowing, is more resistent to droughts thus no watering is more shade resistant because we have many trees and is more comfortable under foot when coming out of the pool. Plus is gorgeous as the flowers come out.

No need to replace anything... I think the clover is taking over the field... I don't care, personally, as long as the field is completely covered. The clay (heavy sea clay) we live on is very sticky when wet...

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

An other thing that is overdue. Photovoltaic Solar panels. To refresh some memories, PVs convert solar light directly to electricity.

It has been calculated that if every roof in the world was covered with PVs, we would have enough energy to cover all our needs, three times over. And that includes transportation.

Some will argue that PVs are ughly. Not so, have a look at newer offering at Home Power.com

I'd love a few panels... About 12 m wide and 2m high would do perfectly...

It's not the looks, it's the financing that is holding me back.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

It's not the looks, it's the financing that is holding me back.

Agreed. If the U.S. government offered subsidies equal to the subsidies they presently give to oil and coal companies to function, we could all afford PV systems, and I'd have put one on my roof years ago.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Agreed. If the U.S. government offered subsidies equal to the subsidies they presently give to oil and coal companies to function, we could all afford PV systems, and I'd have put one on my roof years ago.

The fun part is, the Dutch government did put out a subsidy (again) this year (for a maximum of I don't know how many euro). After about 1 week, the money was gone (or rather, so many applications had been sent in, that they had more than enough to cover the money they had reserved...)
I think a lot of people are willing to help, but just can't afford it.

(note, if you do use those panels, you also need an up-to-date electricity meter, one that can measure both ways, in and out. So we're prepared as we do have such an ectricity meter!)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electri...xport_metering)

[GeoffC]

I'd have solar heating panels at a shot - if there were sufficient subsidies and an easy way past planning regulations.
PV is probably not a viable option given our climate and latitude....

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Agreed. If the U.S. government offered subsidies equal to the subsidies they presently give to oil and coal companies to function, we could all afford PV systems, and I'd have put one on my roof years ago.

Don't we get a tax break of some kind if we convert to solar panels? I also remember hearing that the electric company will buy the extra power that goes above and beyond your actual energy consumption. Of course, it's been many years since we looked into all of this and I am getting to that age where I forget a lot of things I once knew. . .uh. . .where was I ?!

Actually, when we lived in South Florida, we had these black plastic panels on our roof to heat the pool. They worked very well and because we had a barrel tile roof, they didn't seem to over heat the house.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

(note, if you do use those panels, you also need an up-to-date electricity meter, one that can measure both ways, in and out. So we're prepared as we do have such an ectricity meter!)

Another option is to simply store the excess power yourself with a battery bank, for those emergencies when you are not generating power, and the local grid goes down (more common in some places than others). Many jurisdictions do not yet pay you for power generated by your home system to their grid, or the electric companies apply exorbitant co-generation fees on you that essentially mean they're getting your power for next to nothing, and charging others full cost for it. So I'm actively considering a battery bank to keep my own power, if our local grid ever becomes unreliable, and even if it doesn't. (Fortunately, right now it is very reliable, but in the future, who knows?)

Excess power stored during the day could also be dumped into your vehicle at night, leaving it ready to be used in the morning.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by kazbates

Don't we get a tax break of some kind if we convert to solar panels? I also remember hearing that the electric company will buy the extra power that goes above and beyond your actual energy consumption.

There are federal and state subsidies that will pay for part of your solar panel purchase. The fed recently lifted their subsidy cap ($5000 max), but states largely have not. Each state does things differently, so you have to check your local regulations to see what applies.

See my post above about electric companies... they are largely resisting the effort to make them absorb your excess energy, and where they can, they block local governments from enacting such regulations, or they make sure they can make even more money off of additional fees for their trouble.

[kad032000]

Originally Posted by GlennD

Replicators would have been my choice too

Ditto

Can you imagine the sh*t storm that would occur when the equivalent of filesharing was made available for all goods?

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Another option is to simply store the excess power yourself with a battery bank, for those emergencies when you are not generating power, and the local grid goes down (more common in some places than others). Many jurisdictions do not yet pay you for power generated by your home system to their grid, or the electric companies apply exorbitant co-generation fees on you that essentially mean they're getting your power for next to nothing, and charging others full cost for it. So I'm actively considering a battery bank to keep my own power, if our local grid ever becomes unreliable, and even if it doesn't. (Fortunately, right now it is very reliable, but in the future, who knows?)

Excess power stored during the day could also be dumped into your vehicle at night, leaving it ready to be used in the morning.

The battery banks used in home applications are just a little more powerful than those used in EVs. When one has changed his consumption habits enough to live off grid, it is easy to plug the EV to the house and add its power to the mix in periods of low production, taking or giving energy.



BTW there is some thought about energy that I would like to reiterate.
Most forms of energy are produced from the sun.
Passive solar.
PV solar.
Wind power. The sun's heat is the energy that creates wind.
Hydro power. The sun's heat makes the evaporation that brings rain to fill the dam's reservoirs.
Oil. Oil is an advanced pressure treatment of vegetal matter from eons ago. Plants grow by the aid of the sun.
Animal power. Again thanks to plant life of which every animal form depends, even those that eat other animals.

On and on and on... Think of any energy form and it is related to that great ball of light.

The most efficient energy storage comes from plants. I wish we could find ways of imitating plant's ways of capturing energy.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

The most efficient energy storage comes from plants. I wish we could find ways of imitating plant's ways of capturing energy.

File that effort with nanotechnology...

Another thing: Really working fat-burning pills!

(Oh, heck. I'd settle for something that actually makes me want to exercise.)

[LazyScot]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Excess power stored during the day could also be dumped into your vehicle at night, leaving it ready to be used in the morning.

Or pulled back from the vehicle if the grid fails. Or you can drive a short distance to a shop to pick up so 'tricity whilst getting your local food and veg....

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

That's what I meant by edible lawnmower.

They're damn difficult to steer. We had some very nice hostas. Damned wabbits.

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

File that effort with nanotechnology...

Another thing: Really working fat-burning pills!

(Oh, heck. I'd settle for something that actually makes me want to exercise.)

You mean the "get laid every night" didn't work/motivate you?

[montsnmags]

In my State the power companies are required to receive your surplus and reimburse you at the same rate they charge you. I know of dedicated participants who receive a credit on their bill each quarter.

Cheers,
Marc