Posts from — February 2006

Sarah & Guillaume volunteer builders

No, this isn’t an Earthship in the making, but it uses the same principles. Its part of an off-grid farm and eco-travelodge near Granada, Spain. Aspen and David Edge inherited a dilapidated reservoir, where the subsidence caused annual tears in the plastic liner.
“We decided to use what we had got … dirt, and an environmental problem … used tyres to build a stabilising wall of several thousand tyres. It also meant that we were not having to use water to mix cement, not to mention the cement itself. We are on the home run and have only 113 more tyres to fill. Then we will used mud and water, with a little lime to render the tyres. Finally we are going to use a liner which has a 10 year guarantee (unlike the previous one which had to be replaced each year). (more…)

Organiser Didier Mayer

Conference manifesto: It is obvious that the conventional electricity grid will not reach the estimated 1.64 billion people in developing countries without access to electricity in the foreseeable future. Renewable energy, and in particular PV, will contribute directly to the alleviation of poverty through the provision of electricity for basic services.
However, some innovative solutions still need to be found to combine the access to electricity with a local development, economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. (more…)

Humboldt student dorm pedal generator
One Sunday a few weeks ago Linda Parkinson in Humboldt County, California did what few homeowners in this storm-battered region could: She turned on the television, reports the San Francisco Chronicle in a breathless article about the rise of off-grid living all across America.

While most residents were reeling from power outages left by devastating rains, Parkinson had electricity provider to spare. She cooked a feast for a dozen people, took hot showers and threw video-game parties for her 15-year-old son’s classmates.

For 24 years, Parkinson, 49, has lived completely off the electric grid, drawing energy exclusively from solar, propane and other renewable fuels on-site power sources.

She isn’t alone. There are some 180,000 American homeowners live off-grid, according to Richard Perez, publisher of Home Power magazine,. Approximately a quarter live in California, and each year the national number grows 33 percent, according to the publisher’s database of known off-gridders and estimates of those unreported.

“California is the hotbed of off-grid systems,” he said. (more…)

This Velocipede is the first human powered vehicle (HPV) to have a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, the same material found in the fastest high-performance Formula 1 automobiles, making it the worlds most advanced three-wheeled velomobile. But it comes at a price – over $13,000 to be precise, and you can buy it from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Designed by Michael Goretzky, the customized vehicle combines the low-impact exercise benefits of a recumbent bicycle with the stability of a three-wheeled cruiser and the aerodynamics of a concept automobile.

First Carbon Chassis Velocipede This vehicle combines the low-impact exercise benefits of a recumbent bike with the stability of a three-wheeled cruiser and aerodynamics of a concept car.

(more…)

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When a rechargeable battery goes dead on one of your gadgets, you can usually plug in a charger and bring it back to life. If those batteries are AA or AAA cells, you can even buy nonrechargeable ones to keep you going until the old cells are charged up again. But what if you’re out where there are no AC outlets and no stores?

One solution is to tuck your dead batteries into a GaiaM solar battery charger, only $20, and leave it in the sun. The charger uses solar power to recharge a pair of AA or AAA cells.

Click the link above to go over to the GaiaM web site and buy the charger. (more…)

Luxton – supports campaign

Off-Grid is launching a campaign to change the daft planning (zoning) rules, which treat every individual trying to create a cool space as if they were a developer trying to make a quick buck. And developers? Well, they get treated like saviours and thanked for bringing employment into the area.

We want to make it possible for individuals to build off-grid homes in green spaces at a time when the UK is slipping fast down the world league table for sustainable development (according to Ernst & Young). The same problems are facing Off-Grid homes in the United States.

We believe eco-homes should be given planning permission even when they are opposed by local householders worried about the value of their property. Woodlands, meadows, old farm buildings are all needed now if the huge pent-up demand for off-grid living is to be satisfied.

TV Architect Charlie Luxton is the first celebrity to support our campaign. There is no way as an individual that you will be allowed to have a low-impact sustainable life. You have to prove the viability in planning terms, says Luxton “and that’s horrendously difficult.”

We want to hear from anyone who is battling the planners as they try to live off-grid. We’ll help you all we can. And we want your help with our campaign, whoever you are. Please email your suggestions to editor@off-grid.net – please click more for rest of article and Luxton interview in full:

Green Building Bible – buy it from Amazon UK
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“Follow your heart”

Here’s some answers to the questions you the readers asked architect Dave Pearson, author of some seminal books on the design of eco homes.

Alec Bantos from Maine: Right now I am looking into buying a 3,049 sq ft lot in the middle of an urban downtown community in Maine. I have been researching the possibility of building a small off-grid 2 bedroom home on it and I feel no particular need to use up all of that space. My question is on how I can keep the costs down in building such a structure. What is the least I might be able to spend on this project
while making sure that it isnt a disposable or poorly built structure. Does using non-traditional building materials like shipping containers or papercrete help?
Also, I am not just excited about building my own home, but on setting an example for low-cost housing projects in general. Do you know of any architects or builders that are interested in how to build cheap, well built off-grid homes that might be able to assist in this process?

Hi Alec
To keep costs down I suggest you build small, keep it simple and consider how much you can build yourself.
Self build can save around a third of normal costs. You could look at kit homes as a possibility. They can either be delivered in parts for you to assemble or the company can assemble the shell and you finish the interior, and add the off-grid systems. But the designs may not suit your taste and they may not use eco-friendly materials.
But it will give you an idea of costs. (more…)

Off the grid and up for rent

Are you technically minded, a bit creative, looking for a challenge, and a beautiful place to live off-grid? We may have the answer:

One of the biggest off-grid property bargains in the country is just about to come on the market. David Allender and his wife Muriel have turned their isolated farmhouse in the beauty spot of Bolton Abbey in the Yorkshire Dales into a stunning off-grid residence over the last 15 years. The Allenders are leaving for Spain next month, and we want to help them find someone who can keep the property up in its present condition. If you are interested, leave a comment at the end of this article and we will pass it on to David, or email nick@off-grid.net.

Allender is only asking 3,500 for all the renewable energy fittings he has put in over the past decade, including 2 wind turbines, a micro-hydro setup, some solar panels, three inverters, 2 backup diesel generators and 24 ex telephone exchange batteries. The Allenders run a washing machine, iron, computer, TV, stereo and all their lights off that little lot.

The Allenders pay just 175 a month rent. The owners will try to hike up the rent. This article sets out all the hidden costs and responsibilities interested parties will need to know when negotiating with them. (Please click more for rest of story and pics) (more…)