OFG-HowToFreeYourself.svg

April 2012

US-China Trade War escalates

The long-awaited Trade War with China has started. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (pictured with President Obama) has slapped a retroactive tax on all Chinese solar panel imports. Other OECD countries are expected to follow suit.

The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a preliminary “trade-remedy” finding that Chinese energy companies like GCL which rely on state sponsorship of its solar industry, are anti-competitive under U.S. and international trade law, and ordered preliminary duties on the industry’s U.S. exports of crystalline silicon solar cells and panels to offset the effects of China’s illegal subsidies.

Commerce will require importers of record to post deposits or bonds toward anti-subsidy margins of 2.9 percent for cells and panels made by Suntech, 4.73 percent Trina Solar and 3.59 percent for all other Chinese manufacturers.

Read More »

Best energy system for your home or community

Whether you live off the grid, or connected to the grid, there are a variety of solutions to help you deal with rising energy costs and reduce your bills including solar hot water, solar power and LED lighting .

Choosing a solar power system for your home or community group is a big decision.  You first need to conduct a full audit of all electricity use and work out how to shift your usage around so that you can both reduce your overall usage, and  level it out so that any peaks are easy to handle.

Hot water represents about 37% of household energy costs so it is amongst the highest individual constituents of your energy bill..

Read More »

Choosing the wrong wind turbine

Farmers and off-gridders disappointed by poor quality and lack of after sales support.

Read More »
Community

Off-Grid alarm system

Where we live is pretty far off the beaten path, which means it is either very safe or not so safe depending on how you look at the situation. There either aren’t going to be many people wandering around looking for mischief or when that one does show up, there will not be many people around to witness said mischief or call for help.

Read More »

DIY window slats for self-defence

It never hurts to be prepared for an emergency. The beauty of living in a city is that 85% of the homes are row homes. It’s easier to guard a row home than guard a 50 acre plot of land.

In order to survive an emergency, you have to be prepared. Not just with food or supplies, but to guard your home and family against any unwanted guests.

Before we start on instructions for window slats, here’s a list of supplies you’ll need:

Read More »

off-grid.net

Join the global off-grid community

Register for a better experiencE on this site!

Available for Amazon Prime