Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Hi

Home generation is a very good idea.

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Yes, good point Bruce. I think the use of quieter wind turbines is probably doable, but the capacity of the cable for a 12 volt supply is not, at least on heavy current consuming Items such as kettles, irons and heating hot water. However, as Julie points out, other types of heating could be developed to use less current. It's never been an issue before when we had unlimited supplies of gas and electricity, (albeit the cost of electricity being prohibitive, so gas is the preferred choice) but in the future we are going to struggle to supply the demand, it's probably essential that we find an alternative method of supplying and using energy.

Despite the limitations though, I quite like the idea of being more self sufficient and producing our own energy. Not only better for the environment, but the Earth get's to keep her depleting resources a little bit longer, and I believe technology will soon catch up.

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Yes Julie, there are many examples of things been done using less power. Take LED's for a start, just a few years ago if you wanted to save energy on lighting you had to install those 'Waste of Space' energy efficient lightbulbs that took all evening to warm up....And as a postman back then, it was my job to deliver them to every house....

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

I think it is the way to go in the future Swim.....

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Now OGF, I know you're not this naïve !

The powers that be will never allow the populous to go "off grid" en-masse and provide their own energy. Not in a thousand years will they do that. Their profits come before all else so they will continue to foist expensive fossil fuels on us for a long time to come.

Just look at solar panels and how stupidly expensive they are.

You can build your own solar panel really quite easily by buying cheap individual solar cells that didn't quite come up to quality standards during manufacturing but which are nevertheless quite effective enough.

There are YouTube clips a-plenty showing how to build a panel from them, just a bit of soldering really.

But can you do it?

Nope because those same powers that be have invented all manner of laws and regulations to prevent you from doing this. Regs around having to have any such panel professionally checked and certified before you can hook it up to your house system and so on. Anything really to make it not cost effective for the average Joe Bloggs.

Meanwhile I note that farmers fields all over the country are springing up with masses of solar panels. Almost as if they are anticipating some national energy disaster and need solar as a backup.

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Just as an aside there is already talk here that the power generation industry is entering a death spiral because of high prices caused by the way state governments allow companies to charge for power.

Basically they charge according to the value of their infrastructure so it was in companies interest to make their infrastructure "gold plated" to the point where we have a distribution system no one can afford.

The total value of the entire electricity network in the US, a country of 320 million people, is $US100 billion, while the value of Australia's network (23million people) is not far short — $100 billion or $US75 billion.

It has also been responsible for surging electricity prices which have encouraged disillusioned consumers to search for alternatives, including the push towards solar energy, batteries and self sufficiency.

These damaging trends for the power industry establishment are accelerating, and they're in deep trouble. People are disconnecting from the supply and demand is decreasing not increasing hence the talk of a death spiral for the power industry.

Spare a thought for those low-income households who will be left behind, trapped into supporting a Rolls Royce network.

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Yes Bruce I guess they would not want too many people to go off grid because who would then pay for the grid? The world is one big conspiracy theory.

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

Whether power companies want it or not people are disconnecting; indeed businesses are too though, it has to be admitted, not a vast numbers. Some medium sized businesses who operate only during the day find that with solar and diesel back up they just don't need mains power and being self sufficient is cheaper than buying in power.

Solar panels are now ridiculously cheap and are everywhere, the accountants over the road from me have enough on their roof to power a small town. They power their own business and sell the surplus back to the grid - their electricity bill is an income.

My son had a house with solar panels on the roof, his electricity bill was a few dollars a quarter even though they ran the aircon all day.

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

What about cooking? There is no way I would want to cook with electricity !

Re: Generate Your Own Power...

I cook at home with leccy and gas at the caravan, make same dishes, it's just a heat source after all.

I was going through our files last night trying to find a letter about service charges and found a letter I wrote years ago wanting the council to consider putting solar panels on the roof here, we could have generated enough to power all our flats and the 12 properties along our road. But a sad little letter came back saying sorry no it was more than his jobs worth to recommend anything like that even if residents funded it.