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To celebrate Governor Schwarzenegger for all his efforts to increase the usage of solar powered technologies in the state of California, we reconnect with inventor Bob Schneeveis who has a birthday gift to share with the Governor.
In this solar powered TV segment from the Hippy Gourmet television series, we revisit with Bob as he shows us his updated solar powered roller blading chariot! This version has Governor Schwarzenegger carrying a message of a better environment through solar power!
Bob’s also upgraded the chariot with a solar voltaic convertible top that’s totally modular and helps charge the vehicle’s batteries, proving that solar panels fit perfectly on top of vehicles.
We’re just so proud of Bob Schneeveis for all of his inventiveness and creativity, and also so pleased with Governor Schwarzenegger’s commitment to solar power and a cleaner environment.
Duration : 0:4:17
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Technorati Tags: Arnold, Bob, chariot, Gourmet, Governor, Hippy, National, PBS, Power, rollerblades, Schneeveis, Schwarzenegger, Show, Solar, TV
In this short video series we will explore the basics of setting up an alternate energy system. What each component does, how it functions and it’s place in an off grid system. Designed specifically for the homesteader or survivalist, this video is designed to help get you started on your road to energy independence!
The system shown runs a house approximately 1,500 sq. feet plus intermittant lighting and tool use on a couple of outbuildings. The house uses LP gas for water heater and cook stove. Everything else except AC is ran off this system.
No matter what your preparing for: nuclear war, terrorism, economic collapse, market crash, food shortages, famine, etc. Having a working Alternate energy system can help greatly around your homestead or survival retreat.
There is one section of this video that has poor lighting, this could not be helped. If your looking for Spielberg cinematography, you came to the wrong place! We know the lighting is bad in that part, no need for immature comments regarding this. If you don’t like, don’t watch!
www.homesteadingandsurvival.com
www.survivalreport.net
tags- survival, survivalist, survival retreat, homesteading, preparedness, prepare, terrorism, war, EMP, nuclear, obama, 911, alex jones, alternate energy, solar power, wind power, micro hydro, inverter, battery bank, charge controller, solar panel, PV panel, generator diesel, peak oil, end of oil, oil crash, gas prices, food storage, food shortage, militia logistics, Matthew 24, end times prophecy, anything else that will bring people in 
Alternate Energy 3
Duration : 0:8:42
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Technorati Tags: alternate, collapse, crash, Crisis, economic, end, energy, FOOD, grid, of, Off, Oil, peak, Power, Solar, storage, survivalist, wind
A sun powered battery charger is a convenient way of saving money while using natural resources. This transportable battery charger can go almost anywhere. They are easy to operate and do not require a technology degree to set up. Because the sun powers this type of charger, you will always have power available to use. Solar chargers are the wave of the future and they are quickly showing up in households across the world.
Sun power is one of the strongest free energy sources available today. By using a solar charger for your batteries and other electrical devices, you will eliminate the need for electricity. Solar power can be used to charge your batteries, but if you have a large amount of solar panels, you can also use solar energy to operate most any electrical device. Even on cloudy days, a solar battery charger will still be able to charge your batteries.
Portable solar chargers are smaller and do not offer as much power. They are most commonly used to charge battery packs and other small devices like cellular phones. A portable charger usually consists of one solar cell panel that you can connect to the equipment you want to use. It can take several hours for a portable solar charger to work. You may need to plan ahead and have batteries constantly charging, so they will be ready when you need them.
Many people today are afraid to try any new technology. As a society, we have already had to adjust to so many technological ideas that some people just do not want to have to learn about another gadget. However, solar chargers are easy to operate. You do not have to have specific technical skills to use a solar charger. Most portable chargers come ready to use and you simply have to plug them into your device or battery charger.
Because solar chargers are so easy to use, they are becoming more and more popular around the world. Backpackers are carrying them on long hiking trips. Car travelers are keeping portable chargers on their dashboards. There are even houses that are entirely run off of solar energy.
It can be intimidating to venture into a new technology like solar power. Once you buy your first charger, you will be hooked. Because they are so easy to use, many people end up buying several portable chargers to use with their battery chargers and other small electrical devices. Solar energy is a free source of power, which in today’s world of high electric prices, is just what many households are looking for.
Try out a portable solar charger for yourself. You will see that they are easy to use and very convenient. First, decide what you want to use your solar charger for, and then get a portable charger that will fit those needs. Having solar energy available is another gift that we should all take advantage of. It does not matter whether you decide to use a portable charger for charging your batteries. You can decide to connect your entire household to solar power. Using a renewable energy source such as the sun is a great start to being environmentally responsible.
Build you own solar power and wind turbines with full illustrations for just under $200!
Duration : 1 min 55 sec
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Technorati Tags: Solar
Why should we consider a backup solar power system? Not only have we seen how sudden power failures have crippled entire cities, but regions and even entire states. Everyone at one time or another has experienced how an unexpected power failure has interrupted the simplest of daily tasks. Suddenly the power goes out and we realize how much we depend on electricity and don’t ever think about it until it’s not available. Our society uses electricity to power nearly every aspect of our lives, from heating and cooling to basic communication with our family, friends, and associates. It is becoming ever more imperative that we have backup or reserve power for when the inevitable happens and a backup solar power system can supply this need with continuous and free source of power for as long as we need it.
When there is a sustained period of power loss, expected or unexpected, the most common backup power is supplied by generators or invertors. Commonly, these supply enough power to make things more convenient and a bit more comfortable, but they do not supply enough power to operate all the appliances and devices, or if they do, not for long. Normally these items are sufficient for up to eight hours. You may have to limit the times of operating your backup power to be able to last for the duration of the power failure.
For instance, after a hurricane you know to be prepared for extended power outages. We can expect the power to be out for up to a week, even in minimally damaged areas. If your household is running off a gasoline generator, you will have to have a supply of gasoline on hand to operate the generator. And quite possibly your generator is only powerful enough to operate the bare essentials of your household, such as refrigerator and lights, but not climate control.
There are times when there are deaths that occur due to power failures. Older people accustomed to air conditioning are unable to regulate their body to endure extreme heat. Or those that depend on electricity to operate in home life support systems. These people generally are unable to do the maintenance required to keep a gasoline generator operating during prolonged power outages. Not only that, but people have died from incorrect installation of a generator or carbon monoxide poisoning from improper ventilation or fire.
A backup solar power system could be your answer for a safe, efficient, and unending power supply as long as necessary. As long as the system is installed correctly, it can supply all of your power needs without interruption. Think of the security and convenience of reliable and safe power supply whenever you need it. Backup solar power is the obvious choice for the safest and reliable supply of power when the expected or unexpected power failure occurs. Much safer and little to no maintenance makes a backup solar power system the most reliable and obvious choice for your electricity backup plan.
What mail do you hate the most living in a western modern world today? Chances are that you hate your monthly bills. What do hate even more? You probably hate seeing these bills getting higher each and every month. But what can you do about it; you need electricity, water, gas and heat. You would not be living a comfortable live in a western modern society without your lights, air-conditioning, TV, microwave, dishwasher and all other appliances that make your live enjoyable.
You could decide not to pay these bills, but that will not resolve the problem. You can even reduce the number of appliances used to a minimum and not heat you’re your home. If you live on your own that would not be problem, but if you’re a part of a family these drastic measures will not make you popular. Lucky for you there are alternatives. Today there houses available known as alternative energy homes.
These are houses that use today’s technology to provide you with free electricity and heat. That doesn’t sound great, it is! These homes convert power from different natural processes into electricity and heating. Alternative energy homes make use of sunlight, wind and biomass fuel to power their energy needs. Let’s look at how they do this.
First let’s look at solar power. Solar power can be used for heat and for electricity. To produce electricity the solar panels are placed on the roof of the house. These panels consist of photovoltaic cells that can convert sunlight directly into electricity. A modern pv cell can convert almost 80% of the sunshine into electricity. But what happens at night? The electricity that is converted during the day is stored into batteries. This allows you to use solar electricity when ever you need it, day or night.
Another step further is the use of turbines. The sun’s heat is then used to turn water into steam that runs turbines. The turbines then run generators, which produce electricity for the entire alternative energy home!
To heat a home a solar panel can be installed on the roof where water is heated. The hot water is then stored in a big tank which in turn is used for a central heating system and also for hot running water.
Another way to heat your home is to use solar collectors. The heat from the sun is then stored in special collectors. These systems are very effective. Some have even shown the capability to heat alternative energy homes in the middle of winter!
Second is wind power. To use wind power a windmill-type device is installed on the house or nearby. The wind-mill powers a turbine. This turbine produces the necessary electricity. And what happens when there is no wind? Just as with solar power, the energy is stored into batteries. These batteries ensure you with enough electricity.
By converting these widely available energy sources you can save a lot of money. The only upset is that you need to invest in equipment to convert these sources into the energy needed. This can be a substantial investment. In different countries and in the US you can receive tax credits or other tax benefits to reduce the total investment. But if you think of the alternative energy home as an investment you can’t go wrong. The price for your home will go up and your expenses are reduced and that’s what every home owner wants, increase the market value and reduce costs. Thus, your new energy provider is the future in more ways than one.
Mathias Craig launched blueEnergy to provide a low-cost, sustainable solution to the energy needs of marginalized communities through the construction of wind turbines and the installation (and maintenance!) of hybrid wind and solar electric systems.
Watch Mathias Craig as he tells Global X how he felt (not too good!) the day he came back to Nicaragua only to realize that the community was using electricity to watch Mexican telenovellas (soap operas).
That is, until his brother walked by the school…
Duration : 4 min 24 sec
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Technorati Tags: wind
Most people will tell you that you can’t run your car on solar electricity, but that’s exactly what I do. In 2001, during California’s energy crisis, I installed a grid-tied solar-electric system with design assistance from Bob-O Schultze of Electron Connection. My original motivation was the desire to avoid rolling blackouts. Today, not only am I powering my home with solar electricity, I’m running my car on sunshine too! Our system has 3,600 watts of solar-electric (photovoltaic; PV) modules mounted on three dual-axis tracking pole mounts.
At our location, the tracking arrays generate about 30 percent more energy than fixed arrays on an annual basis. Since the system is tied to the utility grid, there is always somewhere for our electricity to go, and regulation losses are avoided. To ensure that we have electricity during power outages, a deep-cycle battery bank was included in the system. The inverter maintains the batteries at 100 percent state of charge, so they’re always ready for the next utility outage. I have been extremely happy with my PV system, and delighted with the decision to include battery backup. While the grid goes down periodically, our home has never experienced any blackouts. When the grid fails, our inverter seamlessly switches our appliances over to the battery bank, and life continues normally. The system functions as a wholehouse uninterruptible power supply for all 120 VAC loads. Efficiency & Rates Before the installation, I reduced my monthly electricity use from about 1,000 KWH to around 600 by replacing a refrigerator and freezer with new energy efficient Kenmore appliances from Sears, and converting all the house lights to compact fluorescents.
I signed up for the then-new, E-7 time-of-use (TOU) net metering rate schedule from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), which paid US$0.31 per KWH, the peak rate, for all electricity metered back to the grid for the six summer months, from noon to 6 PM, Monday through Friday. The off-peak rate was US$0.08 per KWH, and covered all the other times. This large differential in rates provided a strong incentive to shift electrical loads out of the peak period and into the off-peak period. With the help of several timers, my wife and I manage to use very little electricity during the peak period. As a result of the TOU rate schedule and our load shifting, at the end of the first twelve months we had a positive balance with PG&E of US$88. This is called the true-up period, and unfortunately our utility does not have to pay us this amount. On the other hand, the TOU schedule did allow us to use 1,840 KWH more from the grid than we generated that first year. By the middle of the second year, it became obvious that our surplus for the second twelve months was going to be almost two-and-a-half times the US$88 of the first year because of improvements in our load shifting and further conservation efforts. We started to talk about how to use up this surplus because there was very little appeal in handing more than US$200 to PG&E.
Electric Vehicle The obvious solution was to buy one of the Toyota RAV4 EVs that were available at that time (the end of 2002). I was dragging my feet, but my wife prodded me into action, and we traded in our Acura for this electric vehicle. If I had not followed my wife’s prodding, we would not have this car. Soon after placing our order, Toyota announced that they were discontinuing production of this vehicle and taking no further orders. We bought the car late in the year, so after the second twelve months we still had a US$112 surplus with PG&E and a 1,550 KWH positive energy balance. I was somewhat expecting this car to more than use up our surplus. But after the first full year’s use of the RAV4 EV, we still had a zero bill with PG&E, but had used 3,568 KWH more from the grid than we generated. We put about 12,000 miles (19,000 km) on the EV for the year, and it uses about 300 watt-hours per mile. All of these watt-hours were charged during off-peak times at US$0.08 per KWH. Without the solar-electric modules, if you had to pay US$0.08 per KWH to charge this car, it would cost less than US$0.03 per mile for the electricity, compared to the US$0.10 per mile (or more) you pay for a gasoline-fueled car. The car uses about 3,600 KWH per year, just about what our net usage from the grid is per year.
The fact that we owe nothing for electricity used by our house and car is entirely due to the E-7 TOU net metering, and really demonstrates the effectiveness of the combination of a solar-electric system with this rate schedule. Unfortunately, the gain available with this rate schedule is entirely dependent on the size of the summertime peak rate, and PG&E lowered it from US$0.31per KWH to US$0.29 per KWH. This may have the effect of pushing my current year’s bill into positive territory, which has given us incentives for further conservation. Petroleum Free After rebates and tax credits, the solar-electric system cost about US$26,000 and the car about US$29,000. I would have bought both without the rebates and tax credits, and never intend to go back to a gasoline car. The PR campaign by the automakers and the petroleum industry to turn the people of this country against EVs is a national disgrace and a big step backward for the sustainability of the planet.
It is possible to live petroleum free for both home and transportation needs!
Sterling Dish 500MW solar power plant
Duration : 0:2:21
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Technorati Tags: dish, DIY, electronics, environment, gadget, mechanics, Plant, Power, Solar, Sterling
With increasing climatic condition change and prolonged drought conditions in Ausralia, many people are trying to save water and energy on the dryest inhabited continent on earth.
The buildings in which we live, work and play, protect us from the elements but also shape the environment around us. The construction and operation of buildings requires a huge input of resources. The location of buildings and what resources are used affects the ecosystem in a number of ways. As the environmental impact of buildings becomes more apparent people are looking for ways that can significantly decrease this impact and make their homes and offices healthier to live and work in.
Some of the biggest long-term challenges facing our nation are securing sustainable water and power suppliers for our future and reducing the production of greenhouse gases to limit the impact of climate change.
We live on the driest inhabited continent on earth, yet are one of the highest per capita consumers of water. Melbourne is experiencing the lowest level of water supply in many years. Yet we each consume, on average, 400 litres of water every day.
Many people assume that we are in a current state of drought and that when the drought breaks we will have adequate amounts of water to go back to using it like we have in the past. However, this is not the full story. Australia has always had little rainfall and as our population increases so will pressure on water and power. We can all make an individual difference that will assist this nation in its endeavours.
Strategies that can be employed include installing rain water tanks, grey water irrigation systems, solar hot water systems, solar heating and other water and energy conserving means. To assist, the State Governments have included rebates for water saving devices in their strategies.
Sustainable Plumbing P/L is a Melbourne leader in the field of green plumbing and works with other partners such as specialist sustainable landscape architects and designers to achieve aesthetic design with these sustainable water and solar strategies