Off the Grid Thread

I agree completely and understand what you're saying. IF/When you get this going you've gotta let me know. I just might have to come up and check it out...
 
JMAL77 said:
I agree completely and understand what you're saying. IF/When you get this going you've gotta let me know. I just might have to come up and check it out...
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You should use the "reply" feature it helps notify someone that you are responding to.

Its at the right bottom corner of someone's comment

Also "edit".
 
MagicForDummies said:
You should use the "reply" feature it helps notify someone that you are responding to.

Its at the right bottom corner of someone's comment

Also "edit".
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Magic usually if it's directly above my post I don't always see the reason for it. Because I would see it as a reply to the most previous post anyways... Just saying.
 
TheGurw said:
For the sake of simplicity in describing the mechanics of this, I'll solely discuss electricity. However, I also have fully-fleshed-out plans for other utilities and resources - with the sole exclusion of communication utilities (internet, phone lines, etc).

So here we go. My dream is not to go off-grid. Quite the opposite, in fact. As a young adult who's grown up being counter-culture (much to the disdain of his parents until recently), living in a net-zero world has always been a dream of mine. In relatively recent years, I pursued the construction industries, working for companies that only care about a green image because of political and public pressure. I still work for those companies, but I'm about to begin my own full-package (own the land, build the land, sell the completed development - all in-house; this sort of company is pretty much unheard of) development firm with a few forward-thinking friends and partners, who, like me, are tired of the existing companies' slow progress in the world of net-zero life.

However, like I said, I'm not pursuing an off-the-grid experience. Net zero simply isn't good enough for me. I'm tired of utility companies altogether, and want to see their role reduced to transmitting power and the associated infrastructure. I want to build a consumer/producer mindset that turns the same people who use the power into the people who produce it. I'm about to begin a proof-of-concept home that is what I call a "negative consumer", or "less-than-zero". It's a home that, quite simply, uses so little energy relative to its production abilities that it feeds into the grid, and essentially powers its neighbours as well. With homes like this and a bit of knowledge of human psychology, I can reasonably expect other homes in the area would catch on and also increase their self-production - eventually reducing the total consumption of the neighbourhood to zero and below. The community would then have legal grounds to force the power supply companies to no longer charge for production to any of the homes in the area, regardless of the individual homes' net-zero status, effectively reducing the bills to maintenance and transmission fees (which in my area are around $0.30/month/household).

Neighbouring communities also begin similar projects much the same way . Any new developments I'm involved in (which, considering there are no net-zero development companies anywhere near me, is going to be a fair number - government officials like the good PR) will be completely built from the less-than-zero perspective, essentially replacing the power supply companies in that region. Entire cities will begin to rely less and less on the wholesale production of the major power companies. It may not happen in my lifetime, but I feel it is a reasonable goal that the entirety of Edmonton, Alberta will be completely net-zero within 100 years.

Picture solar panels, geothermal generators, wind turbines dominating the view of the city as you fly into the international airport. This is my dream. And I can make it happen.
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as an additional whim for buildings I'd love to design and furnish someday, I've always thought building a fitness center with different types of machines for working out could be designed as an electrical power generator (think of human Hamster Balls/Wheels, Ladder Machines, and Cycling/Step Machines.)
the ambient heat generated from such a place might have some use, and it has potential as both a recreational and occupational facility. (Why not work out And earn money generating Electricity for others?)
 
I'm not even sure if what I'm thinking of is "off-the-grid", more or less "Amish" :confused:

I would want to go back before major consumerism/etc,etc,etc.

I would want to live in a town like
cheyenne%20new_mexico_eaves_movie_ranc.jpg

In a place like
lakecushman3271.jpg


:D
 
The off grid thread is mainly talking about self-sustainability. Well another interesting topic of being self-sustainable is growing your own food and stop relying on large-scale farms thats all GMO-like. To do that, I'd probably think of starting my own aquaponics farm one day. Aquaponics grows organic (if you prefer it that way) fish and vegetables and is a series of tubes pumping water in a circulatory fashion. I like it.

 
hmmm can you say multi-level home that house's everything you need!? Which is why I love aquaponics. Also magic have you tried any local hydroponic stores or just local herb shops. We've got em all over in my area. They'd probably be able to talk to you and get you going in the right direction...
 
MagicForDummies said:
The off grid thread is mainly talking about self-sustainability. Well another interesting topic of being self-sustainable is growing your own food and stop relying on large-scale farms thats all GMO-like. To do that, I'd probably think of starting my own aquaponics farm one day. Aquaponics grows organic (if you prefer it that way) fish and vegetables and is a series of tubes pumping water in a circulatory fashion. I like it.

Feeeshiieees
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My employers have a gardener hired to help with some of the Farm to College food items my place serves, and that includes an aquaponics system utilizing Tilapia as the fish being raised (and later eaten). Aside from keeping the pH level of the tank in check in an organic matter, its a really cool concept.
Even though its food service, some of the programs that my employers have utilized are pretty awesome with how much effort we put into supporting sustainable practices. The connections to local farmers and relationships built around providing quality food form a unique experience for the students and customers who eat there.
 
My brother who just opened an electric bike shop less than a month ago has a small aquaponic system set up in his shop using a substance called vermiculite which was shipped with his bikes. It is a really interesting mineral and it seems to absorb water like a small sponge.

Currently he only has goldfish and tomato plants but soon he will switch to Tilapia when he perfects his system and increases the size
 
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