Archive for February, 2010

Modular Reused Recycled Renewable Energy

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

It is official.

We saved $3,963.62 in water and power from 2008 to 2009. The results are somewhat skewed due to the consolidation of our office into the household, but the savings are real as the office was an electric hog, and its equipment still is….even though it has been relocated to the house. The office savings were $2,923.80.

The Household savings were $1,039.82 with more usage (more people in the house for more hours), and many more trees in the yard.

Per the construct of this project, we can now invest this amount back into the household to further reduce the energy and water consumption.

There are many little projects where we could make an impact for this amount of money, but I really didn’t get excited about any of the conventional solutions.

In the last decades of the Computer Industry there have been “religious wars” after war on what was the best technology and efficiency, etc. But, over time simple, modular, and inclusive seems to win over elegant, efficient, and proprietary solutions. Interfacing multiple disparate systems always seems to win over uniformity (API’s or USB, etc).

So, we set for ourselves not to assume a Grid, or standards (safety yes), but to think in terms of small modular units which could be constructed by Reusing Parts, Recycling Parts to obtain renewable energy.

We want a functioning systems from Cats, and Dogs, and Junk for our energy. Thinking in efficiency terms tends to bring us always back to the same place: Large, Elegant, and Expensive.

We would like modular, common and effective. What has always made these systems work has been the wiring or wireless backbone, and the interfaces. These we will have to work out, but we want an inclusive system: Wind, Solar, Big, Small, Micro.

What got some of this thinking moving was a number of Youtube videos using computer printer motors to light LED’s, and some Wind Turbines using Tape Drive motors. We have been throwing these motors away for years where apparently they might have a second life as power generators.

So, we gave a $1,000 to a friend to see what he could come up with….and he has found a couple large Squirrel Fan carcases which he will try to convert. And, gutted a printer to get our first two motors probably to drive LED lights.

The vision is to keep creating power sources on opportunity with whatever is at hand and then to build a backbone with common interfaces to we can exploit this energy to reduce our expenses and foot print with: Modular Reused Recycled Renewable Energy

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Posted in Recycle, Renewable, Reuse | No Comments »

Spring has already come for 2010

Monday, February 8th, 2010

So much for Global Warming….we have had a lot of rain this year (probably just cyclical) and the bulbs and trees started about 2 weeks early in late January versus our normal of mid February.

So far, this year, we added:

10 Fruit and Nut Trees

20 Grapes (from last year’s slips)

14 Boysenberries from cane strikes

Strawberries and more asparagus, garlic, and Kiwis.

1000+ vegetable seeds in flats. Very early for us mid-January. We created a PVC pipe frame which we will use later in the year for tomato stakes, and cover them with cheap plastic painter’s drop clothes. Very happy with the results.

Got all the mature trees pruned and fertilized. Good thing we did…with the early spring, many have already bolted without ever having lost their leaves from the fall and very short winter.

We made a mistake last year fertilizing the the trees using Citrus/Avocado mix for everyone. The peaches, plums, pears, nectarines, apricots were not happy. Lots of green growth with few blossoms. Surprisingly, the apples did not seem to care. The bananas, mango’s like it. The papaya was very upset with ridiculous bizarre growth.

Of course, we had record crops in citrus with more grapefruit, lemons than we could handle. Oranges (unbelievable seedless navels) which we always consume are almost at the excess level. The Bearless lime which we hate had a reasonable crop. We will replace this lime with a sweet lime and a Mexican thorn less which we prefer.

We had a surplus crop of Avocados which we were able to sell and still had way too much to eat.

Looking forward to our first nut crop of Almonds followed hopefully in a few years with Walnuts and Pecans. Still looking for pistachios and macadamia trees for CA (or from seed which we have not been successful at…..). Might get some passion fruit this year.

Very few items left to find to complete the coverage for the “Shopping List” which we updated. Slowly but surely we are moving to Fruit, Vegetable and Nut independence.

We are very happy with the results and derive a lot enjoyment from working in the yard. We putting in a “Granny Path” eg no obstacles so you walk in between the trees and gardens with your hands full without worrying too much so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.

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Posted in Around the yard, Produce | 1 Comment »