Cob: Solar Power

[Shannon C. Dealy]

On Wed, 25 Apr 2001, Kimberly Hoyer wrote:

> This may or may not be appropriate for this discussion
> list but I'll ask anyhow. I am looking to convert to
> solar power. I currently own a 3-bedroom, stick-built
> house from roughly 1930. In the future, I plan to buy
> some land and build a cob home. I would like to find a
> system that is compatible with my current home but can
> take with me when I build the cob home. I have almost
> zero knowledge of good solar systems and the companies
> attached. I also know nothing about electrical
[snip]

While this is kind of off topic, most people are going to want power in
their cob house, so . . .

Home Power magazine is pretty much dedicated to helping people get off
the grid and has been doing it longer than any other publication I have
seen:

   www.homepower.com

Real Goods sells alternative power systems (among other things) and has
people who can help you to select the right system for your needs.

   www.realgoods.com

They also publish "The Solar Living Sourcebook" which not only gives alot
of information on the basics, but contains information on a large
selection of low power consumption products from lighting and laundry to
refrigerators.

Alternative power systems are generally fairly expensive -- $20,000 will
buy a system that allows you to live the typical modern american lifestyle
without to much compromise in most parts of the USA (as long as you
don't use it for heating/cooling the house or water) -- but the price tag
is directly proportional to how much electricity you use each day (I have
met people whose power consumption is so low they can get by using a
system that costs well under $1000).  I would recommend that you first
learn what you can from the Home Power website and magazine, and order a
copy of "The Solar Living Sourcebook" from Real Goods.  While you are
digesting all of that, start downsizing your energy consumption in your
current life style.  Usually a major philosophy shift will make a big
difference for most people:

  1 - Your house doesn't care how much light there is inside at
      night, so light what you need to be able to see, not the building.
      During the day, open the curtains and leave the lights off unless
      you really need them.

  2 - Your house doesn't care how warm/cold it is, so heat/cool the
      people (wear sweaters) or at most, the room(s) they spend most of
      their time in, not the whole building.

  3 - For new purchases, think low energy use in everything you
      buy.  Devices designed to run on batteries usually use alot less
      power even when plugged into the wall, so "boom box" stereos,
      battery powered TV sets, and laptop computers may be a good choice
      (assuming you don't dispense with such things altogether).
      In many cases, particularly for a device that is going to be on much
      of the day (like computers and TV's often are), it may be much
      cheaper to replace even a new computer or TV with a low power
      one, than it would be to increase the size of your new alternative
      power system to handle the extra load.

A good starting point is using compact flourescent light bulbs.  If you
are one of those people who hates compact flourescent bulbs, look around
a bit, there are many manufacturers and styles, not all bulbs are created
equal.

Shannon C. Dealy      |               DeaTech Research Inc.
dealy at deatech.com     |          - Custom Software Development -
                      |    Embedded Systems, Real-time, Device Drivers
Phone: (800) 467-5820 | Networking, Scientific & Engineering Applications
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