Funny Looking Tower Generates 600% More Electrical Energy Than Traditional Wind Turbines. The Sheerwind wind turbine promises to produce 6 times the electrical power than traditional wind turbines. This funny looking wind tower acts like a funnel, directing the wind from any angle, down through a tube to a ground based turbine generator. The funneling of the wind through a narrow passage effectively creates a “jet effect” increasing the velocity of the wind, while lowering the pressure. This is called the Venturi Effect.
This speeds up the wind turbine mounted inside the narrowest portion and generates electricity. As such it can capture and generate electricity at a much lower wind speed than current wind power technologies. The idea is so simple, so elegant, and promises to produce so much more energy at lower cost and more efficiently, that it might just be the answer to many problems with current wind turbine technology. Imagine a smaller HOME version on your off grid cabin. Conventional wind turbines use massive turbine generator systems mounted on top of a tower. $1000 Foldable Solar Powered House Designed by IKEA To Provide Shelter For Refugees. Off-grid, handcrafted life on Oregon farm & workshop. Build a $300 underground greenhouse for year-round gardening (Video)
Growers in colder climates often utilize various approaches to extend the growing season or to give their crops a boost, whether it's coldframes, hoop houses or greenhouses. Greenhouses are usually glazed structures, but are typically expensive to construct and heat throughout the winter. A much more affordable and effective alternative to glass greenhouses is the walipini (an Aymara Indian word for a "place of warmth"), also known as an underground or pit greenhouse. First developed over 20 years ago for the cold mountainous regions of South America, this method allows growers to maintain a productive garden year-round, even in the coldest of climates. Here's a video tour of a walipini that shows what a basic version of this earth-sheltered solar greenhouse looks like inside: © Benson Institute It's a pretty intriguing set-up that combines the principles of passive solar heating with earth-sheltered building. SilverThunder/via.
Build Your Own $20 Outdoor Cob Oven: weekend projects — Homegrown & Healthy. 5 BEST Reasons To Live Off The Grid. Why do you want to live off the grid? Everyone, I think, has their own reasons and ideas for wanting to move off the grid. Boiling it down, these are the top 5. 1. Self Sufficiency: Living off the grid in a self sufficient manner brings with it a certain independence which cannot be found in modern living. If there were a collapse of the financial system -which is the most likely “doomsday” scenario- then the grocery stores, hardware stores, and the big box home improvement stores would be the first to be wiped out of supplies. In the biggest cities in the world, this leaves millions of people without the supplies needed to survive. People like the feeling they get when they don’t have to depend on others, and they can support their families and enjoy their lives with their friends on their own land, in their own home. 2.: Sense of Accomplishment: There’s a certain satisfaction on a job well done. 3. 4. 5.
It’s all about being happy. Comments comments. 12 Awesome Books To Get You Off The Grid. 12 Awesome Books To Get You Off The Grid Please Share This Page: Google + stumbleupon tumblr reddit If you are a first-time visitor, please be sure to like us on Facebook and receive our exciting and innovative tutorials and info! This fantastic collection of books provides tutorials on many aspects of the off-grid lifestyle – including building your own eco-home, harvesting water, generating your own power and growing your own food!
If you’re planning on going off-grid, downsizing, homesteading, survival prepping or simply living a more “down to earth” lifestyle, it’s great to have access to information and tips from people who have already done it. (Note – off-grid is an Amazon Affiliate and makes a small commission on sales). Earth-Sheltered Houses: How to Build an Affordable Underground Home Earth-sheltered houses utilize thermal mass in order to create a low-impact dwelling. Projects to Get You Off the Grid: Rain Barrels, Chicken Coops, and Solar Panels I like the “realness” of this book. Video: DIY Rainwater Collection System. Here’s a great video from MrNativeTexan that will show you how put together a simple-to-construct rainwater collection system for your garden!
There are a couple of neat ideas going on here – connecting the barrels with a manifold not only makes them fill at the same rate, but there’s also only one tap needed. Four barrels leads to an increased pressure at the tap and the barrels drain from below so they can be fully emptied. Water is synonymous with life, it’s a precious resource and we need to reduce our demand wherever possible to save trouble for future generations. If we don’t act with this in mind it’s easy to see that people could be fighting over clean water in years to come.
A project like this is one easy step in the right direction! Collecting your rainwater is one way to avoid having to use mains drinking water for watering your plants – in fact it’s better for them without the added chlorine, which is toxic. Please Share This Page: 1175525_543223202435238_1731768529_n. Grow Food Not Lawns. 16 Year Old Builds Tiny Home to Guarantee Mortgage-Free Future. 16 year old Austin Hay built this tiny house for only $12,000! This should be an inspiration to us all. 16 year old builds tiny home to guarantee mortgage-free future Below is a followup video of the finished tiny house. Teen tiny house builder Austin Hay finishes dorm on wheels You have no excuse why you can’t build one too. Austin Hay is still in high school, but he’s building his own house. A follow-up video with Austin Hay with his finished home: For more info & links, original story here: Comments comments.
Technology - Potato power: the spuds that could light the world. With a simple trick, the humble spud can be made into a battery, so could potato powered homes catch on? Mashed, boiled, baked or fried? You probably have a preference for your potatoes. Haim Rabinowitch, however, likes his spuds “hacked”. For the past few years, researcher Rabinowitch and colleagues have been pushing the idea of “potato power” to deliver energy to people cut off from electricity grids.
Hook up a spud to a couple of cheap metal plates, wires and LED bulbs, they argue, and it could provide lighting to remote towns and villages around the world. They’ve also discovered a simple but ingenious trick to make potatoes particularly good at producing energy. The idea may seem absurd, yet it is rooted in sound science. While Rabinowitch and team have found a way to make potatoes produce more power than usual, the basic principles are taught in high school science classes, to demonstrate how batteries work. Super spuds Still, zinc is quite cheap in most developing countries. 12 Things You NEED To Go Off Grid NOW! What do you need to go off grid NOW? Do you think you’re ready to live off grid? Where are you going to go without money? Unless you’re planning on bugging out to the wilderness in Alaska or some other wild frontier with just the clothes on your back and a way to hunt for game and live off the land, you’re going to need money to buy the things you need to live off the grid.
Especially if you’re going to bring your family. The fact is, to do anything nowadays you need money, and usually lots of it. Otherwise, you’re stuck in the poorhouse, renting, living paycheck to paycheck, and barely making ends meet. There’s a whole list of things you need besides money, that money will buy you as you prep for your move off grid. First and foremost, you’ll need a place to go.
A place to go seems obvious at first glance, and people know this of course. Consider first, the fact you will be OFF GRID. Who owns the mineral/water rights? Finally is zoning and county/city ordinances. Buy land which has WATER! Advanced timberframe homes | Our Homes. Our Greenhouse is easy to build and affordable! Stuff grown in your greenhouse saves you time and money. Self-growing is incredibly cheap plus means less trips to the supermarket.
Your food is clean - no industrial chemicals! Just Mother Nature! You'll feel better - clean food is healthier. Testimonial"We are very proud of our greenhouse.