Ancient Passive Cooling By Josh Moran You’ve probably seen various “family trees” in museums that try to illustrate the evolution of human beings. They start out with an ape-like creature with a scientific-sounding name at the bottom and then branch outwards and upwards, culminating with something like Ozzie and Harriet perched at the top. Imagine that same kind of tree but one that shows the evolution of the manner in which we have cooled and heated our living spaces since the dawn of human history. However, unlike the family trees where the branches of human ancestors come to an abrupt end, in the heating and cooling tree, ancient passive systems don’t entirely disappear. Six feet under for a good reason Perhaps you’ve heard this riddle: A Thermos bottle is designed to keep cold things cold and hot things hot. This simple conundrum points to one of the classic passive heating and cooling systems we use on our planet. PHOTO: Step House ruins: Mesa Verde National Park The spelunking lifestyle Drilling for dollars
DIY: Beer Can Into Camping Stove You can whip one of these up in a matter of minutes. They’re so easy to make and they work really well. First find yourself some scissors and a beverage can and then start the above video. This is an inexpensive way to be prepared in the event of a power outage as these stoves give off a lot of heat and have the ability to cook large meals. They also make great holiday gifts for friends and family. For more great repurposing ideas, check out Repurposing 24/7 Image: Vimeo camp stoveDIYRepurposing Related Posts « After Reading This, You’ll Never Look at a Banana in the Same Way Again The Remedy For Everything But Death »
Biomass Gasification – A Primer I’ve been researching alternative energy sources that could be used during an extended grid-down situation for a while now but haven’t been able to find one that would work well in my situation (limited sun and wind). Well just recently a good friend of mine had reminded me of one that I had long since forgotten (having originally passed over it in a Mother Earth News article a few years back): Wood or Biomass Gasification. What is Gasification? In a nutshell, gasification is the process of using heat to transform solid biomass, or other carbonaceous solids, into a flammable fuel much like natural gas. Basically, you can take practically any solid dry organic matter (wood chips, walnut/cherry shells, agricultural waste etc) and convert it into a clean burning, carbon neutral, gaseous fuel. Sound too good to be true? Fortunately for us preparedness-minded people, these small-scale gasifiers can be fairly easily manufactured using basic tools and readily available resources. Online Resources
How To Make A Wood Gas Stove Please be sure to like SHTF AND PREPPING CENTRAL on Facebook, this means you won’t miss any of our posts that can help you prepare you and your family for survival in an emergency or SHTF situation. Check out our store : CLICK HERE Homemade gas stoves generate fuel by heating biomass or wood. Since wood does not technically “burn,” the gas and vapor that emerge from the wood are actually burned by the air with high heat. This gasification process is called pyrolysis, which converts the wood to char. The interaction of gas, vapor and char creates heat and serves as a clean combustion source for the wood gas stove. click here for more DIY stuff from this guy
Countries With 100% Renewable Energy Cahora Basso, Mozambique Which countries have the highest percentage of renewable energy – care to guess? I suspect that names like Germany, Denmark or Spain might spring to mind. They’re certainly making good progress, but they’ve got nothing on the world’s renewable energy leaders. These pioneers are overlooked for a variety of reasons. Most often its a matter of categorisation – what is and what isn’t considered renewable energy. Others simply leave hydro and geothermal out because they’re older technologies, and including them in renewable energy statistics might make people complacent about their percentages. Still, taking that broader perspective, here are some forgotten pioneers of the renewable energy world: Iceland – Built as it is on a volcano, Iceland has tapped the earth’s natural warmth to supply 85% of the country’s housing with heat. I could also mention Costa Rica, Laos, Colombia, Malawi, Nepal, Belize, and a dozen others. World electricity generation index Like this:
8 Completely Awesome DIY Home Energy Projects | Ecoble Small-scale renewable energy is a must for a sustainable home – but converting your home to clean energy options can carry a huge initial price tag. We’ve scoured the web for some of the most innovative examples of homemade energy solutions to compile a collective list of DIY projects to make your home greener and more energy efficient without costing you a fortune. From solar water heaters and gadget chargers to homemade super-efficient refrigerators, you’ll find links (with instructions) to some of the best projects you can make at home… Homemade Energy-Save Fridge The ‘Ambient Air Fridge’ isn’t quite a year-round green appliance but when things cool down in the winter, this homemade fridge will definitely shave a few dollars off the electric bill! The insulated wood box fits snugly in an out-of-the-way doorway and even controls the temperature with an inexpensive thermostat and a couple of computer fans. DIY Electric Lawn Mower Make Your Own Wind Turbine Low Cost Solar Water Heater
DIY Hand-Crank USB Charger Step #1: PrevNext I'm taking a trip to China soon, and last summer we spent a week without power due to downed trees all over the state. Let's just say it was a rough week. So I wanted to find a way to charge my USB stuff without using those battery packs. Step #4: Finally, solder the red and black leads to the rectifier and the resistor as shown in the picture in the previous step.
How To Build A Cycle Generator - Steward Community Woodland Cycle and stand: Old bikes vs. exercise bikes. Unwanted bikes can be very cheap (ie. free) and easy to obtain. Exercise bikes are an interesting option. Generator and regulator: Alternators vs. Permanent magnet motors are another option. Drive and gearing: Shafts, cogs, wheels, chains, and belts. The pedals of your machine must somehow turn your chosen generator at a suitable speed. Gearing could consist of a gearbox full of cogs. With enough cogs and chains from old bikes you could multiply your gearing up to the desired level but it would be noisy and inefficient. If you are using an alternator than it will need at least 1,800 RPM before it produces output. We have successfully used a belt from the fly wheel of an exercise bike to a homemade pulley fitted to the motor. Where to get stuff: Car boot sales provide a good source of exercise bikes, unwanted bicycles and bicycle bits.