Hydrogen infrastructure

[3930dave]

Canada has plenty of hydro, ergo the top-10 # up top of page.

Points taken though....... I noted the phrase a long time ago... No Fanatic, like a Converted Fanatic...... (meaning anti-oil bandaids, causing collateral damage/issues).

Personally, I'd like to see H2 cracked from water using PV power, but commercial-scale at this stage will require 24x7 H2 generation I'd expect. Biomass and wind are other options.

Shutdown oil, and coal, and nuke, and hydro generation.... AND flip everyone to EVs..... you might be able to drive OR heat and cool your house/hangout on TBN, but not both....

Rgds, D.

 

[DieselBound]

I knew someone who was setting his home up to be PV-only supplied- "off-grid." He had to give up his Nissan Leaf. He'd had a Prius before his Leaf (and likely, didn't follow up on his story, returned to a Prius).

I partially laugh at such folks, not because I like to see such "failures," but because it demonstrates what I know to be true of the greater hive-mind out there- insufficiently aware of the totality of the problem yet go at the "problem" (they believe it to be) with full vigor (which is supported/subsidized by marketing-hype).

 

[3930dave]

Big Back To The Land movement, in the 60's.

Once the reality of the hardship, work, sacrifices and discomfort set in, few Stayed the Course....

Pain, can be instructive. Many/most modern first-world citizens have no clue of the range of that scale, when it comes to day/day survival....

Rgds, D.

 

[DieselBound]

Big Back To The Land movement, in the 60's.

Once the reality of the hardship, work, sacrifices and discomfort set in, few Stayed the Course....

Pain, can be instructive. Many/most modern first-world citizens have no clue of the range of that scale, when it comes to day/day survival....

Rgds, D.

Yes. But in this guy's case he was more urban! He'd had the house for many years. Was just pushing to be "greener." He did some work with some solar folks (though his full time profession was as an emergency room nurse, if memory serves me right).

One needs to do one's work if one has any hopes of even coming close to having things work out. When I was aiming for off-grid (years ago when I was more capable) I was intending on using micro-hydro. Have to know what your requirements are. Obviously, there's more than just power to consider; I'd made a spreadsheet to show drawn-down and refill rates for cisterns for my potable water needs.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Big Back To The Land movement, in the 60's.

Once the reality of the hardship, work, sacrifices and discomfort set in, few Stayed the Course....

Pain, can be instructive. Many/most modern first-world citizens have no clue of the range of that scale, when it comes to day/day survival....

Rgds, D.

I know several back to the land hippies from the '60s and early '70s. This area was a destination for them. The ones who stuck it out did well, some of them with lifestyles you would be hard put to find anywhere in the world. I have friends with a deck built on the side of a waterfall; part of a beautiful hand-built home, and no neighbors within a mile. They may have been broke a lot in the early years, but that's a long way from hardship, sacrifices, and discomfort.

 

[3930dave]

I know several back to the land hippies from the '60s and early '70s. This area was a destination for them. The ones who stuck it out did well, some of them with lifestyles you would be hard put to find anywhere in the world. I have friends with a deck built on the side of a waterfall; part of a beautiful hand-built home, and no neighbors within a mile. They may have been broke a lot in the early years, but that's a long way from hardship, sacrifices, and discomfort.

Looks good, on those (self) select(ed) few who stuck it out. They ended up with unique homesteads and lifestyles.

Many people today (even pre-Covid) won't get out of their vehicle to pick up a coffee, and think it's a tough day when something takes more than 5 seconds to load on their phone..... I can't see as many people today homesteading in the middle of nowhere.....

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Yes. But in this guy's case he was more urban! He'd had the house for many years. Was just pushing to be "greener." He did some work with some solar folks (though his full time profession was as an emergency room nurse, if memory serves me right).

One needs to do one's work if one has any hopes of even coming close to having things work out. When I was aiming for off-grid (years ago when I was more capable) I was intending on using micro-hydro. Have to know what your requirements are. Obviously, there's more than just power to consider; I'd made a spreadsheet to show drawn-down and refill rates for cisterns for my potable water needs.

Although it's pretty standard engineering ^, it's waaayyyyy more work than typical consumers have any interest in doing....

I always liked Homepower's approach to documenting projects.... gave you a detailed look at all costs for long-term projects. Devil in Details, for sure....

Rgds, D.

 

[DieselBound]

Dave, the guy was actually working with/for a company (not sure how much; kind of moonlighting?). To not understand some basic loads speaks to people's naiveté- heads filled up with marketing hype.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Yes. But in this guy's case he was more urban! He'd had the house for many years. Was just pushing to be "greener." He did some work with some solar folks (though his full time profession was as an emergency room nurse, if memory serves me right).

One needs to do one's work if one has any hopes of even coming close to having things work out. When I was aiming for off-grid (years ago when I was more capable) I was intending on using micro-hydro. Have to know what your requirements are. Obviously, there's more than just power to consider; I'd made a spreadsheet to show drawn-down and refill rates for cisterns for my potable water needs.

I have never aimed to be off-grid, but have worked hard to be off-checkbook. Over the years I have spent a lot of money on invisible energy upgrades. We upgraded our heat pump a couple years ago to a modern, 16 SEER unit, and summer efficency rating is the important part. This week I was doing about 30 degrees of heating with two little 4" oak splits every couple hours. During the day, it is rare to need heat, because a lot of south glass offers substantial solar gain, shining on insulated tile floors that hold heat well. Most days the passive solar lasts for an hour after sunset.

I feel pretty green. My electric bill is 2/3 of the electric bill from 25 years ago, and that is with 25 years of rate increases. Efficiency counts for a lot.

 

[DieselBound]

Larry, yes, REDUCE is the key word. Back in the 70s, in the US that is, it was: REDUCE, Re-use and Recycle. Somewhere along the line REDUCE was dropped (when we became Consumer Nation [post 9/11 we were told to "go out shopping!" - pathetic to the max]).

I continue to use wood from my property for heating. I spent a lot of energy assisting the growth of new tree saplings: blackberries snuff the life out of just about everything- I do hand to hand battle in order to set the saplings free so that they can sync the carbon that I use (almost always from downed trees- if left these release that carbon back into the atmosphere, albeit slowly; I've actually buried a lot of stumps, which sequesters that carbon).

In the end, unfortunately, efficiency is no solution: see Jevons Paradox.