So You Want Use Off-Grid Energy

A lot of people want to remove themselves from the grid. For some, this is basic practicality: They are too far from an established power grid, such as homesteaders, and so they could easily be left without energy, especially if something happens to the connection, such as during storms and earthquakes. Others simply don’t want to pay someone else for energy. Others want to have some sort of backup in case the grid goes down. For these people, it can be interesting to look at various issues when it comes to off-grid power.

How Deep Do My Batteries Go?

A lot of people are looking into deep-cycle batteries. The concept is pretty simple: A deep battery is meant to be used completely for a specific use, with the idea of being a dedicated power supply. While this is usually for situations where there is a constant power supply (such as power at an outside concert or certain computing applications) or for smaller vehicles that are in constant use (such as smaller land or marine vehicles), as well as a dedicated power source (such as for traffic lights or sump pumps). A deep-cycle battery can also be used to store power, such as from solar cells or wind turbines.

For a person looking at getting power from off the grid, this is not a bad thing. The biggest debate is whether or not to store these batteries, as an emergency power source. However, the problem with deep-cycle batteries is that they aren’t small; most are the size of car batteries, making storage of too many such batteries a problem. However, they’re great if you’re using a pair of batteries and switching them out as one’s power is used while the other recharges. As noted, they are also great when you need a steady source of power, such as for a sump pump.

[If you are going to store these for a long time, the steps required depend on if you have a lithium battery or not. For a lithium battery, charge to 50-80%, disconnect it from everything, and place it in an area with a temperature between 50-95 F (10-35 C), and check every few months; top off if needed. For other batteries, fully charge, throw on a trickle charger (to avoid sulfation), and store between 32-77 F (0-25 C). You should also check it every three months, recharging if it falls below 12.5 V.]

Do Bicycles Work As Power Sources?

It’s possible to hook up a wide variety of different things to help power the house. There are two issues hooking up your bicycle and using it for power: The first is that the power generated isn’t as much as you would think: It’s usually enough to power a light bulb. You would need a team of bikers peddling for days to generate the amount of energy required by an average house for a day. The second is that it represents a significant caloric investment; that is, the person on the bike requires a lot of calories to keep up his energy. Thus, while it can be done, the limitations may make this not worth the investment.

And Then There Are The Scams

You should aways be on the lookout for people saying that they’ve found a great way to generate power. A good example of this are people pointing out that you can use the magnets from a speaker and two spark plugs, plus some wire and other parts, to use a static magnetic field to create an electric current. It doesn’t actually work; turns out you need an alternating magnetic field to create energy. The actual energy comes from a concealed power source. However, a lot of people fall for this and similar scams: Anything you can do to create power is good, and especially if it’s cheap. As usual, if it’s too good to be true, it usually is.

Actual Alternatives

Depending on your means and geography, there are plenty of alternative sources worth looking into. However, be advised that you may end up cobbling a couple of different systems to create a system that provides all of the energy you need. Besides wind and solar, you can also use a nearby creek to create a hydro-turbine. In some areas, you can get geothermal power. You can even modify a fireplace to provide some energy, or at least hot water. With a little creativity, almost any source of power can be tapped to create energy for your home.

As you can tell, there is a lot to watch out for when it comes to looking for alternative power sources. You need to define how much energy you need and then look at what you have available. By working with what you have, you should be able to find the optimal power solution for you.

[For more ideas on energy sources, check out this article.]