All you need to go off-grid

OFG-HowToFreeYourself.svg
Search
Sign in / Sign up

Huy Nguyen

Only 26,000 car chargers in the UK and many are broken

The UK government announced on Sunday night it would boost electric car charging, and tossed out a figure of “another 145,000 new charging points” to be expected as a result of new regulations to ensure chargers are built in to all new houses and offices. These are likely to be private charging points in houses or offices, rather than public charging points that increase the ease with which EV drivers can refuel.

Electric cars are said to be one of the key weapons in the fight against climate change. Yet many hybrids give out more harmful emissions than the latest diesel models, a documentary on Channel 4 tonight (Monday 21st Nov) has learned.

Meanwhile, the opportunities presented by the shift to electric vehicles (and the threats to the exchequer’s revenue from petrol tax) are still obscure and there is little consensus on policy or technology for delivering the EV revolution. The Transport and Energy ministries are on hard with ample amount of cash to “seed the market,” without actually knowing what the market is, or what it will be in 20 years time.

Apple recently announced it will start selling self-driving vehicles in 2025, and its shares shot to new heights as a result. Imagine a world in 20 years time where very few city dwellers bother to own a car, and taxis are almost extinct. Our streets are no longer clogged with parked cars, because they are always in use, or stored in out of town locations. No time is spent looking for a parking space, and as a result traffic flows 25% more quickly.

That is one possible future for the cars, but what about the car chargers? Decisions made now will either accelerate the switch to cleaner cheaper transport for all, or condemn the country to the slow lane for decades.

The C4 documentary says there are about 26,000 chargers at present in the UK, and found on a single day in September that 10% of the fastest chargers are not functioning at any given time. These “rapid charging points” are normally at motorway service stations and typically cost £6.50 for a 30 min ~ 90 mile – charge.

The presenter of the documentary Morland Sanders called for better provision of chargers in remote rural areas which are currently under-represented in the national rollout. “Better provision in rural areas is vital. That charger on a remote A-road may only receive a handful of visits per day, but it could be the only connector for a considerable distance and therefore essential for those using it,” said Sanders.

There are apps that allow the owners of private charging points to offer their front drives for sale to the highest bidder. This may lead to micro-garages in suburban streets all over the country, but if that si what car drtivers want, ten we had better recognise that now, and mnot …

Read More »
November 22, 2021 No Comments
Energy

Big tech needs to be on the grid – but we dont

The combined power usage of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Apple is more than 45 terawatt-hours a year, about as much as New Zealand, new research revealed today. That amount will grow, as the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning demands more computing power.

Meanwhile its increasingly possible for individuals to live entirely separated from the electricity grid.

Britain’s first houses with appliances powered entirely by hydrogen will open within two months as ministers step up their campaign to prove that the fuel will become a greener replacement for natural gas.

The two show homes set to open in April in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, will include boilers, hobs, cookers and fires that release no carbon emissions as part of the Government’s drive to phase out the use of fossil fuels.

The semi-detached properties – which are expected to look like normal houses from the outside – are not intended to become family homes, instead serving as a showcase for hydrogen technology.

The Government believes hydrogen could play a major role in achieving its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while also helping create up to 100,000 jobs by that point – including 8,000 by 2030.

The project secured a £250,000 grant from the Government’s Hy4Heat innovation programme and is being run by gas distribution firms Northern Gas Networks and Cadent.

The companies have both also input £250,000 of funding each for the houses, which are planned to be open to members of the public who will be able to view appliances and see how they compare to existing ones.

Hy4Heat has said the development of ‘hydrogen-ready’ appliances could have a big effect on the cost and impact on the public of a potential conversion of the gas grid from 100 per cent methane to 100 per cent hydrogen. Alternatively, Hydrogen could be converted from a water supply in the home.

Northern Gas Networks chief executive Mark Horsley said: ‘We’re delighted to be working with BEIS and Cadent on this unique demonstration, which gives energy customers a first glimpse at hydrogen technology in the home.

‘Just like natural gas, hydrogen can heat homes in exactly the same way, meaning minimal change for customers in terms of how they use gas for heating or cooking.

‘The houses bring to life the potential of this green gas for keeping UK homes warm, while minimising impact on the environment.’

The Government said students from schools, colleges and universities will visit to learn about the technology, as well as careers in the green economy and in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects.

Cadent chief executive Steve Fraser added: ‘We are proud to be part of this important project where we will be able to show customers what their future gas appliances will look like.

‘A familiar sight to them, with one difference, they will be powered by hydrogen. These …

Read More »
February 1, 2021 1 Comment
Energy

Best portable power stations to buy in 2021

Whether you are living off-grid or just moving arond for business or leisure, keeping powered up is an important part of your preparations. Portable power stations are the smaller, lesser-known cousin of generators. These easily-packed gadgets can go with you on camping trips, to building sites — wherever you need electricity — to keep your phone, power tools and other electronics running.

We picked seven power stations to test for this list, ranging in price from $270 to $1,200. We focused exclusively on rechargeable battery-powered models, although gas models are available, too. While each power station does the same thing — provide power on the go in a compact design — each one has a different design and range of features.

Keep in mind that the prices  for each power station may change as retailers introduce sales and other updates.

Best overall

Jackery Explorer 1000

Click to view image.

The Jackery Explorer 1000 is by far the most well-rounded portable power station of the bunch. At 22 pounds, this powerful generator is fairly compact, especially compared with the 44-pound Ego Nexus model. Despite its smaller size, it manages to make space for three three-prong outlets, two USB-C ports, two standard USB-A ports and more.

Its display is easy to read, too, and it dominated the performance tests, exceeding its expected run time of 3 hours and 2 minutes (with three work lights connected to it) by an average of 8.5 minutes.

You can add on the 100W Solar panel for another $300

Fast facts

* Price (Amazon): $1,000

* Watt hours: 1,002

* Weight: 22 pounds

SEE AT AMAZON

Best midrange

Klein Tools KTB5

When you don’t need something quite as powerful as the Jackery Explorer 1000, the Klein Tools KTB5 is an excellent option. While it has roughly half the watt hours of the Jackery generator, it’s still a solid performer with a lot of power.

Complete with two three-prong outlets, two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, you can charge pretty much anything you’ll ever need with this midrange power station. Bonus: It did well in my performance tests, averaging just 2 minutes less than its expected 2-hour and 29-minute run time (with two lights connected to it).

Fast facts

* Price (Amazon): $500, currently on sale for $465

* Watt hours: 546

* Weight: 12 pounds

SEE AT AMAZON

Best budget

Rockpals 300W

The Rockpals 300W is our pick for affordable portable power station. Not only did it average 2.5 minutes over the expected 2-hour 33-minute run time (with one work light connected), it’s only 7.5 pounds and has a ton of options, ranging from one three-prong outlet to four USB-A ports and a handful of other features.

$270 isn’t exactly budget, but it’s the most affordable model tested — and its strong performance and solid lineup of features give it even more value.

Fast facts…

Read More »
January 2, 2021 No Comments
Surreal tap coming out of a solar panel
Water

All 16 Quarterfinalists in $9 Million Solar Desalination Prize – listed

The lineup for a Solar Desalination Prize has been announced by the US Energy Dept. Our pick is the Solar Aqua Flex: Off-Grid Solar Still from Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.

Its a multistage membrane distillation system made of floating, flexible, layered mats to desalinate water. The mat has a nonporous, heat-absorbing top layer; a water layer that evaporates; a distillate layer where the vapor ends up after moving through a membrane to condense; a feedwater layer; and a conductive layer that heats the feedwater.

There are 16 quarterfinalists  in the $9 million prize competition, providing an additional $1 million in support, designed to accelerate the development of low-cost desalination systems that use solar-thermal power to produce clean water from salt water.

Competitors will receive cash prizes as they advance through each stage of the competition, culminating in a $1 million grand prize for the successful testing and demonstration of a promising solar-thermal desalination system prototype.

Competitors include private companies, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, students, and researchers at National Laboratories.

To enter the competition, participants had to submit their ideas for a solar-thermal desalination component or system prototype, along with a pathway to commercialization. When their ideas were selected, competitors received $50,000 in cash, advanced to the second phase to form a team, and refine plans for a fully operating solar-thermal desalination system.

The teams selected to advance to the third phase will receive $250,000 in cash and a $100,000 voucher that can be redeemed at a National Laboratory and/or qualified partner facilities to design their systems. While they’re completing detailed designs of their systems in the third phase, teams must also obtain the permitting and approval documentation necessary to build them.

Teams selected to advance to the fourth and final phase of the competition will be awarded a cash prize of $750,000 and another $100,000 voucher. These teams will then build their systems, demonstrate their operation, and validate key performance metrics. The U.S. Department of Energy will determine the winner, who will receive a $1 million cash prize.

Competitors can leverage industry expertise, access private capital, and obtain mentorship and support through the American-Made Network, a group of National Laboratories, incubators, investors, and industry experts. The Network also provides access to local capabilities that will help accelerate the development of their desalination system prototypes.

Competitors

Out of 162 applicants, 19 quarterfinalists from 12 states were selected to advance to the second phase of the competition. They were announced on October 19, 2020. They are:

Heat Storage for 24-Hour Solar Desalination

Location: Arcadia, CA

Project Summary: Element 16 is a small company developing a sulfur-based thermal energy storage (TES) technology to generate low-pressure steam for desalination. Sulfur has a low melting point (105 Celsius) and low cost ($80/ton). By using lower-cost containment materials, this project aims to reduce sulfur TES cost to below $15/per kilowatt-thermal and reduce heat-exchanger costs, to attain a …

Read More »
October 20, 2020 1 Comment

Tesla plans its first off-grid community

Tesla is planning  to take a 1,400-acre community in Mexico completely off-grid.

The first-of-its-kind energy solution at the Twin Dolphin community in Los Cabos, will see Tesla supply batteries and power management for a private residential community and club, Montage Los Cabos resort and residences, and Twin Dolphin Club.  A similar setup will be implemented next fall in Sonoma County, California.

The initiative at Twin Dolphin will leverage Tesla’s fully integrated solar panels and battery energy storage and software systems to provide reliable renewable energy for the entire community, which developer Ohana claims has received government approvals and is currently underway.

The Tesla project will generate over 20 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year. The project consists of a central ground-mount site spanning over 22 acres, located adjacent to Twin Dolphin’s already existing reverse osmosis and desalination plant that provides potable water to the community. Tesla Powerhub, a data platform to monitor energy use, is incorporated into the project to use real-time and historical data tracking to optimize its energy usage, improve performance, and help inform future decisions.

The new systems will provide all the energy for Twin Dolphin, and also generate clean back-up power for the wider community.  The  system will run completely off-grid if needed, in the event of power outages due to storms or natural disasters. The back-up power supply can also feed into the local power grid as the Baja region of Mexico, which has experienced energy shortages with increased development.

“We are excited to see our vision of being the first off-the-grid community in Cabo coming to life. We are grateful for the partnership and engagement of Tesla and their technologies, which have made this possible. Our larger vision is that other premier master plan community developers will follow our lead and implement similar projects so that collectively we can help preserve our environment,” says Chris Smith, CEO of Ohana Real Estate Investors.

This new solar initiative complements sustainability initiatives at Twin Dolphin, including the preservation of over 40,000 native plants during the development of the property maintained by its water plant, conserving energy through building design that maximizes natural cooling, utilizing locally sourced building materials, implementing tankless water heaters in all buildings and using LED lights throughout the property.…

Read More »
September 27, 2020 3 Comments

Gas generators are a power option

Cummins gas generators were launched last year and already their installations power the equivalent of 52,000 homes.  The HSK78G offers reliable power off the grid. For a remote textile manufacturer in Pakistan, as well as a hauliers  and storage company based in the U.K., Cummins is providing robust  off-grid power, coupled with  electrical efficiency of up to 44.2%.

Peaking power and grid parallel applications

Suited to peaking power applications, gas generators can be used as back-up power systems, supporting the grid during times of high demand, as well as offsetting the fluctuations of renewable power sources such as wind and solar energy. Working with TMS Grid Ltd., an engineering and consultancy company based in the U.K., 10 HSK78G units will provide a total of 20MW of uninterruptible backup power. Alongside the product’s high efficiency, the generators’ Grid Code Compliance (GCC) certification enabled TMS Grid Ltd. to demonstrate compliance to the G99 U.K. requirements. Additionally, the HSK78G units meet the latest emissions limits set by the new medium combustion plant directive (MCPD) removing the need for exhaust aftertreatment systems, which in turn offers a lower total cost of ownership.

A further 11 units have recently been installed in a hybrid power station based in Western Australia, offering a total of 22MW installed capacity. With a mix of solar, wind and battery technology, the HSK78G generator models will be used to stabilise the power supply, providing fewer voltage and frequency disturbances and faster recovery times.

With increased demand for low-carbon power generation, organisations across all industries are seeking alternative sources of energy to reduce their carbon footprint whilst providing a reliable and robust performance. To meet this need, Cummins invested heavily in expanding its gas range, launching the HSK78G gas generator range in March 2019.

With a power density of up to 2MW, Cummins lean-burn gas generators are designed to provide reliable power for a diverse set of industries from mining and manufacturing, to shopping malls and hospitals. With fuel flexibility across the range, HSK78G generators use natural, low-cost, low-BTU, free fuel sources that would otherwise be considered waste products.

‘We’re seeing increased interest from a diverse range of industries, all of which are considering the switch to low-carbon alternatives for power generation. With market-leading thermal efficiency at 47.1% and 2110 kW of thermal output for heating, cooling and steam generation, the generator series provides significant environmental benefits. They can also run in parallel with combined heat and power (CHP) systems, which can convert 70-90% of the energy of the fuel that is burned into useful electricity or heat, further increasing sustainable credentials,’ said Ann-Kristin deVerdier, Cummins Energy Management Executive Director.

The HSK78G has been successfully installed across a wide range of applications, from horticultural, logistics and manufacturing operations, through to providing gas power for power stations and backup power to the National Grid.

‘We’ve worked hard to develop a solution …

Read More »
September 2, 2020 No Comments
Mobile

Seven new technologies that can enhance your life

Knowing which bets to place when it comes to adopting emerging new technologies is impossible. But its still worth trying. Betting on the winners of the next generation, not as investment but in terms of incorporating them into your life, can give you a head start, future proof your life or work, and for this reason alone is well worth attempting.

Most of what has most recently been considered cutting-edge, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, is already finding its way into production systems. You have to look far ahead sometimes to anticipate the next wave coming. And the farther out you look, the more risky the bets become.

Here are seven next-horizon ideas that might prove to be crackpot — or a savvy play for business value emerging along the fringe. It all depends on your perspective. William Gibson used to say that the future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed yet. These ideas may be too insane for your team to try or they may be just the right thing for moving forward.


Local meshes

For the past few decades, the internet has been the answer to communications problems. Just hand the bits to the internet and they’ll get there. It’s a good solution that works most of the time but sometimes it can be fragile and, when cellular networks are involved, fairly expensive.

Some hackers have been moving off the grid by creating their own ad hoc networks using the radio electronics that are already in most laptops and phones. The bluetooth code will link up with other devices nearby and move data without asking “mother may I” to some central network.

Enthusiasts dream of creating elaborate local mesh networks built out of nodes that pass along packets of bits until they reach the right corner of the network. Ham radio hobbyists have been doing it for years.

Potential early adopters: Highly localized applications that group people near each other. Music festivals, conferences, and sporting events are just some of the obvious choices.

Potential for success in five years: High. There are several good projects and many open source experiments already running.

Green AI

The buzzwords “green” and “artificial intelligence” go well together, but AI algorithms require computational power and at some point computational power is proportional to electrical power. The ratio keeps getting better, but AIs can be expensive to run. And the electrical power produces tons of carbon dioxide.

There are two strategies for solving this. One is to buy power from renewable energy sources, a solution that works in some parts of the world with easy access to hydro-electric dams, solar farms or wind turbines.

The other approach is to just use less electricity, a strategy that can work if questions arise about the green power. (Are the windmills killing birds? Are the dams killing fish?) Instead of asking the algorithm …

Read More »
December 30, 2019 No Comments

Digital detox weekend

We’re on our way to West Virginia for a low-tech weekend at promisingly-named Lost River State Park – just across the Virginia border in Mathias, West Virginia. Its chosen not only because the park sounds beautiful, with lots of hiking trails, but because the cellphone service is spotty at best there. Plus, we’ve been told that the cabin we’ll be staying in has no WiFi, which will prevent the intrusions of work, school, social obligations, politics.

A husband, wife and two teenage kids agree cellphones stay in airplane mode, only to be used for music listening or photo taking. No grown-ups obsessively checking their work emails, reading headlines or scrolling through Twitter, and no kids texting friends, watching inexplicable YouTube videos or trying to capture Pokémon. If all goes according to plan, this weekend will be about connecting with one another instead. Because sometimes it seems awfully hard to juggle both digital and family interactions – without compromising something meaningful.

“The average American checks their phone 80 times a day while on vacation,” says Tiffany Shlain, author of “24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week.” “You look at your phone,” she says, “and there’s going to be something that stresses you out, whether it’s an email, a text, a news headline – something that’s going to take you out of being in that moment.”

Right now, Dante B, 14, isn’t very pleased to be in this particular moment. In the back seat I hear him mumbling, “I don’t like this. I just don’t like this whole thing.”

After stopping for burgers at the laid-back Lost River Grill, about 15 minutes outside the park, we head 5 miles down a winding road through the woods to the entrance and administrative building. An envelope with our key and instructions is taped to the front door. We’re in a Legacy cabin, one of 15 in the park that were constructed in the 1930s with a wooden frame and logs by the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps. It’s perfect: two bedrooms, a little living room and a bathroom. The fully equipped kitchen has a breadbox on the table where we all agree to stash our phones whenever we’re in the cabin. I read through the short welcome note in the envelope indicating “a pay phone on the front porch of the Administration building for your convenience.” And handwritten in pen at the bottom: a WiFi password. (Turns out they’d wired up the place two weeks before our arrival, says Samuel England, chief of the West Virginia State Parks system, when I call him after the trip to ask about the surprising amenity. “People feel like they need to stay connected when they’re on vacation,” he explains.) But I make no mention of it to my family.

That night we play the board games we’ve packed – a few that had been stored, unused, …

Read More »
October 6, 2019 1 Comment

Coming soon – gigawatts of free batteries

As the uptake of electric vehicles (EV) has increased exponentially in the past few years, the concern of what to do with batteries when they reach their end-of-life in electric vehicles is gradually intensifying.

By 2030 there will be over 6 million battery packs retiring from EVs per year, according to IDTech’s latest report ‘Second-life Electric Vehicle Batteries 2020-2030.’

The report highlights that after 8-10 years of services as powertrain for EVs, the used batteries still retain up to 70-80 percent of the total capacity, which could be recycled for a wide range of energy storage applications. “The key is to match the ‘right’ batteries with the ‘right’ applications.”

It further underlined that the first batch of electric vehicle batteries is reaching their retirement age and that each of the next ten years will see a sharp annual increase increase in the volume of retired batteries.

Many experts believe that energy storage devices will have an important role in the electricity market. “By 2030, second-life battery capacity will hit over 275 GWh per year which presents huge opportunities for energy storage,” the report says.

Global auto companies like Nissan, Renault, BMW, and BYD have launched various projects and business initiatives on second-life batteries.

In February 2019, Nissan Energy and OPUS Campers collaborated on a smart camping concept that uses second-life Nissan EV batteries to deliver up to a week’s worth of remote power for off-grid adventures. This co-created concept is made possible by a device called Roam, designed by Nissan.

Citing the example of American EV maker Rivian, the report underlines that it is interesting to see that the company is already planning for the second-life for their batteries even before their first EV is launched in the market.

“The company has built its battery packs and modules, as well as the battery management system (BMS) in a way that the batteries can be seamlessly transitioned from vehicle energy storage to stationary energy storage. This is crucial in the development of second-life batteries, as the initial battery design will greatly impact the viability and cost of repurposing used EV batteries,” the report added.

Electric Vehicles Batteries

Recycling is necessary in the end, the study said, but before that giving those retired but still capable batteries a ‘second-life’ in less-demanding applications such as stationary energy storage could bring tremendous value to a wide range of stakeholders across the automotive and energy sectors…

Read More »
September 26, 2019 1 Comment
Mobile

You CAN use your phone as a walkie-talkie

Apple let it be known over the weekend that they have cancelled a planned feature on the new iPhone allowing it to be used as a walkie talkie – thereby annoying the phone companies by diverting call dollars and user data.

But off-gridders would find such a facility very useful and there have, for a long time, been ways of using your phone as a walkie talkie – two-way communication without using the phone network.

Apple’s cancelled project was very limited – it would have allowed people with iPhones (not Android) to communicate over short distances without the need for cellular coverage, proving handy in remote locations. But it only applied to texts not phone calls.

Several smartphone apps mimic the walkie-talkie experience of instant push-to-talk communication.

iPTT
(Free: iPhone)

iPTT is one of the App Store’s original push-to-talk apps. It’s just like a walkie-talkie. It provides one-to-many group communication, one-to-one communication within a group channel (called “whisper”) or straight one-to-one communication with a friend. If you want that kind of capability, it doesn’t get any simpler.

TiKL Touch Talk Walkie-Talkie
(Free: iPhone, Android)

Another simple but great push-to-talk app. With TiKL, all you need are a contact list and a data plan. It supports group messaging and push-to-talk calls. For users who want to skirt voice and data plan restrictions, a simple app like this one could be the answer.

Voxer
(Free: iPhone, Android)

Ever wanted to leave a friend a voice message but didn’t want to call them? They might actually pick up the phone and then you would have to, you know, actually talk to them. That can be awkward. “Yeah, I was just going to leave a voicemail…” Voxer functions like a walkie-talkie except that it sends messages rather than real-time dispatches. The app runs on iPhone and Android, it’s free, and it works over any data connection, from Wi-Fi to EDGE and everything in between. It allows you to send text messages, location messages and photos.

HeyTell
(Free: iPhone, Android, Windows Phone)

HeyTell is a lot like Voxer but with more customization (and it runs on Windows Phone as well as iPhone and Android). It has three levels of privacy, allowing you to add or block friends from Twitter and Facebook depending on how open you want your communications to be. It is ad-free but has a decent list of in-app purchases to change notification alert sounds, enable group messaging and add emojis to your name. Like Voxer, it works on any type of data connection. HeyTell is extremely concerned with privacy, going out of its way to give users options to opt into functions including sending location data.

Zello
(Free: iPhone/iPad, Android, BlackBerry)

Zello (formerly LoudTalks) offers both push-to-talk apps and an application programming interface (API) and software development kit (SDK) so developers can add push-to-talk functionality to their own apps. The enterprise capabilities …

Read More »
September 2, 2019 1 Comment