Enviro-Shelter Experiment Spring 2013 ( Wk-10-11)

Enviro-Shelter Experiment Spring 2013 ( Wk-10-11)

Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-08-04 Earth Continuum 7                           327

  Just another day in Paradise. We have been pouring a lot of time into several projects that will be unveiled later this Spring. The experiment is coming along as planned yet expanding our expectations,  with no unexpected surprises so far.


Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-09-04 Earth Continuum 7                           326

I sometimes wonder what the world will be like in fifty years, noticing all the rapid changes of the past fifty, with the technological explosion onto the planet Earth. The Earth itself can barely contain the human race with all its warlike tendencies, not to mention the amount of energy that has gone into war over the past fifty years. The real vision is what would the Earth look like after fifty years of peace and tranquility among the nations. I am very sure the technology would expand into a whole other direction. Will we as the human race get the chance to explore this grand experiment? I for one sure hopes so.


Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-10-04 Earth Continuum 7                           325

The new projects are eating up a lot more time than we originally thought but hey,  my how times flies when you are having fun. Business as usual.


Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-11-04 Earth Continuum 7                           324

Today there is a big storm a coming, and we've never seen the wind machines get the kind of work out they are getting, and about to get. We have been improving some fencing areas, and planting in the raised beds and greenhouse. Also we have got a new piece of equipment that will go into the wind machine project called the,  " MISOL Hybrid Solar Wind Charge Controller " We will use it to replace the charge controller system installed now that has the wind and solar separated. The unit will also supersede the three-phase bridge rectifier which was working okay but didn't deliver the kind of data that was needed. The new unit will combine the two renewables at the Solar Cabin.


Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-12-04 Earth Continuum 7                           323


Everything cycled through the week fine. The Lake is so full of water that the main release had to be opened to keep the water from rushing over the dam. Other than that the hydro unit is still cranking out electricity twenty four, seven. It doesn't look like it but maybe the rains will stop soon and we can get back outside for some serious gardening. Meantime the Tomatoes in the greenhouse have sprouted and are growing like weeds. We will have hundreds of tomato plants for the fields and or trade soon.


Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-13-04 Earth Continuum 7                           322

Taking the day off being lazy and being Mother Nature's friend.


Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-14-04 Earth Continuum 7                           321

Sunday has started without the Sun. I woke up to the sound of thunder early before dawn. The rain is pouring down like a river from the sky.

Okay, you know that if people are waiting for some magical device that can produce all the energy they can use in the future before going ahead and using what we already have, well they are going to be very disappointed. At present there already are plenty of renewable energy devices that can do just that. We need to start using what we already have. The rest will come in time for sure. I have learned that it is best to create a space that utilizes the passive energy as much as possible before any active energy systems are applied. The division between passive and active energy systems can become very vague especially when it comes to Solar but generally once a system is introduced to a device that runs off of electricity or a fuel or otherwise mechanical. Passive on the other hand is more actual with what is happening energy wise by Nature. Most wild Animals on planet Earth live within passive environments for instance, terrarium like.



Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-15-04 Earth Continuum 7                           320


Greetings !  Okay today I have something on my mind, and the best way to get it off my mind is to write about it. Debt ! Think about it, debt. I am about to commit that debt is the number one detriment to the human civilization to date. Debt is totally a human idea and a human institution, a invention. We hear a lot about the national debt, but also we hear a lot about personal debt, credit card debt, bank loan debt, student loan debt and so on. But why? Why have we as humans developed societies centered around this idea of debt? Why not develop societies the other way around as non-debt societies?  Okay, what would a non-debt society look it? Consider this one concept. Instead of sitting up retirement programs for older people at the very end of their lives why not set up investment programs in the new born at the beginning of their lives? This way no citizen would be born poor but instead will be born without the worry of money. Everybody loves the debt free lifestyle so why not make this the standard. You may ask, what about all those people that make their living off debt by charging interest? Well the simple answer is, they will just have to find something else to do, because debt has been eradicated from the face of the Earth.


Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-16-04 Earth Continuum 7                           319

Sometimes I feel as if the whole world is going mad all around me, and that this Farm is the last stronghold on Earth for sanity. Then I remember all the other oasis around the planet where people are striving to make a difference. One in particular listed below is Mr. Amory Lovins





Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-17-04 Earth Continuum 7                           318

Things are progressing along, at the pace of nature itself.  The energy within the Spring Day spirit.



Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-18-04 Earth Continuum 7                           317

Vacation

Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-19-04 Earth Continuum 7                           316

Vacation

 Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-20-04 Earth Continuum 7                           315

Vacation

 Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-21-04 Earth Continuum 7                           314

Vacation

 Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-22-04 Earth Continuum 7                           313

Happy Earth Day  Folks


  Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-23-04 Earth Continuum 7                           312

Vacation

  Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-24-04 Earth Continuum 7                           311


Okay, we are back on track. Time is an illusion.. so burn those calendars, then create your own... Don't let some other fool dictate how you use your time. As one travels back through time every so called " Holiday " will eventually drop off the calendar, at some point you will end up in the time called Pre History... this time is timeless, un-invented time, and this time extends forever in all directions. Real time is totally free, untamed, and undivided.. Grab some


Okay we now have two new members to the Farm. They are two baby goats. Both are males. They were born right around Earth Day, April 22nd. and are very healthy. They are almost identical twins, so cute.

  Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-25-04 Earth Continuum 7                           310

Today is a very special day, just like every other day. Around here too,  don't place any day above any other day because every day is a very special cosmic event, and it is a very special occasion to be apart of it as a living breathing creature out here in this Universe. 
Unplugged!

We just acquired a new piece of equipment to couple with the wind machine charge control system. Instead of tying into the existing installation we decided to just create a whole separate system all together. The  New Grape Solar 150-Watt Monocrystalline PV Solar Panel should work just fine.
We will update the specifications page soon once the initial test is completed.

Today we are working on the ventilation system for the Solarium which includes a AC ceiling fan powered thru the inverter, a exhaust fan powered thru the 12 volt converter, also passive screen doors,  and additional air vents in the existing structure. We also will be testing a AC Evaporative Cooler system that will use,  a chilled water unit for cooling also running thru the inverter.  We will talk more about these projects later after the construction phase is completed with a bit of a track record of functionality. Additionally we are constantly attempting to make all alternate systems more efficient over time, as of course the ultimate goal is 100% self-sufficiency.  As you may already know its a bit harder than it looks.  Well this is true with most things in life, but hey what can one compare this to? Well for sure, yes sometimes it can be hard work but create it as a labor of love. Compare? In the end there is no comparison, for there cannot be put a price on freedom. Me, personally would like to compare this work to those in the Pioneer days of early America. Have we lost something since those times? Yes, sure we have, but nature is still here in all its glory the same as then. The main difference is that maybe we are just not fighting nature as much. Living along with nature just may have been the best way after all. 

Well after some testing of the Evaporative Cooler outside it became obvious that it would need some modifications before being used in the Solarium. So we took it all apart and found that the tubing was ran all wrong, and there was a need for a back splash guard in order to stop the spray from spitting outside the unit. The support casters were also broken, and the whole unit was sitting uneven thus causing some leaks.

So we drained all the water from the unit and took it apart. The mechanical part of the unit worked well as far as the pump and fan. The water level float was also allowing to much water into the unit, so we adjusted this down a bit.

 

 

After adding some metal splash guards in front of the exit sprayer we reassembled the unit and hooked it back up to the water. The water did rise up inside the unit to a nice level in the pan. We then plugged the unit up to the Solar circuit and it operated just fine. The air inside the Solarium began to cool down almost immediately. This aspect of the cooling system test went very well today. The theory is that the more Sun we get on the rooftop the more energy for cooling inside. Tomorrow we will begin measuring up for some blinds to be installed on select windows especially due west, and east facers. There are no due south facing windows here in the Solarium only Solar collectors face in that direction.


  Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-26-04 Earth Continuum 7                           309

April is traditionally a very high energy month for renewables across the board, and we are out in full gear with our Solar sails full tilt. This year we are bringing back the ole tire garden and are filling the tires with the organic fertilizer. The old tires will hold the soil without much run off. Also the tires will hold moisture inside the planter column. The tires also act as a weed barrier. We stack two tires high so the whole system acts as raised beds. The tires also can be arranged in some pretty nice patterns. Over time all the areas between the tires will begin to fill with mulch and new dirt thus creating a nice erosion barrier system. We simply use the weed eater between the tires to keep the grass at bay while creating more mulch from the process.

We also are getting other larger raised bed areas ready to plant.  First we remove any weeds or grass that may have grown inside the bed, of course leaving any preexisting plants as in the case here a line of strawberries. Once this is done we will begin layering in the new composted soil and tilling this into the mix.

Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-27-04 Earth Continuum 7                           308

We are continuing to plant outdoors in the raised bed gardens. Many of the plants that were started in the greenhouse are finding their way out of doors into the fullness of what ever nature can throw at them. This will be the first time these plants have been exposed  to the full fury of weather without protection. This is good for the plants for now they will become hardy. They may look stunned at first but most will snap out of it and actually start to put on a fury of growth.


Sol-Era Log Entry 2013-28-04 Earth Continuum 7                           307

Today we are experiencing scattered showers, which is good for the gardens. The transplants will greatly advantage the frequent waterings from the sky. Here we have transplanted a row of, Rattlesnake Beans which are a speckled stripped bean that is very popular in these parts.

The bean is a very good climber and will eventually climb up and over the frames creating a tunnel arboretum like structure with beans literally hanging from the roof as one walks through a shaded garden corridor.

You know, people as a whole already know who, and what is causing the greatest pollution to this planet, but sometimes they just don't know what to do about it? Well the short answer is simple. Just simply quit doing business with such entities. Doing so, one will see just how quickly such monstrosities will fade from the Earth.  In the United States where business is all about the numbers, well,  change the numbers and things quickly change as evident in the so called, stock market. Glorified racketeers except what they are racking is a bunch of havoc onto this beloved planet of Ours. We try to stir our business towards companies that are at least putting a foot forward to try to alter the lifestyles of human beings making a living off this great Planet. That doesn't always mean getting onboard with some of these so called,  Green Companies.  Going Green isn't about going out and buying something. Going Green is basically all about what you don't have to buy, by producing the very thing yourself.