Look at what I just got in the mail....

[Clyde Barrow]

[Kregener]

1,000 meter readers are updating their resume's...

[HYDROGENPAL]

Texas has had this for some time now. welcome to the grid.
Get off the grid make your own power with hydrogen made from water the hydrogen makes electricty. It takes time to do this though.
ALso you could get a desiel engine and use hydrogen for the gas to run it and yo can be off grid.
Or just go solar

[RollerCam]

... make your own power with hydrogen made from water the hydrogen makes electricty. It takes time to do this though.
ALso you could get a desiel engine and use hydrogen for the gas to run it and yo can be off grid.
Or just go solar

Are you telling us that you're doing this yourself?

[HYDROGENPAL]

YES

[national732]

  Actually getting into solar isnt that difficult if you can afford the initial outlay for equipment and a big deep cycle battery bank.
The trick is to reduce your usage by using LED bulbs, use alternate heat sources, minimize use of air conditioning, etc.

[JBS]

time to lay off all the meter readers and add to the economy's problems, Thanks Georgia Power for ruining more lives.

[Nailer]

All I see is an energy company becoming more efficient.

Leave it up to the twisted minds here to think that its anything else.

if everything goes computer controlled then what use will human workers be except for manual labor(slaves), repairing downed lines and misc.  Companies are relying way too much on electronics / computer controlled enviroments.

[EchelonMonitor]

All I see is an energy company becoming more efficient.

Leave it up to the twisted minds here to think that its anything else.

I guess you see Fema Camps as safe and secure places of refuge in time of need while we see concentration camps.  Or you see Raytheon's Silent Guardian microwave weapons as harmless ways to control potentially violent and destructive crowds while we see instruments of torture designed to prevent dissent.

It must be nice to see the world that way, but don't you risk breaking your rose-colored glasses reading in this forum?

[esquared]

I wonder if this is the meter that is read by satellite or if the data flows through the power lines back to the company .

[UpsetBrit]

Another little pyramid logo...

[blind_sided]

Texas has had this for some time now. welcome to the grid.
Get off the grid make your own power with hydrogen made from water the hydrogen makes electricty. It takes time to do this though.
ALso you could get a desiel engine and use hydrogen for the gas to run it and yo can be off grid.
Or just go solar

as making hydrogen and coupling with a fuel cell would be a nice clean operation....
but needs electricty in the first place to make h/hoo. unless ur using red dye and alumium and other methods of breaking the
H out of the water, but that requires the raw supplies where as electricly from solar/wind/water turbine/ can provide the
electricity to generator hydrogen all day long then used to power a generator.... many factors to consider on what would
work the best.... it is about storing the energy in whatever form it is ... which is hard.

hydrogen is the ultimate goal though storing it is hard unless u can make an on demand HO/H/HOO generator ... which is hard to do....
considering you need the free /solar/wind/water turbine to produce enough electrical power to keep the H output up enough to
be continually running an ICE generator then at that point u have to evaulate which is generating more power, the ICE running of H
or the solar/wind/water turbine output........ anyways...

real question for you.

is a diesel or a gasoline ICE easier to convert to run on Hydrogen?

there are some great chinese made diesel engines that will run off various waste hydrocarbon fluids... used oils....
problem with that even though cheap an easy you need an oil supply even if its your drained used motor oil from your car
when you change it.  these are pretty robust little engines. I am dying to have one. or one of the units off a refirgerated
semi trailer... they incorporate cooling and a small diesel engine in one self contained unit that could be used for power
and heat genration... that would be a great unit to start tinkering with to make an all in one.. heating/cooling/power generating
unit that can run off multiple fuels with modification.


ya ya ... bunch a thoughts out there.. but whats really feasible for an off grid installation? i think the best solution is
far from being proven.

[mtngirl1013]

We got those here, but they did not work so well and had to be replaced with the old fashioned kind. I'm not sure if it was because our meter was so far from the road or because these new ones aren't all that. I kind of liked the idea that the meter readers did not have to come on my property though.

[Nailer]

I wonder if this is the meter that is read by satellite or if the data flows through the power lines back to the company .

from what I was told by the man installing the new meters at a rental unit the signal is transmitted / bounced off of cell phone towers.

[RollerCam]

  ...getting into solar isn't that difficult if you can afford the initial outlay for equipment and a big deep cycle battery bank.

The hot setup is to use a grid tie inverter and sell your excess wattage back to the power company so that, during low-usage times of the day, you can watch your meter spin backwards. Banks of batteries aren't needed anymore, assuming if you're already hooked up to the grid.

Lead acid batteries: Too much maintenance, too corrosive, too expensive.

[donnay]

Next you will have smart thermostats that shut down in the winter when you are using too much energy to heat your home.  What a farce. Control grids all around.

I am sure smart meters are on all the concentration camps waiting to be filled too.

[BCinfoseeker]

Hmmm, seems that if/when they dictate how big your carbon footprint should be, if it's exceeded, you'll be taxed for consuming x amount of energy over and above your allowable quota.  Also they'll watch for high energy consumption, indicating a possible grow op???  With the current monthly read of your meter, they'll not know when the energy is consumed.  With the new system, it's highly likely they'll be able to read your consumption at any given time of day.   High energy consumption could be used to secure a search warrant, as is the case here in BC.  But yeah, the idea of not having some hydro guy on your property is a plus.

[fightbacknow]

getting set-up in rural Idaho too. Just got the letter this week as well.

[Clyde Barrow]

They installed it today...

[iks83]

http://www.windation.com/products.htm

that things could be quite interesting for people who wanna get off the grid. but the website seems fishy. but if it really produces that much energy as it says there its enough to power one household... and its only 2,4m x 2,4m x 3m or so.

[PplVsNWO]

Lead acid batteries: Too much maintenance, too corrosive, too expensive.

I would use the nickel-iron aka Edison batteries, they are more expensive to set up, but can last longer than you life-time. They use alkaline solution instead of acid, much more environmentally friendly, and can easily be revived if they go dead(don't sulfate like lead-acid).
The power companies are just changing one form of pollution for another.  Instead of having a truck drive down your road once a month, you will now have radio signals coming out of everybody's meters constantly(probably will be continuosly transmitting and not just once a month).  I expect to see cancer rates increase even more now, wouldn't be surprised if they soon reach 1 in 1.

[Clyde Barrow]

http://www.windation.com/products.htm

that things could be quite interesting for people who wanna get off the grid. but the website seems fishy. but if it really produces that much energy as it says there its enough to power one household... and its only 2,4m x 2,4m x 3m or so.

Pretty cool. I like the cylindrical wind generators, because it doesn't matter which direction the wind is blowing.

[heavyhebrew]

Are you telling us that you're doing this yourself?

It is actually quite easy to do. It takes work and you may have to teach yourself some mechanics, chemistry and a tad of engineering but then learning something should be fun.
Especially when it leads you to tell the utilities to go stuff it.

[EchelonMonitor]

If you live near a stream, a stream generator might work:

http://www.oasismontana.com/AQUAIR.html

http://www.turbineservices.co.uk/WaterTurbines.htm

http://www.absak.com/library/hydro-power

[heavyhebrew]

Echelon, those generators work great. The problem for most isn't installation of the generator but in installing transmission systems.

I have a good friend in Ellensburg who uses those same generators on his homestead.

I am currently in the process of application for wind turbines with my local government. I want full self sufficiency with enough left over for my neighbors.

Share and share alike.

[donnay]

I really like the idea of getting off the grid.  The wind turbines would not work were we live--mountains.  We decided solar panels would be better that is my husbands next project.

http://www.homemadeenergy.org/

[heavyhebrew]

I really like the idea of getting off the grid.  The wind turbines would not work were we live--mountains.  We decided solar panels would be better that is my husbands next project.

http://www.homemadeenergy.org/

Mountains should actually work well, especially if they are in continuous wind. So should solar.

[Donovan]

Wow, this is the dumbest thing ever.


#1 - Kiss those jobs good-bye.

#2 - If its computerized it will mean they can/will shutdown your power with the push of a button. (Selective "black-outs" for neighborhoods or homes not considered important)

#3 - Computer error in reading the meter, meaning you'll be paying too much for an error, and you wont be able to fight it.

#4 - Anything computerized can be hacked!  So this will lead to meters being hacked more easily and those who are knowledgeable will hack meters to lower their bills.  Or if someone hates you, they'll hack your meter and run up your bill.

[heavyhebrew]

Donovan,

You are seeing it from the wrong angle. Imagine if the engineering design was for exploitation and failure. Then the design is genius.

[sociostudent]

Texas has had this for some time now. welcome to the grid.
Get off the grid make your own power with hydrogen made from water the hydrogen makes electricty. It takes time to do this though.
ALso you could get a desiel engine and use hydrogen for the gas to run it and yo can be off grid.
Or just go solar

Easier said than done for a lot of us, unfortunately. What's the cheapest possible route to getting of the grid?

[iks83]

I really like the idea of getting off the grid.  The wind turbines would not work were we live--mountains.  We decided solar panels would be better that is my husbands next project.

http://www.homemadeenergy.org/

why do those websites always look so... nontrustworthy? and why do you always have to pay for that kind of information? i doubt its of any real use and outdated very quickly since the technology is evolving quite fast... also they say oil isnt renewable but it is...

anyways...
http://alphakat.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=37&Itemid=63

thats also quite awesome technology. sadly not allowed to get goverment funds in germany since the lobbies and the quack "experts" say it doesnt work. 10% of the diesel produced is used to power it so its basicly selfsufficient you only have to put fuel in... which is basicly everything that contains carbonhydrates... like plastic waste, organic waste and so on...

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=DJQuVkwkp3A
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=qXk6iO-pKaM

[scoffer]

Easier said than done for a lot of us, unfortunately. What's the cheapest possible route to getting of the grid?

Composting toilet, buckets to haul water, wood cook stove, and lots of blankets.

[open your eyes]

yeah, they started this in Nevada last year, they can control the temp in your house from their location. On hot days during peak hours they used an override (for our convience of course) to make sure we do our part for the environment. Man this sucks to see what is slowly happening

[psychicpollution]

Monitored
Deployed
Control
Aggressively

These terms seem quite quaint.

[chris jones]

take it or leave it.

Inventors and scientists have patented and protoyped, energy systems, heating systems, gas comsumption carbs, etc for generations.

Does anyone think that the oil barons did not buy them up or kill the inventor.

The patent bureau WDC has been in with the oil companys since hecter was a pup. If science was allowed to release to the public all their knowledge, without the buullshiite we would be energy sufficient without total dependence on fossil fuels.
Oil barons don't like competion and will not allow it , one way or they other.
Your talking money here, therfor your talking Gov. and corporations, thats a conflict of interest and monopoly breaking. Can't have that.

They got us by the kahoogies and they know it. Every human being on this earth could be enrgy independent, do anyone think the corporations would allow that, or for that matter our congress cares enough to step in nd allow these pattern to be made public.
its all controll, thats it, end of story.

We can spin our wheels, invest till the cows come home, but the solutions have been around for many a year, they simply will not give up control or money.

If the gov. gave one shit about us they would legaly demand the release of all energy paterns and protypes for the good not only of this nation but humanity.

[Kilika]

We have those "smart meters" in Arizona. It's all controlled and monitored from their offices. On the surface, it seems to make sense, but everything going digital is not for efficiency, but ease of control.

I'm waiting for the new laws that require people to be tied to the grid. I have no doubt they are on the way. In my county there is currently no law requiring a home to be connected to the power grid, but they will not allow a generator to be the primary energy source. So they are already mandating how you power your home, and I think it will get even more restrictive.

[Clyde Barrow]

We have those "smart meters" in Arizona. It's all controlled and monitored from their offices. On the surface, it seems to make sense, but everything going digital is not for efficiency, but ease of control.

I'm waiting for the new laws that require people to be tied to the grid. I have no doubt they are on the way. In my county there is currently no law requiring a home to be connected to the power grid, but they will not allow a generator to be the primary energy source. So they are already mandating how you power your home, and I think it will get even more restrictive.

One county (Cobb) here in Georgia has had them for a while, and the power company at this point offers you a discount if you sign over control of your
power consumption over to them. I expect to get that offer soon, and the answer is NO. I'm sure it will end up mandatory eventually.

[Lee]

Solar is SO easy to use!! We use it at our cabin in Alaska. You can use it for lamps in the evening, I use it for my curling iron for my hair and we even ran a black/white TV on solar power!! We had a solar shower the first summer we were there but my husband changed that to propane (hot water on demand) which was better. Of course we did have some pretty huge solar screens (I don't know what you call them) and big batteries but that is okay. We could run a lot of things...we also have propane tanks to run our refrigerator. Then we have a generator to run the washing machine. Loved the solar dryer too!