GTMO Gardening

My primary goal is to grow tomatoes. However, this time of year the ground temperature is too warm. In an effort to trick mother nature I'm shading the ground, and pumping cool water around my tomato plants.

Notice that the basil and cilantro are doing well, but tomatoes not-so-much.



My container plants have the same problem; too warm here this time of year.



Tropical plants, like this pineapple, are doing well.



I was hoping for fresh bananna's, but this seems to be a plantain plant. I'll take what I can get.



We enjoy fresh Mango's, when in season.



I've never seen a Banyon tree before coming to GTMO. These can be freeky and huge.



I'll probably have to wait for cooler weather before I can successfully grow tomatoes again. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy the beach.

John

Range Anxiety

As I think about what I’ll look for in my first electric car, one of my primary concerns is range. I didn’t invent the term “Range Anxiety”, but that is precisely what I am feeling. I think about the driving I’ll do, and how I’ll be limited by lack of range. When I want to visit my daughter, 95 miles away, I realize that the round-trip will not be possible with most electric cars in my price range. I know that charging stations will be popping up everywhere, but will I find one when I need one? When I get to one, will I have to wait in line? My “Range Anxiety” is likely to be replaced by “Charging Station Anxiety”, once I actually own an electric car.

It seems that GM considered “Range Anxiety” when they decided to put a gas-engine in their Volt. If it delivers as promised, it will be an excellent choice. On the other hand Nisson just doesn’t seem to get it. Their Leif car not only doesn’t have a gas-engine, it also requires a special charger, and that charger is not portable. Trips to visit my daughter in a Leaf are out. I won’t be able to recharge for the trip back home. The Leif would be great for my daily work commute, but I would have to own a second car for longer trips.

The Plug-in Prius, expected to be available in 2012, will be a wise choice for some. For those who drive less than 13 miles per day, as many commuters do, it will do that without using a drop of gas. After the initial 13 miles, it becomes an efficient gas-powered car, getting up to 50 miles per gallon. Like the Volt, there will be no range anxiety with a Plug-in Prius. And with it's smaller battery pack, the Plug-in Prius should cost less than the Volt. The Plug-in Prius can be charged in 3 hours or less, using a standard 110 volt outlet. For those who can charge while at work, electric-only round-trip (work commute) range will be 26 miles.

It’s not hard to predict how we’ll drive in the future. The Volt and the Plug-in Prius will be excellent cross-over cars, until technology catches up and solves the range problem with the early electric-only cars. It’s bound to happen. With tens of thousands of batteries in production, prices will drop and performance will improve. This is precisely what has happened with televisions, computers, and just about everything else in mass-production. And keep in mind that the total cost of ownership includes more than just the purchase price. Televisions, for example, once had tubes in them. Those TV’s quickly disappeared when they became too expensive to maintain. And like televisions, VCR’s were once large and expensive. Now we get the same results with a smaller and much less expensive device. Electric cars will be much less expensive to fuel, repair and maintain.

Nisson is not the only car company that “doesn’t get it”. Many manufacturers think we’ll settle for “Clown Cars”. (That’s what they look like to me). Not only do I not want to be seen in such a car, I wouldn’t dare drive it on an expressway. I would be better off with a golf cart for neighborhood-only driving.

Making safe electric cars will be a big challenge. A lighter car will deliver greater range per charge, but will probably be less safe in an accident than a heavier car. On the other hand, I can’t imagine anything more dangerous than sitting a few feet from 15 gallons of gasoline and a hot engine. Battery-powered cars will have devices designed to cut power in the event of a crash.

How much will it cost to drive a Plug-in Prius?

According to the Plug-in Prius webpage, it will take 1000 watts for 3 hours (3kwh) to charge the Plug-in Prius, and you’ll be able to drive 13 miles on a full charge.

If electricity costs 10 cents per kwh, 13 miles of driving in a Plug-in Prius will cost 30 cents in electricity.

If gasoline costs $3.00 per gallon, and you drive a car that gets 26 miles per gallon, it will cost $1.50 in gas to drive 13 miles.

In some locations, electric rates vary, depending on the time of day. In fact, I pay less than 3 cents per kwh late at night. At that rate, my cost to drive a Plug-in Prius, for the first 13 miles, will be less than 9 cents. Now 13 miles doesn’t sound like a lot, but my work commute (before I moved to GTMO) was about 13 miles. With the Plug-in Prius, I will trade $30.00 in gasoline for $1.80 in electricity each month. After the first 13 miles, Plug-in Prius gas range is expected to be about 50mpg, or about twice as good as the car I currently drive.

Someday soon, owning a gas-powered car will be like owning a television from the 60’s. Unless it’s a “Show Car”, it just won’t make sense. It might be fun to keep one around to tinker with, but it will not be practical as a source of transportation. Some will have trouble leaving the memories behind, like the sound of a well-tuned V8 engine, but I can live without it. I can live without the grease, pollution, and noise. If I have to have high-performance, I’ll save up for a Tesla Roadster.

Range anxiety is likely to be a household term soon, but we’ll quickly forget about that, just as we’ve forgotten about all of those VCR’s that constantly flashed 12:00. The Volt and the Plug-in Prius will soon be thought of as a sensible forms of transportation, but years from now we’ll think of them as quaint.

John

Just Say No to Oil

I could jump on the bandwagon and blame BP, the president, or congress for the recent disaster in the Gulf, but I won’t. I think we need to look at ourselves instead. As long as we keep using oil, someone will drill for it and accidents will happen. If we stop using oil there would be no need for off-shore drilling.

I do understand that we’re not going to stop using oil overnight. Paul Roberts, author of the book “The End of Oil” claims that the U.S. is decades away from shedding its reliance on oil. I disagree. Cutting back would be a good start, and that’s something we can begin to do today. We can start by avoiding unnecessary driving. Motor-bikes, scooters, or even bicycles are practical alternatives to cars for some, while others can use mass-transit. When it’s time to replace the vehicle (that you absolutely can’t live without), consider an efficient one, perhaps a hybrid. Plug-in-electric vehicles will soon be available, so plan accordingly. These are only a few things we can all do. With a little effort, we could reduce oil consumption by 50% in one year. Imagine how we would all benefit from that!

If you’re reading this, you are probably someone who is concerned about the envoronment. That’s great, but we need to bring others on-board. We need to lead by example. Leading by example is far more effective than ranting and raving like an environmentalist kook. The car you drive speaks volumes about your intentions. And while few will notice your energy-efficient lighting or appliances, solar panels on your roof would be hard to ignore. Start small if you must, at least replacing some of the fossil fuel you would otherwise use in your home with electricity from solar panels. Others will follow your lead eventually, and we’ll all benefit.

Sadly, many people still think that conservation, and implementing renewable energy solutions, will somehow result in a lower quality of life. This is simply not true, and we need to spread the word. When done right, quality of life can be enhanced. CFL or LED lighting provide the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs, while reducing electricity use significantly. Imagine that; you’ll be doing something positive for the environment, and enhancing your quality of life via lower electric bills.

And speaking of enhancing your quality of life; a plug-in-hybrid car can be recharged at night, when electric rates are low. You might be able to replace the four dollars a day you are currently spending for gasoline with less than one dollar for electricity. For more about this, click here: http://solarjohn.blogspot.com/2007/12/driving-phev-is-like-buying-gasoline-at.html

Everything we currently do that involves oil can be done another way, and often in a much better way. The transition to renewable energy will open up new career opportunities. Technically savvy folks will find interesting work in energy production, construction, service, and transportation. Those who are the quickest to accept post-oil technologies will be the most successful.

We can’t just stop using oil overnight, but the idea of waiting decades is a concept that we shouldn’t accept. When the oil spill in the gulf becomes old news, we must remain committed to cutting back. Each time we purchase a vehicle, an appliance, or even a light bulb, we should shop with energy-efficiency as our top priority.

If you need another reason to implement and promote alternative energy, perhaps the best one is that not a single soldier will need to give his life to keep renewable energy flowing.

Please, just say no to oil.

John

Solar Panels at Gitmo

Does anyone know what the plastic rods on top of the solar panels are for? My guess is that their purpose is to keep birds from perching there.


Gitmo has windmills too...

GITMO

My renewable energy projects have been placed on hold, for now, because I'm on assignment at GITMO. Fortunately, my off-grid system is running on automatic pilot. Too bad I didn't make provisions for monitoring it via the Internet. For anyone who might be interested, here's a little information from where I am at the present time. Check back later for my report on renewable energy at GITMO.

GITMO is an incredibly interesting place to explore. There are some great bike trails. Here's a view of a section of the base from up on a hill. The second picture is a section of Caribbean Shoreline. The cliffs are acutally rock and fossilized corral. I've never seen anything like it. The final picture is of the base Hospital.

The Smart Grid and You

If you’re reading this you’re probably someone who takes responsibility for your own future, instead of waiting for the government or someone else to do things for you. Perhaps you’ve already installed solar panels, instead of waiting for substantial rebates or subsidies. You don’t get excited when you hear about a breakthrough, and you’re not waiting for a dramatic price reduction of solar panels. You may not be able to justify the high cost based on the electricity your system produces, but you have no regrets. You have a system that provides an emergency source of electricity to serve when the grid fails, and you have some protection from the inevitable rate increases. And, should you experience a total melt-down of society, you’re better equipped to live a self-sufficient lifestyle than those who don’t have these systems.

As content as you might be with your own efforts, it’s good to see environmentally-beneficial government-supported projects when they do occur. The Smart Grid is a project that recently received significant funding from the Obama Administration, and those of us who already have solar- or wind-power systems will benefit to a greater extent than those who don’t.

The Smart Grid, when implemented, will be a modernization of the current electrical generation and distribution system. The Smart Grid will be an automated network, with a two-way flow of electricity and information. Extensive monitoring will result in a much more efficient system, benefiting electricity providers, as well as consumers. Providers will be better equipped to reduce generation and transmission costs, and consumers will be better prepared to make decisions affecting their use of electricity and control cost. The Smart Grid will have a positive environmental benefit as well.

Monitoring and control will extend beyond the generation and transmission infrastructure. In-home monitoring and control is another characteristic of the Smart Grid. Consumers will have real-time cost information, helping them to manage electricity use in order to save money. Additionally, smart appliances in the home will use this information to automatically reduce energy usage. Use of the cost-saving features built into smart appliances will be voluntary, not mandatory. Users will have the ability to override these cost-saving features if they so desire.

Other characteristics of the Smart Grid are its ability to accept power from solar and wind systems, and to utilize energy storage devices. This should be particularly interesting to those who have solar or wind systems, and to those who plan to purchase an electric vehicle. You may be an electricity provider someday, and you’ll be paid for it.

While some will simply ignore the available information concerning the cost of electricity, others will minimize their use when the cost is high. Doing laundry, running the dishwasher, and vacuuming are all chores that can be done when rates are low. If you have a solar electric system or a wind turbine, you have an additional option; use energy from your system when grid-supplied electricity is expensive, and use grid-supplied electricity when the cost is low. That, of course, is intuitive and many are already doing that. However, there are other strategies that may result in additional savings. For example; consider charging batteries when electric rates are low, and use the stored energy when rates are high. The battery charger could be controlled by a timer, set to be powered-up when rates are low, and to switch off when rates are high. Better yet, the battery charger could be switched on and off via a “Smart Controller”. A Smart Controller would be a device that can switch power to an outlet on and off based on preset electricity rate thresholds. I’m not aware that such a device exists, but it soon will. You’ll need a battery charger, (like the one described here), that will not overcharge your batteries.

Those who’ll benefit most from the Smart Grid will be, no doubt, those who drive Plug-in-Electric-Vehicles (PHEV’s). Most will be charged at night, when electric rates are low. Consider for a moment that you’ll pay about twenty cents per kwh for electricity during periods of peak demand, and less than two cents per kwh when demand is low. (These figures are based on my actual cost for electricity as a participant in a program offered by my provider). While your cost to top off the battery during the day might be as much as 3 dollars, the cost at night could be less than 30 cents. Replacing gasoline with electricity for transportation could result in a savings of $1000.00 each year. At 3 dollars per gallon, cutting gasoline use by one gallon a day would accomplish that. Those who need to charge their PHEV’s during the day, night-shift workers for example, would benefit by installing a PV system.

Some PHEV’s will be connected to the grid during the day, returning excess power to the grid during periods of peak demand. This concept, known as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, is another example of an innovation made possible by a Smart Grid implementation that will benefit providers and users of electricity. Theoretically, you could earn money by connecting a PHEV to the grid. If you recharge at night when rates are low, and return power to the grid when rates are high, you might find that the power company owes you money at the end of the month. You’ll not only eliminate your use of gasoline, you could fuel your car at no cost at all. Your actual results will depend on the number of miles you drive each day.

“Ask not what the grid
can do for you. Ask what you can do for the grid – and
prepare to get paid for it!”

Your contribution to the grid, as small as it might be, will be an important part of the Smart Grid. Solar, wind, and V2G systems will increase the number of electricity providers dramatically. The result will be a broad distribution system that is less vulnerable to natural disasters and terrorist attacks. Utilities will have better control of resources, reducing the need to add power plants simply to meet peak demands.

Whether you’re an electricity provider, consumer, or both, you need to be able to measure the flow of electricity to be able to control it. The Smart Grid will provide that capability, and pave the way for the development of tools to better manage electricity. Pilot projects have already shown that Smart Grid technology not only enhances electric grid reliability and reduces outages, but also creates smaller electricity bills for consumers and could alleviate the need for additional infrastructure. The Smart Grid connects consumers to the grid in a way that is beneficial to both. This is the dawn of some pretty interesting innovations.

John