Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby
It's kind of funny (in a sad way) to see all the detractors on this forum nay-saying solar as an option. In Florida, I get it - you need a lot of energy to run an air conditioner 24/7/365. But it doesn't stop people all over the country from having 100% solar energy power their homes, all year round, though most of them also have wood stoves for heat, which is more efficient than a fireplace.
There are homes that use solar and "sell back" energy to the power company of any energy they don't actually use, which actually earns them a profit rather than an expense for electricity every month.
Then there are communities that are 100% "off grid" with plumbing, running hot water, heat in the winter, electricity, refrigerators and freezers, internet connection, etc. etc. Check out Dancing Rabbit Eco-Village for more on that. Solar and wind power, biomass and biogas, hydrogen, fire, water power - they aren't there yet, but their end goal is zero waste and 100% sustainability. All their homes are solar powered.
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OrangeBlossomBaby - You've made these mostly misleading comments before. Allow me to explain. Below is a summary of the ‘self-sustaining communities’ you allude to that are not connected to the grid. I couldn’t stop laughing while reading through the community summaries. Does The Villages allow outhouses or homes made out of straw bales and mud or old tires? Do we have a source of geothermal steam or hydroelectric power that I'm not aware of ??
Drum roll please:
Three Rivers (Oregon) - Population - 80, powered by solar panels, wind turbines, and
backup generators,
water is periodically hauled in. It contains mostly vacation homes.
Greater World Earthship Community (New Mexico) - the world's largest off-grid, legal subdivision, 634 acres contains passive solar houses made of natural materials like adobe,
recycled tires, and cans, each with1.8 kilowatts of solar power, solar-powered water collector and self-contained sewage treatment system.
Propane powers the stoves. Note: NM is one of the sunniest locations in the US.
Breitenbbush (Oregon) - 85 residents - set on 154 acres doubles as a worker-owned cooperative that runs the Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat.
Geothermal waters help to heat the complex of 100 buildings. The community has a
hydropower plant to supply electricity.
Earthaven (NC)- 75 people on 320 acres. 12 "neighborhoods," each containing two to eight homesites. Everything is powered by solar panels and
hydropower. Residents catch water off roofs for use in irrigation.
The list goes on.