Alternative Forms Of Energy

Let's put some creative thinking together where we can, as a group, come up with alternative forms of energy that will not cost a fortune so everyday people can afford.
Suppose a group of us got together, through onilne communications and converted an automobile, truck or suv to run on water and it worked. Our team could offer to convert our neighbors vehicles ( for a small fee ) and move on to the next. Yes, we would need a few mechanics, a few who could help fund the project and some promoters. Let me suggest a possible thought:
http://www.fuellessusa.com/AIR.html
Here you have a car that works on air. Does it work? I don't know, I'm not mechanical. But what if our group could make one and it works? Suppose we convert vehicles in our community or county or we offer energy conversion program for consumers. Before times get real tough, we have an opportunity.

Thoughts?

It is very reassuring to have a way to cook self sufficiently. We are having our own financial collapse, my husband, a builder, being out of work, and needing extensive dental work. Our propane level is very low, and we are unlikely to be able to afford to fill it up any time soon. So, we are happy that at least we have a wood cookstove in our kitchen which we use for heat in the winter (and cooking of course, since it is running all winter). It may be miserable running it in the summer, but better than having nothing to cook on. If I had another one, I would set up a summer kitchen outdoors. If you have any way to get your own firewood, I recommend getting an old wood cookstove, or a new one, if you can afford it. Ours is very old, but in good condition and actually heats our 1400 sq ft house in the north. There are plenty of them around, if one looks for them, but you need to know what to look for in the condition of them, as they won't be perfect, if they are old ones. These are the things to look for in an older wood cookstove:
These things can be dealt with:
Rust: with work you can remove this
Broken grates in the firebox: you can install a grate of sorts to replace it, or find old ones to replace them.
Legs broken, missing: use bricks. (I love mine, no legs, just sits on the floor, so no dusting underneath it. )
No shelf in oven. be creative, see below.
There may be other things that you could fix, but be sure, before you buy it.

These things be very wary of, as repairs, or replacing missing pieces would be very difficult, or impossible:
Missing boot: this is the part that fits onto the back of the stove where the damper is (where smoke leaves stove), and fits onto the stove pipe. The chances of you finding one to fit is nil, and having one built would be extremely expensive, if you even could find someone to do it.
Large crack in the firebox/oven wall. You could apply furnace cement, but this usually doesn't hold.
Don't worry about a lid lifter, you can get them cheaply from Lehman's and also fly ash cleanout tools, too.
Our stove has firebrick on one side of the firebox, definately a plus, to keep it from burning out the side, and on the other side of the firebox are removable 1 inch thick cast iron plates. If the one you find does not, try to install cut 1inch thick firebrick to the inside of the outside wall at least to protect it. If you do, you could use even coal in the stove, which would be hotter for those very cold days.

If the stove is missing the liner to a water heating box, you could have this build fairly cheaply, although most stoves don't have these anyway. (I just heat water on it with an old water bath canner.)

Tips on cooking on a wood cookstove:
To vary the heat, one must just move the pan around on the surface, as it varies in temperature.
You do not need to lift the lids to cook,(so not to have blackened pans), only to load the fire box. Toast is easy on a woodstove, just throw the bread on the lids, have a spatula ready to flip it, and it is done in seconds.
Line your oven with solid bricks, on the bottom, and sides,(this is where you can lay a shelf you have found) as this keeps the oven an even temperature, and bake your round loaves of bread right on the brick surface. Yumm, brick oven baked sourdough bread!
If anyone has any questions, please ask.

I really wanted to build a solar oven this summer, but probably wont have time, as I have to step up my work, as my husband has so little. But that is definately my next project.

One of the things that irritates me most about all the "nuclear will save us from oil" mindset is that is is STILL framing the question to favor big industry. Micro-hydro, home wind, home solar, wood, CONSERVATION... all these are never discussed seriously because no one gets rich if these are successfully used.

a self sufficient community on the land I have, we have looked at various means of energy production. Currently we are using a small scale solar system for lighting only and use 9 watt 12 volt flourescent lights and 12 volt LED lights. We are also working to set up a small scale hydro-electric operation to make use of the year round stream. Damming it up will also provide a swimming hole and source of fish, so it has multiple benfits. Long term plans include using some of the electrical production to electrolyzise water and produce hydrogen. I have an old Chevy S-10 with a carbuereted 4 banger on it that should rpove easy to convert to run on hydrogen and use 10 gallon propane tanks with flashback arrestors to provide the fuel source. It takes time and thinking things through, but it can be done. BTW - our little community (Carter's Freehold) has adopted the Culpepper Militia Flag as a symbol for ourselves.

dc9 wrote:a self sufficient community on the land I have, we have looked at various means of energy production. Currently we are using a small scale solar system for lighting only and use 9 watt 12 volt flourescent lights and 12 volt LED lights. We are also working to set up a small scale hydro-electric operation to make use of the year round stream. Damming it up will also provide a swimming hole and source of fish, so it has multiple benfits. Long term plans include using some of the electrical production to electrolyzise water and produce hydrogen. I have an old Chevy S-10 with a carbuereted 4 banger on it that should rpove easy to convert to run on hydrogen and use 10 gallon propane tanks with flashback arrestors to provide the fuel source. It takes time and thinking things through, but it can be done. BTW - our little community (Carter's Freehold) has adopted the Culpepper Militia Flag as a symbol for ourselves.

Sounds like a nice place!

We have the plans for a water hybrid, but have not had the time to start putting it together. Mark did the math and figures he has 5 miles of wire to hand-wrap into a coil... A group effort might be a good idea. We are also nearing completion of a used fry-oil conversion, having trouble getting an odd size fuel line in the material we need.
Here is the "ultimate" in our mind: A big enough piece of land to grow an oil crop, an oil press, and a veggie-fueled generator and rig that are only used when needed. The process of pressing the oil leaves a mash that can be used as animal food, too.