Sorry Mr Steve, I dont do that, I just observe what government wants. Me? I didnt want to drive an EV, our government wants. Now that we have one, I am really happy. No fluidchange, no clutch plate, brake pads and most of all, no fuel costs. Go with the flow and try to bend everything in your own street. I think the best way to survive.
And about our farmers? Well, I think the majority is just stupid, sorry to see it like that. If I look at the acres totally brown from the round up. Where is your connection with nature? My eco period is over, but no spray stays. No matter how high the weed is.Macro and micro aproach, I am not going to poison my own world.
farmers? Big win for the farmers party. Financed by the big companies, banks etc. So farmers will never be able to get out to corner where they got hit. Talked to a lot of them the last weeks and some of them try to do it different, they use their brain. Try no till and mulch their land, pipes in the ground so no heavy tractors, poop and piss separated in the barn. The last one is a cheap solution so no back up from government or big companies, but it works and it works very well. There is hope, only if people keep thinking and searching for solutions. Blocades protests and orange vests wont help, think for yourself and there will pop up a solution. No one is gonna help youâŚ
Sorry, just rambling, interesting times. We will see what is going to happen.
And we didnt discuss Covid and the moneyprint. Economical spike up and now down before the end of the year. A lot of that new money sticked with the 2% and ther rest got poorer.
Sorry, I hope it translates ok. It is about the video. More money to the happy few etc.
This one is interesting too, dont know if it is available in english
The irony is they wanted everyone to do the burn down to do no-till to help the soil. instead of cultivating a couple of times, you just spray roundup and it does a better job. It is just a case where a fix to a problem resulted in a different problem, and no one has come up with a better solution.
Mark Shepard, restoration agriculture. He desribes poison in a chapter, spot on, it didnt let go anymore. Overhere you see the difference between a farmer that owns his land and rents. The last one is focussed on max profit and doesnt care about the life underground. Result is less yielt every year. The first one tries mulshing and no or less till. It will take me ten years to develop good soil again , he says. And he is not small, just working for the money, no hobby.
The other guy is a big cow farmer. He spits the liquid and the poop right under the cow. No environmental problems, but no aproval. He has to pay for tests every now and then. No problem, it saves a very expensive piece of equipment. We need guys like this to change, not the angry blockers that want more money from Den Hague. Just my opinion.
Burn? It is not allowed to burn anything here.
Edit, i have made several pictures how dung is brought to the land here. You wont believe it. Insane. Since thirty years it has be injected into the ground. Thirty years later it is proven that there is no benefit. Changing rules? Off course not. Agriculture sector is leaning way to much on fossile.
Hi guys, please take this one to another thread or start your own. I do find agricultural practice fascinating but Iâd like to keep this one solar related.
Cheers, David
I just noticed sales of EVs (including phevs) were 90% of sales in Norway and 60% in Sweden. Is that translating into a significant number people being more interested in home solar in general?
First they will force everybody into EVâs. Then they wonât provide enough electricity to operate them or make it to expensive. Look at Germany if you doubt it. Of course with the 15 minute cities they plan you wonât have anywhere to go anyway. People need to open their eyes and minds.
Mostly taxreasons, I think in Norway, I know it for the Netherlands. No toadtax, no ownerstax (38% extra if you buy a car). Our car is for business of course, less tax. In 2019 the Model3 was the most sold car, runner up was VW Polo. You can buy three for one Tesla. Why? Busines tax went from 2% to 4% in 2020. Hard to explain all our taxes. In short, you get fuâŹ&ed, unless it is your hobby to avoid themâ:grinning:.
And of course PV helps. We have a good, maybe the best, arrangement overhere. We can use the grid as a battery. At the end of the year all plus and minus and you have to pay or get money back. Last year we got our connection paid (âŹ1000), the advanced montly payments and a âŹ1000 bonusđ. This is going to change and we get a system like JO or the people in Belgium. I hope there will be dome subsidy for a batt pack. Now playing and by that time I know what we need. And woodgas , of course for the dark months. I get dark hands and the chief can leave in a clean carđ
So, EV and solar? Not necessary if people decide to buy a car. A lot of tax reason too. Remember we paid âŹ2,5 a liter last winter, $10 a gallon. EV uses 200 W/km, 320 W/ mile, easy calculation. Not to mention maintenance. Our car saved us âŹ20.000 the last four years. Not to mention some extras. Just tax, fuel and maintenance. You dont have to be a greeny, just an accountant .
It is a government instrument, taxes. You can see it clearly. Dont know what is going to happen now they miss so muchđraise taxesâšď¸? Anyways, i do my best to avoid and what has to be paid is no problem.
My theory is the shock of seeing a much higher electric bill would cause a lot of people to install solar. I was trying to figure out if that was generally true.
Norwayâs original policy saved people enough in taxes and fees to pay for a Tesla in like 5 years without figuring in fuel savings. Which is exactly what the EV industry needed to get off the ground and prove it could work.
The Obama era policy wasnât designed to force anyone into EVs, we were aiming at a 50% reduction in oil use. Which means we donât have to import oilâŚ
Germanyâs plan, Energiewend, was literally designed to fail. They have a strong coal (lignite) union. They were TRYING to run up the cost to prevent solar. If solar failed, it would have stopped solar development for another 30 years.
This is EXACTLY why the US talked china into making panels. China could overbuild factories and run down the cost in a matter of a year or two. Then that means if utility price gouging does occur, then there is an EASY viable option for folks which is technically market driven pressure on utilities to keep from gouging.
There is only 40 years worth of proved oil reserves left in the world. It was a minimum 30 year change plus 10 years for development for the US that is why 2050 was the original target year. It has been chopped down some. But to be honest, no one knew for sure it would work or what the actual timelines for a cost effective alternative would be.
But the main point is your concerns were already thought about and taken into consideration and acted upon 10+ years ago in US policy. You may NOT like the solution, but at least there IS a cost effective solution available now. It is a MAJOR change in the energy sector. And a major change in thinking for the consumer as well.
Yes, not only the energy sector, political also, decentralised etc. And keeping clean hands. I have been hanging around the forum for several years, but no single woman is doing woodgas.
The thing that the EV world needed was a car that everyone wants and can use every day just like a normal car. Tesla did, the greens buy a Nissan Leaf. Available as long as Tesla but not at all a gamechanger. Tesla is, totally shook up the automotive. And still far ahead. Competition is coming and will catch up some day. Tesla did that with a lot of government money. Haha, Dutch John always reacted as a bull on a red flag. I visited him and he wanted to drive . Pictures were not for here, he just came home jogging. To bad, like to teas him.
So, Elon Musk did what he believed in and see what happened. Oil is out electric come in. Time is in his favour of course, but he didnt make any compromise like Nissan or others. All the big brands didnt believe, VW was the first to step in. BMW totally lost track. And Renault is now ok. I am think of a Cango, 1500 kg tow hitch. Still not enough but the best at the moment. Ford Lightning is way out of my leage.
Charging , pv, batt etc is all changing fast. Hybrid inverters are wannabes at the moment. Victron with their marine history knows exactly what people need. I dont know any other that can do peakshaving. Off grid system are easy, on grid complicated if you want to go on if the grid failes or your connection is to small. I see Victron as the Tesla, they know exactly what you need. They started to implement software to steer your system depending on fluctuating gridprice. Very intersting. All changing fast. What new today is normal tomorow.
It not hard to figure it out for me. The governments of this one world systems is whatâs doing it. And they are making more monies now than ever for themselves. You can not love money and more monies then do what God wants you to do good for humanity with out giving up the love of monies for youself.
. A conversion like this must come from you. You have almost the same. And look how easy it goes. Daniel Maguire does a conversion in a weekend . Almost. But to use it practical batteries are a problem.
A friend of mine owns a Nissan EV van. The first time he went to Prague it took him 19 hours instead of 8/9. He had his batt pack changed for one from a Porsche Tycan and now it is 10/12 hours. Muxan in Rotterdam did that. For all the car mechanics, try to adapt, work is gonna change.
He is delivering his old pack and I try to motivate someone to connect it to a normal solarinverter. The guy is way way brighter then me, not hard to do he said. Haha we will see about that.
I dont know about the US, but cars are the milkcow for government overhere. Once in Croatie it took me half an hour to explain what roadtax is, well, we dont have that. And that goes on and on, to healthcare, insurance, real estate etc etc. Not complaining, i still think this is the best country to live in, but in needs a little extra attention not to get robbed.
I really wanted to go on a rant when I read this. Instead, I slept on it. Now, I want to discuss it.
Joep, define âoff-gridâ please. Perhaps we are talking past each other.
Also when you get to ideal off-grid situation, please describe what it looks like.
Ex. I know luddites that define off-grid as buckets of water, wood cooking ranges, and running around the bush hunting and trapping.
There is a huge range of the definition.
My self, I identify as on-grid. I do not have commercial electric utilities, but I do have a state sponsored road to where I live. I produce my own electricity, but I do it with commercially available gasoline. When the sun shines, I use solar power. Regardless of the power source, I enjoy and promote the (often wasteful) use of massive amounts of power. I like refrigeration, tap water, led lights, air conditioning, thermostatic hydronic heat, and DEET.
I do not promote running around Isle Royale in a loin cloth, swatting bugs and trying to eat berries. Some do think this is idyllic off-grid behavior.
Anyhow, I do have a great deal of interest in what everyone thinks off-grid is. Especially from those who live on-grid.
Totally true , i meant the system not actually living off grid. The living part is a tough nut to crack. You can buy off grid equipment just off the shelve. There are some hybrid systems coming but that is it. If you want to go on grid peak shaving the choice is very limited.
So, i know what you are talking about, not from actual experience but talking to a lot of people and reading. And concluded why? We have the best grid, it never ever fails. My system is complicated, not my lifeđ
Edit, and define off grid is a discussion on its own, you are right about that.
O.K. DavidB. what Bruce J. and JoepK. have just said IS very apt to this topic.
A True Offgrid power system is YOUR system period. You get the benefits of no GovâMint/BigSystem strings attached. You get all of the setting-up challenges. Then maintneces and repairs then too.
Doesnât matter if BigGrid is available or not.
And it only matters what you power it with by what you can-do and afford to do. PV ISnow very $'s viable. I know many now who out of their own pockets set up for themselves. No asking or beholding to others. My big old Trace 2512 bought from a couple after 10 years upgrading from Solar with 12vdc lead acid batteries to a 48vdc lead acid battery system. Propane fueled ICE generator as back-up. I suggested woodgas for it. As a full time Rural Fire Chief he said he only had the personal energy/time to keep up with the house wood heating stove. O.K. Thatâs valid.
Now once you do tie into Thier BigGrid System then come their controlling strings attached. For valid good (to them) reasons. Safety to others on their system. Safety to their maintnece workers. You must then help pay for their designs and the results of those decisions. Their wise decisions. Their big Woopsies, too. Washington State we are still paying off in our base power bills the 1970âs big costs overrun Bond Defaults of their five never completed nuclear power plants. WPPS - google it. The decades of power usage conservation savings measures are just about max-out now. Regional wind not enough by far. They are now generating filling in with natural gas turbine generators; and one, five 100 car trains a week supplied coal fired plant.
So JoepK as is real, here USA is has been really easy to shave down vehicles overall operating costs. Many ways.
Very, very difficult made to Grid power âshaveâ unless you go whole-hog their way completely.
Beginning for us here WA State by Hog trough suck up for PV solar installation. But they only $$$$ subsidize pay for Grid sequnced systems. They fail you - as they do here annually . . .
Work arounds sure, sure. For much more system complexities and more $$$$.
USA and Canada and we have weather. Lots and lots of weather. Annually. No way can a Rural centralized Grid system be kept up and supping 100% of the days.
Over stated as above Europe over all just as denser with a more country to country? individual system then maybe can claim Grid reliability.
Oh, yeah. But you have repetitive, unpredictable Wars. Current Ukraine. Previously Georgia. Previous the whole former Yugoslav area. (Yeah. Yeah. And youâall have Weather too).
And who makes these wars? BigSystems thinking and living people. Sucks.
No thanks. Iâll take the only weather events thank you. They are impersonal. And effect everyone in their reach the same.
The DOW as D.Y.I. group the solutions are only really listened to are if they serve the individual.
Steve Unruh
The density has the advantage that all our grid lines are underground. That saves a lot of trouble. At the moment there are experiments to put high voltage lines underground . I dont know why. People dont like the view? Like windturbines? More free area to build houses/ industry?
War? Yes, there is no day i dont think of Joni and the people in Ukraine and the shit they are in. Politics, bah. People die for no reason. Be nice to each other, how difficult is that?
If here in the low lands there is a war this place changes rapidly from best to wurst place to live. Better not think about it and enjoy every day given by God. Who knows what happens tomorrow?
Practical, if my battery can grow a litle i can keep my own grid up in case shtf. Not my motivation, just suffering from an energy tic
You are what is called a âgrid defectorâ. You are off-grid (for electric) because you choose to be, not because there is no service available.
The rest of the definitions are really classified as homesteading which is living off your piece of property and trying to be self-sufficient. Which may or may not include being off-grid electrically, but a lot of people are because the grid doesnât go that far, or it is deemed an unnecessary expense.
I would venture to guess most people that fall into âhomesteaderâ category are actually installing solar now and are defecting from the grid or enhancing their own grid, if they can afford it. The improvements in solar and battery technology to make it more affordable have vastly changed the game.
The exception is the prepper group (which is kind of a catch-all) and retro commune type of living like the amish.
There is no grid service available. There never has been.
I suppose you are right though. If I spent the money and had wires run down the road to our place, then shut off the service, I would be a grid defector.
Living disconnected from the grid seems very brave to me. If I were much younger it would not seem so I admit. I am a little bit in awe of those you have accomplished it being a self reliant fanatic myself. My all electric house cost me about $3.25 dollars a day. Of course no air conditioning needed. It seems very cheap. I know many other pay much more. I know a couple people free from the utilities. Very expensive systems. PV with big battery banks and stand by generators fueled by propane that come on automatically when the battery bank falls below a certain level. Still dependent on fairly clear skies and a source of propane but seems fairly ideal to me. Outside my financial ability. If I lose grid power Iâll be relying on WG run generator for a few hours a day and happy to have even that.
of course, less tax. In 2019 the Model3 was the most sold car, runner up was VW Polo. You can buy three for one Tesla. Why? Busines tax went from 2% to 4% in 2020. Hard to explain all our taxes. In short, you get fuâŹ&ed, unless it is your hobby to avoid themâ:grinning:.
