I have an uh…single portable solar cell. So I guess my plan is to overheat my tablet for warmth during winter.
F
Gonna build a nuclear powered windmill on top of my house. I have a little Thor action figure which I’ll glue to it, so that’s the Thorium part taken care of. And I need a fan blade from my desktop fan. Beyond that, I should be good to go!
Already bike to commute, to groceries and to school to drop the kids but we have a decent infra.
When buying I sometimes choose organic products to cut on fertilizers, buy local products, and vote for people that encourage “green” policies as all others don’t seems prone to look for alternatives.
I’ve been getting rid of gasoline power tools, I have electric versions of all lawn and garden tools. I may trade a vehicle or two for an EV in the next few years.
No, I really don’t have plans this year, but
- This past year I replaced an air conditioner with heat pump in my addition. It is a great heat source for shoulder seasons, but gas is cheaper when it’s cold
- The year before I replaced gas range with induction
- The year before that I bought an EV and installed a level 2 charger
- A few years earlier, I chose an electricity provider with 70% renewable generation
I am stuck in Alabama-Stan. Our presumed next governor is a MAGAt. We bought an EV last year (used VW id4) to get my wife something to get the kids everywhere in. I have taken her old car (a 2006 VW Jetta TDI) and am using it as my commuter car for work, 60 miles a day. It has drastically lowered our footprint, as they replaced our primary family and commuter vehicle, my old Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. My wallet appreciates the lower costs of both cars to get around, CO2 per mile is substantially less, and even having our local utility company screwing us on rates, it’s still cheaper and greener.
We are unfortunately the least solar friendly state in the US. There is no net metering, and our utility company charges you per kw capacity of your system to keep a backup in case they have to provide you with power. I have plans for that, I’m on vacation this all and hope I have time to sit down and draw up a reasonably diy solar system for us. I DESPISE our corrupt utility company and would like nothing better than to never have to give them money again.
Working from home more is my plan if it keeps getting worse.
Six years of driving an EV
Haven’t thought about the cost of moving from A to B in 5 years, it’s a rounding error pretty much.
We’ve been leasing an EV for a few years and have saved quite a bit. Even better currently. The only problem I have with it is unsolicited opinions from others about how shit EVs are, like I haven’t been driving petrol or diesel for 20 fucking years .
I like when others give their negative opinions about EVs, gives me something to laugh at.
Biking (e-bikes are great if you can afford one and greatly increase range and decrease effort in many environments)
Installing solar (I’m currently renting but my state is debating a new law which seems likely to pass modeled on the Utah law - and others which started in Europe - which allows small solar systems to be plugged directly into a home outlet to supplement energy needs with minimal cost)
Beyond the direct plug-in kind of solar. There’s now solar generators. Basically a portable battery pack that accepts solar energy and has its own outlets, no change in laws needed.
Anker Solix is having a sale this weekend.
Absolutely. They do tend to be quite a bit more expensive per watt though. From my research you can get cheap panels and just plug them into a LiPo4 battery or even lead acid batteries as well. It’s just that batteries (even though they’ve gotten a lot cheaper) are still expensive enough to nearly double the cost of the system in many cases so the plug-in option with 400 watts of panels etc gives you the best bang for the buck for sure. But it’s not legal or possible in many US states (though that is changing fast)
Hijacking this post to ask for some communities that focus on renewable energy & environment
We have the answers. It’s just getting the politicians all on board with it and shutting up the lobbyists for fossil fuels.
I’m already practically speaking living free of fossil fuels -
- For transportation, I only really bike and take transit
- The heating in my apartment is district heating
- The electricity grid in Sweden is all but entirely free of fossil fuels
So there’s not really that much more to be done.
You can always be an advocate and teacher about how you live, speak loudly and always share what you know to be true. There are many people who are completely ignorant to how successful and progressive Sweden’s electricity is.
My electricity comes from hydro, wind, solar and nuclear. I do have a petrol engine car but luckily its a Peugeot so the engine is broken and I have no plans of fixing it. My city has excellent public transportation. I have a bicycle. Also my grocery shop is 2 minute walk away.
I’m pretty lucky.
Note to all, Harbor Freight sells solar panels. If they can make it profitable for them, I think telling yourself that it’s just too expensive isn’t exactly as valid anymore lol.
Though I know there’s more to it than that…
The panels are cheap. The interconnect isn’t too bad and the controller is another chunk, but it’s the install that keeps me from a cheap DIY. I really don’t want to mess up my roof.
