STAND ALONE: STRIVING FOR ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
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RIGHT: Sara works on her solar novel (solar-powered, that is!). Photovoltaic panels provide the current that runs her Apple computer. LEFT:. Sara and Bill are leading a crowded life in their RV-while they work on finishing their permanent home-but it's a unique one. All their electrical needs are supplied by the sun. (Note as well the breadbox solar water heater on the trailer's roof.)
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By Sara Yerkes
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I recently finished my first "sun powered" novel . . . one
that I wrote on an Apple computer run by photovoltaic
electricity. Actually, solar panels are the only source of
electric power that my husband Bill and I have had for more
than a year. You see, we're in the process of planning and
building our own energy self-sufficient (we hope!) house,
and we figure that there's no better way to get into the
independent spirit of the project than to live without a
power utility connection at the building site.
Of course, as many of you have found out, photovoltaic
systems are most cost-effective in sparsely developed areas
. . . where the only other energy choices are setting up
alternative power sources, running a diesel fueled
generator, or having no electricity at all. But Bill has
been involved in the development and manufacture of solar
cells (at Arco Solar, Inc.) for over 15 years, so his
pioneering nature led him to try "stand alone" living even
though we're only a short distance from the power
lines.
We wanted to see if we could achieve an energy-independent
life that was not at the same time a Spartan one. And,
believe me, the last 12 months or so have been anything but
austere! Our trailer has plenty of modern conveniences,
including lights, a refrigerator, a color television, a
radio, a stereo, and an indoor (electric composting)
toilet. Putting all this together, however, did involve a
good bit of research and experimentation on our part. We
hope that those of you who fancy the idea of either living
or vacationing in remote areas whether for extended periods
or for only a few days at a time-may benefit from our
experience.
SHOPPING
In a way, our residence itself gave us a slight head start,
because trailers are engineered with a number of attributes
for self reliant living. The 24-foot Layton we'd picked out
included a 300-gallon water tank . . . low-voltage lights
backed up by a pair of batteries . . . a holding tank for
human waste . . . and even a low voltage (or propane)
refrigerator. Unfortunately, most of these features were
not designed with high efficiency in mind, since
trailer owners are expected to pay frequent visits to waste
disposal sites and to recharge the batteries on a regular
basis while driving. That meant we'd have to seek out some
specialized components for our stationary
arrangement.
During the year preceding our move to the site, we scoured
recreational-vehicle and camping stores in our southern
California region, but were able to locate only a few of
the extra-efficient components that we needed for
photovoltaic living. We did find a Nor cold electronic
refrigerator, however, to replace the absorption-cycle
Electrolux t hat had come with the
trailer. The new 12 volt DC (direct current) icebox
consumes only 80 amp-hours per day . . . a tiny fraction of
what the heat-driven unit had used.
It was during two trips to Europe that we located most of
the equipment for our electricity self-sufficient home.
After a stop to review literature at the Swedish Konsument
Verket--where all consumer appliances in the country are
tested and compared-we purchased a New Mullbank electric
dry composting toilet from a local Stockholm department
store. (We were surprised to find that there are actually
16 manufacturers of composting toilets in Sweden . . .
largely as a result of laws restricting the use of septic
systems at vacation cabins.)
While in Italy, we found a compact, low profile solar water
heater that fits our trailer far better than did anything
we had seen in the U.S. The 35-gallon passive (or
"breadbox") Discotherm works from the existing water
pressure on our city connection so it requires no extra
pumping energy-and has that famous Italian flare for
combining style with function. The unit is equipped with
acrylic glazing, to which Bill added a layer of treated
nickel foil-which allows 97% o the sunlight to pass
through, but only 3% of the captured energy to escape-to
lessen nighttime heat loss.
We knew that during the rainy winter months we'd need some
sort of hot-water backup system to augment that solar
collector. So after examining the numerous "tankless"
heaters available in Europe, we settled on a propane-fired
English Thorn Nymph. Unlike a conventional water heater,
our on-demand unit warms liquid only when a hot-water
faucet is turned on (rather than keeping a large quantity
heated at all times), which provides significant energy
savings.
Another acquisition from our European travels was a Flos
quartz reading lamp. Though the little light was set up to
use Rome's 220-volt AC (alternating current) power, Bill
noticed that it actually transformed that high-voltage
electricity down to 12 volts to heat the filament. By
wiring back from the bulb and around the
transformer, then, he was able to provide us with a compact
lamp . . . one that throws the bright white light
characteristic of quartz bulbs, yet runs on our 12-volt
photovoltaic system.
Some of the other components contributing to our
home-powered comfort include a Panasonic 12-inch color
television ... a Hitachi AM/FM cassette stereo . .
. the Apple II Plus computer with two disk drives, a CRT
monitor, and a 15-inch Epson printer . . . a Repair swamp
cooler . . . and even an Insect Aside bug "zapper". (Also,
before we hooked into city water pressure, we used a Noria
12volt DC water pump.)
The electricity to run all these appliances comes from 20
Arco Solar 16-2000 photo voltaic panels and is stored in 10
Delco 2000 batteries hidden beneath our dinette benches.
Arco Solar's BP-12 battery protectors monitor the charge
from the panels to the storage cells, but Bill also keeps a
continuous log of the charge level with a strip chart
recorder and makes occasional checks with a
voltmeter.
Because there are some appliances that just won't run on
the 12-volt DC electricity that the panels supply (through
the batteries), we bought a 300-watt Dytek 120-volt AC
inverter. It supplies the necessary AC power to the
computer, our toilet's fan and stirring mechanism, a coffee
grinder, an electric fan, and-once in a while-an ice cream
maker! With only 300 watts on tap, we do have to be careful
not to use too many appliances simultaneously, but a new
system we're examining (which includes more panels and a
48-volt DC to 120-volt AC, 700-watt inverter) should make
the installation in our permanent house much more
versatile.
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