Many years ago, humans weren’t connected to “the grid”.
There was no great electricity system that ran through the streets and
generated our houses. People had to run
their own generators, build their own windmills, or suffer in the cold and
dark. Then along came the large power
stations, running on mainly fossil fuels, but later on water, geothermal,
solar, wind or nuclear. All you had to
do was flick a switch and you had hot water, electric stoves, air conditioning
and heating.
But now, this magnificent network that has changed our lives
so drastically, is being shunned by many as they return to simpler ways and
resist being tied to contracts and the big power companies. And thanks to a flurry of recent developments
it’s possible for them to do this without compromising their lifestyles.
Solar panels have taken the world by storm. Roof panels are currently the main form of
solar panel, and in France, these are now compulsory for new commercial
buildings (unless you choose to cover the roof in plants instead – a story for
another time) (Chow, 2015). A new
innovation, solar window glass, based on transparent solar technology, may be
coming to the market soon (Lavelle, 2015).
Just think of the amount of heat you get through your windows – now we
can convert that to power and still enjoy the view!
Wind harnessing technology is powering up. A recent article in New Scientist showcased plastic “grass” roofing, that could capture
the energy from the wind as it blew over the roof. The tiny “blades” of grass when blown, sway
in the breeze, moving the nanowires on one side of the blades against the
indium tin oxide coating on the other side, generating a current (Urquhart,
2016).
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| Ecocapsule. Photo courtesy of McDonald (2015) |
The windmill is back in fashion too, though looking a little
different to those beauties in Holland. The
giant wind turbines the power companies use are now available in mini versions,
as seen on the Ecocapsule which is trending on social media and news websites
lately (pictured above). This mini camper allows you to live off the grid by
harnessing wind and solar power, and it will even collect rainwater for you to
drink (MacDonald, 2015). Or how about a beautiful
wind tree for your front lawn? The change from horizontal wind turbines to
vertical masts has opened up a wave of new designs that are more aesthetically
pleasing (Webb, 2014), including the one pictured below.
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I, for one, welcome the idea of being off the grid, with no bills in the mail, and taking care of my own needs rather
than relying on someone else. It is
reasonable, with all this developing technology, and the attitudes of people to
move further and further away from the large energy providers, that mass power
supply may indeed become obsolete in the future. Everyone may indeed, one day, return to the old ways, with their own
generators and windmills. Though hopefully the kind that require little effort
and take up a lot less room!
REFERENCES
Chow, L. (2015). France
mandates new roofs must be covered in solar panels or plants. Retrieved from http://ecowatch.com/2015/03/25/france-roofs-solar-panels-plants/
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. (2015). Grid-connected
systems. Retrieved from https://www.energywise.govt.nz/at-home/generating-energy/grid-connected-systems/
Forbes. (2015). French
start up designed urban wind tress with leaf shaped mini turbines. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2015/12/01/french-start-up-designed-urban-wind-trees-with-leaf-shaped-mini-turbines/#2715e4857a0b6fba94b87d18
Lavelle, M. (2015). Windows,
phones into power sources. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/energy/2015/08/150805-transparent-solar-could-turn-window-phones-into-power-generators/
MacDonald, F. (2015).
This portable capsule lets you live off
the grid anywhere in the world. Retrieved
from http://www.sciencealert.com/this-portable-capsule-lets-you-live-off-the-grid-anywhere-in-the-world
4 comments:
Good post. I like how you maintained an optimistic tone throughout. The idea of being able to fulfill your own energy needs without depending on mass energy providers really sounds wonderful, and it's good to hear steps are being in this direction! On the other hand, I think that in places like New Zealand, Australia or North America where these projects don't receive too much government subsidisation, progress in this area may be impeded by the fact setting up renewable energy generators may not be viable from a financial perspective for small businesses or households with average income. According to this, http://energyinformative.org/solar-panels-cost/ solar panels only start to pay themselves off after a decade, and that's an optimistic estimate. Hence making them unappealing for many.
New Zealand isn't the sunniest place, but is rather windy, which makes wind turbines for domestic use very feasible.
Interesting article Christina, we certainly have to find another source of energy other than fossil fuels
Yes, agreed Christina regarding the costs. I looked at it once myself a few years ago, but the storage cells only lasted 5 years and the replacement cost was as much as you would have spent on power in those five years. Things have improved a lot and let's hope modern technology will keep getting these costs down. I do love the tree idea though - we definitely have enough wind for them!
Sorry, I meant Jindina not christina - burn out!
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