Green-Trust.Org

The final connections were made yesterday, and on a mixed clouds and sunny day, we generated 2.1 kWh’s in the afternoon. The new Mate came back from Outback, and the Pallet Mounts are working fine. Today is grey and rainy, so we don’t expect much production today. The Mate is getting information from two MX-60 charge controllers, one FX-3524 Inverter, and the FlexNet DC Power Monitor fed from three shunts, one on each charge controller, and one on the battery bank to inverter connection.

All the wiring indoors, consisting of the pv fused disconnect, the MX-60 charge controller, the fused controller disconnect, and the two pv shunts for the FlexNet DC Monitor have all been installed. We are still waiting on the replacement Mate to come back from Outback, and we are waiting for one pole mount pv rack. As a temporary measure, we made pv mounts using two pallets per panel (six 195 watt panels) in a 45 degree angle, with 2×4 struts on the sides as supports. Pictures to follow. The combiner box was wired to the house with 50′ of 4g 2 conductor with ground. The combiner box connects to the panels with 6′ of 12g 2 conductor with ground.

Our Outback MX-60 came in today, just in time for the installation of the six Sanyo 195 watt solar panels being installed tomorrow. We already have a MX-60 on the five Mitsubishi 110 watt panel array. Friday our new, updated Mate controller will arrive. This allows us to monitor and control our two MX-60 charge controllers, FX-3524 inverter, and FlexNet DC battery monitor. The weak link now will be the 24v 840 ah battery pack, as we only have about 36 hours of battery storage if there is no sun, requiring us to fire up the generator for a full recharge. Jim Juczak arrives around 7:30 am tomorrow for the install. Pictures will be posted.

Jim Juczak hates mortgages. When he started building his home in rural Jefferson County, he resolved to stay out of debt.

The house he finished five years later is an 18-sided structure with 3,000 square feet of space. It is mortgage-free.

And much of it is made from junk.

The support beams are salvaged from a bowling alley that was being demolished.

A two-story concrete column that supports the center of the house is made from scrapped manholes.

Windows, interior doors, sinks, tubs and other materials were bought cheap or salvaged for free after being removed from renovated buildings.

And the mortar for the outer wall was made from paper sludge, a waste material from a nearby mill. Juczak had to get a special permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to divert the sludge from a landfill.

“Everyone gave it (the permit) with much humor, because this is basically garbage,” Juczak said. “You know — ‘Oh, my gosh! He’s living in a house made of trash!’”

Read more at http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/king_of_scrounge_north_country.html and http://www.woodhenge.org

Day 1:

Young Steven, my son, just came home from basic training and infantry
school. 3 hours later, a friend put a loaded .270 in a gun case (Stupid). Steven pulled it out of the case, not knowing it was loaded (yes, he now understands that all guns are considered “loaded”), by the end of the barrel, and the gun went off. He has destroyed nerves and possibly tendons in his left palm. He is left handed. Doc’s are not sure they can restore full functionality. It could have been a lot worse.

Day 2 :

Docs say it’s going to be a long process (at least a year), and no guarantee of full recovery. There will be a series of grafts, plastic surgery, and much therapy. His military insurance will not cover this. Military service seems out of the question at this point.

Day 3:

After being at the hospital since Friday, I got home tonight (it’s 3 hours away), and found a 3/4″ hole through the house, starting in the basement bedroom, through two walls, two floors, the roof, and the fridge ……

Always consider a gun loaded, and treat it with respect. Many of us
use these tools for hunting or home defense. They are not toys.

Day 6:

He’s on his 4th surgery. Today they did a ultrasound on his stomach to find blood vessels and tissue to attach to. Monday they will lift a flap from his stomach, and attach his hand. This is to grow sufficient fat and skin tissue to attach nerve and blood vessels to the hand. He lost the ulnar nerve, so he will have greatly reduced motor skills.

Day 13:

They have yet to attach the hand to the stomach, although they have prepared the skin flap on the stomach by cutting the blood vessels from the sides to allow the central blood vessel to grow new passages out. Steven comes home tomorrow for a week or so until they can get him a spot in the OR for the hand attachment procedure. He comes home with a portable vacuum pump that removes seepage from the vacuum bandage around his hand and wrist.

Day 22:

The hand is being attached to the stomach on Monday, 11-15-08. It’s an overnight stay and he’s back home. He’s recovering nicely, and the damage does not seem to affect his thumb and index finger. He should be ready for the graft in 2 weeks or so. So far, the National Guard is keeping him on, in hopes of a complete recovery.

Now that we have upgraded our battery bank for long life, we need to be able to monitor it, so we know how many amp hours we are depositing, and how many we are withdrawing. Today we are installing a FLEXnet DC to replace our Trimetric. This will allow us to monitor the performance of our battery bank and wind turbine with the same display we use to monitor our solar panels, and inverter. This unit monitors the power to and from the batteries on three current shunts, one on the pv charge controller, one on the inverter, and one on the wind turbine.

Certainly the effects of global climate changed have been thoroughly documented in recent years but there are several hazards of the fossil fuel industry that have not been as widely publicized. Among these is exposure to asbestos. While many believe asbestos to be a problem of the past, (it was banned for general use by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the late 1970’s) when in fact asbestos exposure is a real threat to human health, particularly within the procession of fossil fuels.

Asbestos is in fact, not a man-made creation, but a naturally occurring mineral that was included in insulation compounds because of its strong and flexible fibers. These attributes made asbestos ideal for inclusion in a myriad of insulation products including piping, electrical insulation, drywall, boilers, and various kinds of wall insulation. Asbestos was popular because its fibers we small and adaptable to a number of different compounds. This however, was before we knew what we knew today, that asbestos was slowly killing thousands of industrial workers.

Asbestos is not considered dangerous until it is rendered “friable.” When asbestos containing materials are rendered friable, they are considered to be extremely hazardous. Friable means simply that the materials are old or damaged. Asbestos containing materials become abraded by age or other
damage; they release the microscopic asbestos fibers into the air supply, leaving those in the vicinity at risk of a harmful exposure. When asbestos is inhaled, the fibers lodge in the pleural lining of the lungs, which over time can lay the groundwork for pleural mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer whose only cause is asbestos exposure.

Certainly the health effects of the fossil fuel industry do not begin and end with asbestos exposure (skin cancer rates are higher than anywhere in the world in South Africa and Australia where the ozone has been rapidly depleted), but recently researchers have seen an influx of asbestos related
health complications directly related to exposure at oil refineries and other processing centers. However, this is not simply a hazard to the long term vitality of our planet but a real danger to the current inhabitants of our green planet. For more information about not only mesothelioma, but the growing connections between industrial activity and the health of the planet’s inhabitants, please visit the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center.

Nissan Puts ‘Fuel Efficiency Gauge’ In All New Models

All future new models from Nissan will be equipped with a fuel efficiency gauge to give drivers more information on how their driving style directly relates to fuel economy.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2007/08/21/nissan-puts-fuel-efficiency-gauge-in-all-new-models/

Nissan Unveils Eco-Pedal

Nissan has unveiled Eco Pedal this week. The company says the system can help drivers improve fuel efficiency by 5 to 10 percent.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/08/05/nissan-unveils-eco-pedal/

Nissan Unveils Environmental Action Plan

Nissan has unveiled a new environmental action plan dubbed Nissan Green Program 2010.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2006/12/13/nissan-unveils-environmental-action-plan/

Reduced emissions, electric vehicles, and more. Go Nissan, show the world what’s possible!

A common objection to biomass energy production is that it could divert agricultural production away from food crops in a hungry world — even leading to mass starvation in the poor countries.

True or not?

Not true: at best it’s an oversimplification of a complex issue. It just doesn’t work that way, and neither does hunger.

“A major criticism often levelled against biomass, particularly against large-scale fuel production, is that it could divert agricultural production away from food crops, especially in developing countries.

The basic argument is that energy-crop programmes compete with food crops in a number of ways (agricultural, rural investment, infrastructure, water, fertilizers, skilled labour etc.) and thus cause food shortages and price increases.”

-Read More-

RIP Bernie Mac …..

Last weekend we were at Woodhenge.org helping and filming the construction of two solar power systems with workshop attendees. Then it was off to South Colton this week helping Roger set up his off-grid system at his new Adirondack Cabin in the woods, then this weekend it’s off to VT to help Ellen build a solar water heater. You can see the project Pics at http://www.green-trust.org/2008-08-03%20assorted/. We even saw a Moose last night on our way home from South Colton.