I’ll have a look into those. I’ve used peltier modules to make a cooler before now. I’m not too shabby with electronics. I’ve setup solar systems on 2 boats. And they have worked perfectly.
I don’t need massive amounts of power. Just enough to light indoors. Charge stuff and occasionally run 240v on an inverter. A wind kit might be a decent option but there’s days it’s extremely still. And on those days there’s still light if not much of it
I’m surprised by how much sun we have actually had. We managed to swim in the sea in march. Would never dream of that in England. Mainly cos the sea there is brown and shitty but also cos it’s usually freezing
My sentiments exactly. And you can get circulation fans for cars for when your air con breaks for cheap on Amazon/eBay. If I go the COB route. (I’ve found 12v COB LEDs) heatsink fans run 12v too. It all just makes sense to me lol
Just been gifted a tractor battery. 12v 174ah. After the past few days winds. I’m looking heavy at building a turbine. Either out of a car alternator or treadmill motor to keep it topped up. The treadmill motor is looking like a better option though as they use a permanent magnet. Theres lengths of 4" pvc pipe to make blades already here too although it’s soil pipe so will need treating with a UV resistant paint.
Man, I have been fantasizing about living a life similar to yours. I hate this society so much, and true wealth is looking more and more like self sufficiency to me!
Maybe build a shed and install greenhouse roofing over a section? I would still get batteries and supplement lighting, but the sun could help cut your power demand
After a bit of thinking and going back to what @ReikoX said on running 2 x24v strips in series. It took me back to my old design of the cob cool tube using citizen citiled cluo38 1206c4’s 36v COBs. Running 3 in series will allow me to power them from a 12v source.
For the light I’ll be using 2x4" aluminium box section and cll030 solderless cob holders. Manrose flat to round ducting. 12v 4" pc fan and 2 vacuum cleaner filters to make a carbon filter with activated charcoal in some 4" pvc pipe. This is definitely some off grid progress
I fully hate society. I’ve been a city boy all my life really. But had enough of that so made the move. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not an easy life. You have to think several steps ahead to make sure life doesn’t trip you up
Been following along. Was going to go off grid, post divorce. Got a property…then met another city girl. Anyway, when I figured it, using the sun directly for your grow…even if its behind a tinted for privacy polycarbonate panel, would make a lot more sense than having to supply power via panels and storage via batteries…BUT still like the off grid idea. Basically in most situations where you’re generating your own power, less consumption is a better bang than more production. At least thats where I always end up on the matter. Unless you have a stream or something else producing excess 24/7. Sounds like maybe wind could be that for you. Anyway, love your homestead. I’ll be heading for the country when I’m ready to quit the corp!
Take the city girl with you bro a tinted poly would be good. But it needs to be stealth indoors. And some will be done guerilla style a little further away from the cabin. Less consumption is key but Im still very much set on the idea of a little grow cab inside the cab and I think I’m about there figuring it. There is a little stream here but it doesn’t run all the time and it doesn’t run fast. Wind is running a lot at the moment though. Good luck when you finally decide to quit the city. I hope you achieve that dream
As above bro. Got a little one but it’s not fast enough or constant enough to do anything with sadly.
The bore hole does have a pump but it’s not nearby. The IBC goes and comes back on a tractor. The other water collection is gonna be rainwater from the roof so I could possibly run a small turbine on the down pipe into the tank
A rainpipe containing an array of bottlenecks with small turbines under each bottleneck / minireservoir.
Staggered approach.
Harvesting gravity.
Instead of building one big dam, build a series of smaller ones.
But inside a pipe.
There would be less pressure than one big dam but with enough of them lined up it might give more output…
Would have to be extra wide perhaps.
Coupled with weight activated gates.
So the water fills up the bottleneck mini reservoir and opens only when a certain volume and thus pressure is reached. Then the water drops down into the next one, and so on, activating multiple generators with the same amount of water.
I agree these might work to make enough power to supplement internal lights and such. (And I think I am gonna try utilise them to do that) but I’m not convinced they would make enough to power a little grow inside. I’m pretty set on wind being the winner for that. And having a look online I found dual wind/solar mppt controllers. So I can add a solar panel when I have more funds to do so.
as they use a permanent magnet. Theres lengths of 4" pvc pipe to make blades already here too 
although it’s soil pipe so will need treating with a UV resistant paint. 
Anyway, when I figured it, using the sun directly for your grow…even if its behind a tinted for privacy polycarbonate panel, would make a lot more sense than having to supply power via panels and storage via batteries…BUT still like the off grid idea. Basically in most situations where you’re generating your own power, less consumption is a better bang than more production. At least thats where I always end up on the matter. Unless you have a stream or something else producing excess 24/7. Sounds like maybe wind could be that for you. Anyway, love your homestead. I’ll be heading for the country when I’m ready to quit the corp!
a tinted poly would be good. But it needs to be stealth indoors. And some will be done guerilla style a little further away from the cabin. Less consumption is key but Im still very much set on the idea of a little grow cab inside the cab and I think I’m about there figuring it. There is a little stream here but it doesn’t run all the time and it doesn’t run fast. Wind is running a lot at the moment though. Good luck when you finally decide to quit the city. I hope you achieve that dream 
