Getting Green Off The Grid

I posted this for the solar powered scooter, but all the devices are pretty cool. And they’re all from Michigan.
STROKE OF INGENIOUS: 4 Michigan inventions are featured in a new book that spotlights amazing homemade gadgets and machinery
Dunklee developed a solar-powered scooter with panels that unfold like wings when it’s parked to […]

Handy book you can use if you feel the need to build things in your off the grid paradise.
Scoutmaster: Pioneering Book
I put this booklet together for our [boy] scouts when we were working on pioneering merit badge. Knots, lashings and methods that were absent from or poorly explained in the official merit badge […]

This sounds like a much better place that normal retirement homes. I like the thought of moving retirement homes off the grid and incorporating more nature into them. Hope they’re successful.
Green House Project
The Green House is a small intentional community for a group of elders and staff, it is intended to be […]

You know, we need all the incentives we can get to encourage greener fuels. Taxing it isn’t going to help. I hope that Germany isn’t going to start a trend.
Of course it’s going to be uneconomical. It’s already more expensive to produce than regular diesel in Germany. It’s times like this […]

Looks like more manufacturers need to get into this area.
Suppliers of solar panels can’t keep up with demand for cheaper energy
“We had supply problems throughout 2005, worsening an already difficult situation,” Tim O’Leary, external affairs manager for Shell Renewables & Hydrogen, said in an e-mail.
He said the conditions to get more silicon were “aggressive and […]

Beer powered breweries are a good thing. Granted, they won’t be installing windmills anytime soon. Not technically off the grid, but very green.
Dale, did you know about the Colorado brewery being the first?
Realbeer.com: Beer News: Another wind-powered brewery
Brooklyn Brewery is the first commercial building in New York City to convert 100% of its […]

As much as I would like to see giant windmills on Ellis Island, I suppose this is a good alternative. I wonder why it’s getting more press in the UK than here?
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Statue of Liberty torch to be lit by wind power
“It is an honour to assist Lady Liberty […]

The high cost of energy these days is a good stimulus for solar power prices going down. But you knew that already.
Solar industry chases a cheaper kilowatt | CNET News.com
Brighter economic prospects for clean energy have set off a race to manufacture more efficient solar panels, which will improve the cost per […]

Does this mean I’ll have to drive to Indiana to get biodiesel? The nearest biodiesel station here is in Ann Arbor, at the University of Michigan.
Indiana Attracts World’s Largest Biodiesel Plant
Indiana’s pace of rapid growth in bioenergy and energy self-sufficiency took another step forward Mar. 8 as Governor Mitch Daniels announced […]

This is the site of a reader. The pictures of her setup are very impressive. I’m jealous! Thanks, Beate!
Owlswindmill