July/August 1994 Backwoods Home Magazine INDEPENDENT ENERGY

For a truly independent energy system,

your choices are solar, wind, and water
By Larry Elliott

ust as the words “backwoods

J home” conjure up images of farm-

houses, livestock, woodstoves,
tractors, and gardens, the words “inde-
pendent energy” bring to mind a
whole new set of images, like solar
panels, windmills, hydro electric gen-
erators, inverters, and batteries.
According to Webster’s Dictionary,
the word “independent” means to be
self governing, not easily influenced,
and showing self reliance, while
“energy” is described as the capacity I suppose a lot of this comes from be used strictly as backups to an inde-
to perform work. These qualities of the fact that the average person has pendent system or for occasional
self reliance and work go hand in hand never had to deal directly with energy heavy use. If you have a good solar,
with a backwoods home lifestyle and beyond paying a utility bill. I have wind, or hydro source or a combina-
the use of independent energy. also found that many of these same tion of one or all, a fossil fuel genera-
Anyone who is seriously consider- people have a somewhat unrealistic tor as sole source just doesn’t pencil
ing a move to the country should view of what an independent energy out economically, and it certainly
become informed about energy and its system can and cannot do, so they can’t be seen as independent because
proper use and production, the same have a hard time selecting the proper of the fuel source.
as one would learn about raising live- equipment to suit a particular task. For There are areas of the country where
stock, growing a crop, or making a many there is a romantic appeal to the these generators will be the only prac-
living. idea of being completely free of utili- tical source though, and one simple
When great grandpa or your great- ties; this can get them into trouble rule should be followed in their use: It
uncle Joe settled down on his 160-acre without proper guidance. rarely makes economic sense to use
government-granted homestead, inde- It would be equally unrealistic for the generator as sole source without
pendent energy was perhaps an ox, a me to attempt to cover such a detailed the use of an inverter/charger and stor-
mule, seven healthy children, or better subject as independent energy in a age batteries. Even the smallest gener-
yet a prairie windmill. Today we have simple article, so this article is hope- ator will spend most of its time run-
much better choices of equipment, but fully going to answer some of the ning loads far below capacity with
the idea of producing your own ener- most often asked questions and try to overall efficiencies as low as 5 or 10
gy from your own source and having give some rule-of-thumb guidelines percent.
it do useful work is still the same. that will be helpful. An inverter running from batteries
For more than 20 years I have been If you truly wish your source of charged by the generator will not only
involved in the use of independent or energy to be independent, there are increase the overall efficiency to its
“alternative” energy and the design or only a few choices: solar in the form maximum and save a lot of money,
modification of related equipment, as of solar electric panels, hot water pan- but the reduction in maintenance and
well as sales and service of off-the- els, and passive heating; wind genera- noise are well worth the extra effort.
shelf equipment. Years of fielding tors for electric production and wind-
customer questions on energy produc-
tion and consumption have led me to
mills for water pumping; and hydro Pump water sensibly
electric generators.
the conclusion that for most people I can hear all those living on gas or As most people I’m sure are aware,
energy is not a subject they feel com- diesel generators letting out a moan, the most important thing in having a
fortable dealing with. but in reality these generators should

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 July/August 1994 Backwoods Home Magazine

successful backwoods home experi- can supply all the water needed by the sizing your pump using an industry
ence is a source of good clean water. average household, even when water- standard formula called the seven-
For all of those readers who are ing gardens if first pumped to a cis- minute demand rule.
blessed with a shallow spring, tern. This rule is supposed to determine
streams, or lots of gravity-fed water, To give an example of how much how many gallons per minute your
skip to the next section, but for any- advantage a storage pumped system pump should deliver based on a total
one who has to pump water from a can be, let me tell you about a solar of some hypothetical delivery rates for
well of any real depth (100 to 700- electric system I just installed. The various household fixtures.
plus feet) read on. customer has a 150-foot deep well that I have found these rates to be very
The one item that causes most peo- would easily be pumped by a small excessive and size my pump systems
ple a lot of headaches when living on DC submersible. Had she installed a to less than half of these published fig-
solar, wind, or hydro power (unless cistern her pump power demands ures. I have yet to hear a customer
the system is very large and supplies would have been around 100 watts. complaint due to a lack of water.
are abundant) is water well pumping. This pump could have easily run all I think this rule was set up for the
Most off-the-shelf water well pump- day and delivered over 800 gallons. convenience of the installer, not the
ing equipment was designed without economy of the customer. Use a stop
much consideration for power con- watch and a gallon container to get a
sumption and efficiency. It rarely makes econom- feel for your own household water
When using any independent energy needs before making a decision.
source, the key to success is to limit ic sense to use the genera-
the peak demand the system must sup- tor as sole source without Conservation is key
ply, even for short periods, to a mini-
mum. This rule dictates that pumping
the use of an inverter/ I can’t stress enough the importance
at slow (fewer gallons per minute) charger and storage bat- of conservation in the successful use
rates for long periods (hours) makes of any independent energy system.
teries. Although conservation by itself is
far more sense than pumping at a high
volume for a few minutes and shutting not a true energy source, in a round
off. (Note: This rule, of course, does Since she had some unrevealed rea- about way it can be seen as one. Every
not apply to those who pump water son for her objection to a cistern, a 1/2 watt you don’t use is one you don’t
directly using a generator, since it is horsepower 110-volt alternating cur- need to produce.
always best to load a generator to near rent (AC) pump was installed. This It takes dollars in the form of equip-
full capacity in order to maximize pump draws over 1500 watts and ment to generate any form of energy.
efficiency.) requires a large inverter. At this rate This does not imply that you need to
This leads to the second rule, that a she is limited to around 100 gallons live a Spartan, harsh life and deny
successful system should include a per day to avoid depleting her system. yourself certain advantages to use an
cistern or large (1000-plus gallons) This is a 15-fold increase in power independent energy source, but it does
storage tank. This not only allows the with an 8-fold decrease in water deliv- mean changing some of the bad habits
use of a smaller, less power-demand- ery. acquired when living on the grid.
ing pump, but it also gives you a Even the best AC submersible Unfortunately, efficiency is an after-
reserve supply in case the pump fails. pumps are less than 25% efficient thought in the design of most
You can easily open a tank and dip when run through an inverter and only American appliances and household
out some water temporarily, but water slightly more efficient when on the devices, which makes their use in an
that’s still several hundred feet down a grid or generator. They are generally a independent energy system a little
small hole can be a problem. poor choice to be included in an inde- more difficult, but not impossible.
You will need a second small pump pendent energy system. A second very Most of my customers are amazed at
to draw water from the cistern and good choice for deep well pumping on how little energy their systems pro-
pressurize it, but this redundancy is an independent power source is a jack duce when first living on it, but how
countered by the fact that a small shal- pump. See Backwoods Home, issue in just a few months they find it pro-
low-water pump can deliver far more #25, “The solar powered silent part- ducing all they need.
water in gallons per minute on less ner,” for more details. Reminds me of Mark Twain’s story
power than even most large deep-well Here’s a word of caution to all those of how when he was 13 he felt his
pumps. who may be drilling a well and select- father was as dumb as could be, but by
For depths of 50 to 300 feet, a good ing a pump system. Beware of pump the time Mark Twain had reached
low voltage DC submersible pump dealers and installers who insist on

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July/August 1994 Backwoods Home Magazine

adulthood, he was amazed by how are not incorporated throughout the A very wise choice you can make
much his father had learned. system, the advantages derived from when selecting a heating system
A good rule of thumb is that once an independent source may be regardless of the fuel source is to use
you eliminate the use of electricity for reduced. hydronic or water-based heating,
space heating, water heating, and either a baseboard or a radiant in-floor
cooking (electric stoves), most any Heat your house sensibly system. The amount of electrical ener-
house can be operated successfully gy needed to move heated water
from a solar, wind, or hydro system. As an example of this, let’s look at throughout the house is a fraction of
A very frequently asked question space heating. Unless your backwoods that needed to run a blower.
from potential customers is: “What home is located in a very mild cli- You will also eliminate the dry,
size system do I need?,” or “How mate, just about everyone in North dusty air and drafty cold spots associ-
much does it cost to supply enough America needs to heat his or her house ated with other systems.
power for an average house?” My at some time. In most cases the size of your solar,
reply is always the same: “Houses A very common heat source for wind, or hydro system can be reduced
don’t use energy; people do.” many is the woodstove. In most cases by as much as 50%. Remember that
This gets to the heart of the fact that this is sufficient, but I see a lot of peo- you will be placing maximum demand
there is no “average house” and that ple who see heating with wood as on the system at a time of year when
each household is unique. Two differ- somewhat of a free lunch. the energy source is at a low point
ent households may have the same when using a solar energy system.
number and ages of occupants, the While we are on the subject of space
same appliances, and the houses may A good rule of thumb is heating, I must mention the use of a
be of the same square footage, but one that once you eliminate passive solar greenhouse as a heat
may heat with wood and have a moun- source. There are few areas of the
tain spring as a water source, while the use of electricity for country where the greenhouse can’t
the other may have a forced air gas space heating, water supply some portion of your space
furnace and a very deep well. These heating needs and give the added ben-
differences will mean that the house
heating, and cooking efit of fresh vegetables almost year
with the forced air gas heat and deep (electric stoves), most any round or at least be a good place to
well pump will have a far greater house can be operated start plants for the spring planting.
power demand for heating and water,
but may have a smaller demand over- successfully from a solar, Luxuries and such
all if the occupants of the other house wind, or hydro system.
are constantly wasting energy. I can think of only a few people I
I don’t mean to make the installation have known who made the move to
of an independent energy system seem the backwoods and didn’t take along
ominous and overly complicated, but I Wood may be gathered for little or most of their habits and desires
use these examples to illustrate the no money, but energy in the form of acquired while living in the city or
fact that proper planning and the help human effort must be expended to cut suburbs. Most of this baggage is very
of a qualified designer and installer and gather it, as well as fuel used to quickly shed when they find them
can mean the difference between suc- run the chain saw and haul it. When impractical and for the most part
cess and failure. At best it will mean a you look at the time spent in gather- unnecessary.
system that works poorly versus one ing, cutting, hauling, and stacking Things like Cadillacs and Volvos are
that gives years of satisfying and inde- wood—and if you value your time to soon traded for Chevy pickups or
pendent service. do other things around your home- jeeps when it’s discovered that hay
The term “independent energy sys- stead—it makes sense to be sure your bales and goats, barbed wire and fence
tem” usually implies the use of electri- home is as energy efficient as possi- posts, and muddy roads and potholes
cal energy derived from an indepen- ble. are real killers of fancy cars.
dent source, but a really well thought This is especially true if you use A few desires most country trans-
out and logically planned system blowers to move the heat in the home. plants still retain and really don’t have
should be more than that. A household A large blower fan (or one that runs a to give up are “luxuries” like hot run-
energy system will involve using more lot) can add up to a significant amount ning water, refrigerators and freezers,
than one source of energy for more of electrical energy that your indepen- entertainment centers, and computers.
than one end use, and if energy effi- dent system must provide. A word of caution to anyone who is
ciency and conservation techniques looking to install a solar, wind, or

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 July/August 1994 Backwoods Home Magazine

hydro system and wants to be sure brush and juniper

that appliances you purchase for your trees to get to his
move to the country are compatible. ranch house. I could
Don’t buy any gas range that doesn’t see the house from
have a true electronic ignition system. at least seven miles
Ask the salesman if it has what is away, and what
called a glow bar igniter. If it does, really struck me
keep looking. These igniters are real was the thin single
energy hogs and will be a real nui- electric line running
sance. to the ranch house
I can’t think of any good reason why on pole after pole.
a solar hot water system shouldn’t be In reality this line
included in a backwoods home, even probably ended at
if money is short. A few rolls of black the turbines on the
plastic pipe laid out on the roof makes Columbia River
a handy heater. Reliable and super about 150 miles to
efficient refrigerators and freezers are the north.
available that run on most any inde- This rancher is
pendent energy system. The cost of fiercely indepen-
these appliances is higher than aver- dent and feels very
age, but even a propane gas refrigera- little connection to
tor is expensive to purchase and can the suburbs of dis-
burn as much as two gallons of tant cities, but
propane per week. What happens because everything
when propane isn’t available or you on his ranch
lack the money to purchase it? depends on that one
Even the smallest independent ener- thin umbilical cord
gy system can power a stereo or TV. and the willingness
of some corporation
Yearning for to supply the
power, his real self
independence reliance and inde-
All of the advice I have given so far pendence is dimin-
has been directed toward helping ished.
make the use of independent energy a He has decided
pleasant and, most importantly, a lib- that the technology
erating and self reliant experience. of independent
This experience I feel is unique and energy and the need
can lead a person to look beyond ener- to preserve and
gy needs to even greater self reliance. enhance his own
It amazes me how many people independence have
move to the country to “get away matured at about
from it all,” but still have the umbili- the same time. He
cal cord of city or suburban life will soon be free of
attached. the grid. Perhaps
Recently I made a call on a cattle it’s now your turn.
rancher several miles east of my place (Larry Elliott is the
owner of Solar Tech,
to see about installing some solar 27250 Willard Rd.,
water pumping equipment and to talk Bend, Oregon, where
with him about weaning his ranch he designs and installs
from the grid. independent energy
sytems. Phone: 503-
It took half an hour of driving
388-2053.) ∆
through endless stretches of sage

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