C5 got a new post up on his site Dark Green Mountain Survival Research Center. For those that have not gone to his site before. C5 is a fellow Canadian homesteader, blogger and prepper/survival… sort off.. really he is a work it, get it done.. doing is more important then talking kind of guy.. (he also has a wild sense of writing, he is not PC and most of the time he is a PG13 at a min). just read when the littles are not around.. 🙂
C5 Rule Of Survival- Any essential project will cost twice as much and take three times as long
This rule is the truth and then some.. I know it well, we work with it the same on this farm.. I have to admit that I laughed out loud on this line..
If I was going to be conscripted into this job, I had a few requirements of what the end result would be. #1- It needed to be able to be raised by one person alone, without a tractor or mechanical assistance. #2- It needed to be able to survive a Hurricane or Bomb Cyclone. #3- It needed to be able to be taken down for maintenance or repair and most importantly, It needed to be able to be taken down right in the middle of a storm if things get too much and it had to be able to be done by one person without mechanical assistance. No biggy. I can pull that off….. cough.
I mean it, I laughed so loud the dogs looked at me.. then I got up and made a coffee and sat back down to read his post.. one of the things about C5’s post is that they are long, and they always need a couple readings, spaced apart by days or weeks.. he sends you down rabbit holes on reading.. he makes you snarl, he makes you go.. WHAT?? and then I am off on google digging to track the info and see if I can go.. well that source is totally slanted.
Or I read the link and go.. yup.. I read up on that last week or last month.. Its a rare day that he does not have a fresh take or a fresh way of looking at something that I am already mulling.
I had to admit that I did have a moment of.. hmm on the mechanical assistance, because we have hired more” machine” help this year then we have in the past ten and I will be getting at least a few more in this year and next.. Its a trade off of money vs time.
There are things on the farm that are bigger projects and I need them done in a timely manner and the big machines can do in a matter of hours what would take us 100’s of man hours in some cases. I am feeling a push to get a few bigger things done and I am bring in the big machines to help make it happen.
Having said that, its quite different then what he means on his own project. my projects will finish up needing only our own hands in the end.. its just saves us man hours.
On a side note, I was talking to someone who has off-grid power and they had been somewhere that had off-grid power based on water power.. a long term way to power things.. its so steady when built right compared to solar power. I know my hubby really wants solar, and I am open to a point.. but only to a point.. we are still talking..
Anyway, enjoy the video of how he figured out how to make a wind tower that can be safely moved up and down for extreme weather events and if you want to read more about the process in detail, head on over to his very long, detailed and lots of photos write up
Just another Day on the Farm 
Water power is pretty sweet. Of course down here we have 5 hr sun, and the creeks often dry up. Still I have a plan for that too. At certain times of the year my creek could add some decent power to the mix.. But you need the right amount of vertical fall. Water turbines are very pricey, too. But in the right place it makes great sense. I’ve been watching C5’s progress. I have a turbine but no tower. His worked out very well. Here, too, wind is lousy. 9mph avg. The experts say it’s not worth it. thing is, when there is no sun, sometimes there is wind. It’s nice to be able to have all three, wind, solar, and water.
Hi Eddie.. That is a challenge, I agree, if possible a back up on a back up is always the best bet. I agree on things being pricey. Still each time we do a little something, it give just a tiny bit of a edge.
Last I checked, solar panels have a 25 year life-expectancy – with very little maintenance, once installed… Just sayin’; )
I have at least dozen folks now offline and none of them trouble free.. battery don’t last, gen top ups need regular, issues panels, and more.. no one says it works the way it sold, no one says easy everyone says far more then sold to them
its not the panels as much as the sytem and batteries and such, even those that put in massive systems stuggle
also service is lacking, many report having trouble finding some one steady to work with as its still very much the wild west when it comes to installers
Optimally, they need to “follow” the sun and yes, they need to be included in a new build. Trying to retrofit for battery storage and converting and everything else is a total pain. Hot Water (hydronic) heating has always been the most efficient, hands down. Did you know the Romans brought it with them everywhere they went? Read Jack Whyte’s, The Skystone (A Dream of Eagles Series)
four of the friend are new builds, nothing but problems and in some cases thousands or many more above. I get that its to be good nut I have yet to meet one person who is “off the grid with a full solar system that likes it.. the ones that report is being helpful are those still hooked up to the grid.. they het less bill but their systems just flip over to the main lines as needed..
Attempting to depend 100% on Solar in Canada is just not feasible any more than Wind. But it does take a lot less wind to harvest with the smaller turbines so, to me that’s what should be getting government assistance, not these sickness-inducing, eye-sore creating, multi-national, monster-builders.
I get it deb but folks are “told/sokl” big enough system, big enough battery banks, with auto gen connected for just in case that they can have it here in Canada and other countrys as wwell. one of Jason friends in germany by law had to install panels on his apartment even though he knew it would not work properly..
The law in France for new builds is either install solar panels or green roof technology…
Germany also has solar installations along the sides of the AutoBahn. At least they’re not burying their precious Agricultural Land under solar “farms”…