[donnerPartyofAte]

Please check out Carl’s neat system
https://mb-soft.com/solar/saving.html
which uses 4″ plastic pipe buried underground for very inexpensive cooling. And even for water collection.
I think he says cost of pipe is

[donnerPartyofAte]

Thanks Glennda for keeping the thread moving.
Please point your friend to:
https://ae-zone.org/page/3/
There are directions on how to build the square foot solar cooker.
I like it because it costs under $20, and unlike foil and mylar, the mirrors are permanent and very weatherable. I leave my units out over winter, and nothing seems to hurt the mirrors.
I did build an inverted icosahedron cooker from cardboard a couple of decades ago, and it worked fine (but not waterproof), however the build time was far greater than that of the Ft2 solar cooker.

For info on its distilling capabilities see here:
https://www.artisan-distiller.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=3911
I like the idea of ethanol for fuel, because after we make our mash, the dregs from the corn/grains comes out as a very healthy feedstock for livestock, and some suggest it is even healthier than plain grains. So why not capture the alcohol along the way since it’s essentially free.
And then, if we can distill the ethanol with solar, the EROEI should be incredible.

I am currently making alcohols with distillers yeast that claims a 20% yield. Have only gotten 15% so far, and am interested in learning more about your experiences with yeasts.
Of course any plan for sustainability must involve a radical reduction in our energy use, and a plan for more sane use of irreplaceable resources.
BTW, it is legal in the US to brew several hundred gallons of wine or beer for personal consumption, however it is NOT legal to distill it for anything other than fuel, nor without a federal permit to do so. It is not too hard to get that permit. We have one. Sure would be nice to change that law.
Incidentally, regardless of any prior writings about distilling for spirits, I no longer do so, and do not plan on doing so in the future…. The repercussions may be swift and severe, I fear.
Thanks.

[donnerPartyofAte]

I would like to point you all to http://www.mb-soft.com where there are some brilliant innovative concepts for us to use.
His TRANS system can displace the auto and oil.
He shows how to build a piano sized thermophylic composter which uses lawn clippings to heat your house AND supply constant hot water.
(as well as providing copious CO2 for greenhouses.)
Free air conditioning and heating from the ground.
And how to build a device which collects water from the air for places like Haiti where clean water is still a concern.
I’ve corresponded with him several times and he is pleasant and helpful.
Some truly brilliant stuff there if you take the time to look through it.
One of my heros.
Well worth the look-see.

[donnerPartyofAte]

Some serious low hanging fruit is a clothesline, which we installed and have used since we moved here 12 years ago. But they don’t fit into the ‘modern’ lifestyle of America in the teens.
Another is insulated curtains instead of expensive double glazing. Anyone with sewing skills can make them.
At one time I successfully used bubble wrap to insulate my windows, and not only was it quite efficient, but it also allowed in light in the winter, making the place cheerier.
And, here in the high desert of the Western US, where humidity is incredibly low, we use an evaporative (swamp) cooler for all our cooling needs. It will give out up to 30 degrees below ambient. For a tiny fraction of the cost of a standard air conditioner.
Of course another one is a bicycle, but we’d rather all pay for auto insurance, gas, and maintenance so we’re not seen as ‘nerdy’. I personally don’t care about being a nerd, I ride a scooter, and laugh about it all the way to the bank.

[donnerPartyofAte]

Incidentally, I don’t know the EROEI of using conventional fuels to distill alcohol, but by using simple solar we can completely do away with that expense. Of course we can not continue our BAU driving our SUV’s to the store 8 times a day, but I can attest that ethanol works very well in my 100mpg Honda Metropolitan scooter. Which is my major transportation next to my feets.

[donnerPartyofAte]

Two articles I wrote for TOD are available here:
https://campfire.theoildrum.com/node/6487
and
https://campfire.theoildrum.com/node/5203

You can read on how to build this very simple square foot solar cooker (Ft2), which will cost you under $20, and is a very durable device.
It is perfectly matched for distilling ethanol, and i can get up to 6 ounces a day of distillate, which ain’t bad for a footprint of about 18 inches squared.
It will also pressure cook, safely melt wax, sterilise bottles and water, and many as-yet-discovered functions.

I would like to ressurect discussions on solar here at TAE if there is interest.
Thanks,
Donner

[donnerPartyofAte]

I posted several articles on TOD when they had the campfire series going, and also was involved in discussions. Since they abandoned Campfire, I rarely visit the site. I know how bad the world is, I don’t need to hear more — without solutions….
My log in there was renofreepress, and I did some stuff on solar which is my favorite.
So, today I finally joined TAE after reading for some years now, and now that you’all are working on solutions (per today’s article), I would like to add my 50 cents adjusted for inflation.
My current projects include solar distillation of ethanol, which BTW 18 inches squared will produce nearly 6 ounces of distillate a day, and I have other solar projects to share.
Thanks, kids, this is filling a void that TOD left messily and sadly….
donner

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