by Nick Rosen on March 6, 2010 · 0 comments

in LAND

Skorpios: snap it up...or squat it

The Greek government is being urged to sell its uninhabited islands to bail itself out of bankruptcy, and the UK is likely to find itself in the same position in the near future.  What better time to explore the possibility of buying an island together with a group of friends, and setting up an off-grid community there with your own laws, government and even currency?

Interested parties should advertise themselves on LandBuddy, indicating roughly where they want to go on the Google Map app that is part of the free service.

Island buying is sensitive to world events. After 9/11, reports TheTimes of London, there was a rush of Hollywood A-listers snapping up remote islands globally as bug-out locations. Johnny Depp bought the 45-acre Little Hall’s Pond Cay in the Bahamas, Leonardo DiCaprio became owner of a 104-acre island with an airstrip in Belize and Mel Gibson took over Mago in the Fijis.

»Keep reading 'Time to buy an island'

Building the off-grid revolution

March 6, 2010
Building the off-grid revolution THE BEST GREEN BUILDING MATERIALS  FOR UK 2010 - LISTED BELOW Not being an especially practical person, the prospect of spending the day at a building materials exhibition normally holds all the allure of, well, watching paint dry. But far from being a dreary convention for construction workers’ accessories, the UK Ecobuild exhibition at London’s Earls Court was more like a gathering of impassioned revolutionaries conspiring to aid and abet off-grid living. The environmental message has finally got through to the UK building industry -with a vengeance. “I’m here because Ecobuild is now easily the most important trade forum for the UK building industry,” said one senior local authority architect.

»Keep reading 'Building the off-grid revolution'

V2G will sustain microgrid

February 20, 2010
V2G will sustain microgrid Micro-grids could operate reliably without the need for a national grid backup if they tapped the vast amounts of power stored in the batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles, to balance out fluctuations in supply and demand. Vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, technology, which will enable electric car owners to make money while storing power for their local micro-grid, was unveiled at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The first experimental V2G system went live last year at the University of Delaware, the Christian Science Monitor reported. At Delaware,  electric cars are connected to the grid whenever they are not being driven.

»Keep reading 'V2G will sustain microgrid'

Bloom energy box enables off-grid living

February 24, 2010
Bloom energy box enables off-grid living More details of the Bloom Box have been revealed at a carefully managed press conference in California.  The much-hyped off-grid source of cheap electricity  will not lead us all to disconnect from the grid tomorrow, but it is undoubtedly disruptive technology, and very exciting for the off-grid community. The firm's executives and backers do think that many people in future may choose to install the small box in their home and use it to generate electricity from such fuels as methane and ethanol or even solar, rather than buying it from expensive, wasteful centralised producers.  It is a game-changer.

»Keep reading 'Bloom energy box enables off-grid living'

Off the Grid and the prepared

March 5, 2010
Off the Grid and the prepared So, just what does that mean? I can tell you from personal experience and from the responses I have received from people over the years that it definitely has different meanings to different people. From living completely without any utilities, no electricity, water or gas (think hunter's cabin, wood stove, candles or kerosene lamps, no running water...), to generating one or more of these items on site yourself (think solar panels, wind power, methane digester...), I even had one person say that for him, living "off the grid" meant living so remotely that the government couldn't find you, essentially hiding from the world. For some people it brings up a picture of a hermit living in a shack on a remote location, others envision a state of the art home that independently takes care of the needs of all occupants from food and water to electricity.

»Keep reading 'Off the Grid and the prepared'

Monbiot anti-micropower rant is anti-green

March 3, 2010
Monbiot anti-micropower rant is anti-green Everybody in UK eco-circles is talking about George Monbiot this week, which is just the way he likes it. George Monbiot is an unashamed cheerleader for big power – his column in the Guardian has previously come out in favor of large nuclear power stations, and this week he spoke out against micro-generation.  George Monbiot is also in favor of large, centralised wind farms and other forms of renewable energy, and sets himself firmly against micro-generation –which he caricatures as a middle class subsidy. The occasion for his latest outburst was the introduction of the UK government-backed Feed-in tariff (FiT), which will reward householders and others who generate renewable energy back into the grid.  Ignoring the fact that the FiT was enormously successful in Germany, which has become a European leader in micro-generation,  “the only renewables policy that makes sense,” says George, “ is to build big installations where the energy is – which means high ground, estuaries or the open sea – and deliver it by wire to where people live.”

»Keep reading 'Monbiot anti-micropower rant is anti-green'

Pacific Power Seeks grid-tied Renewable Energy

March 1, 2010
Pacific Power Seeks grid-tied Renewable EnergyFrom March 8 thru May, Pacific Power will accept applications for community-based renewable energy funding from its Blue Sky renewable energy program. They cover the states of Oregon, Washington and California. To be considered in this competitive application process, interested parties must complete and submit an application form, along with supporting materials, by 5 p.m. PDT on May 14.

»Keep reading 'Pacific Power Seeks grid-tied Renewable Energy'

Fox buys John Twelve Hawks

February 28, 2010
Fox buys John Twelve Hawks Is there really a John Twelve Hawks? The author of a bestselling sci-fi series called the Fourth Realm Trilogy lives off the grid, according to the New York Post and writes about the surveillance society. He has never met his editor or agent and uses a voice scrambler and satellite phone to communicate. Recently,Fox optioned the film rights.  This success generated considerable envy from poorly paid scribes. Twelve Hawks might be a pseudonym of James Frey, suggests one.

»Keep reading 'Fox buys John Twelve Hawks'

Emergency Power: engine-driven generators

February 25, 2010
Emergency Power: engine-driven generators Living off the grid,  generators have a place. There comes a time  when some backup power is needed.  In most cases  this means using an engine to turn some form of generator. People living  in Vans, camping trailers or small cabins tend to view  a seperate engine driven  generator as a nuisance  to be tolerated  and  usually do  not wish to spend much money. Various alternatives  present themselves. Running the Van motor to charge up  the battery is among the first  solutions  that  comes to mind.  Next is a small  stand alone portable genset and  a typical automotive charger  that plugs into the mains.

»Keep reading 'Emergency Power: engine-driven generators'

Government grants create turbine debacle

February 25, 2010
Government grants create turbine debacle The UK Government’s energy conservation watchdog has admitted that consumers were duped by inappropriate grants into buying wind turbines that never stood a chance of working properly. In an attempt to ensure that there is no repeat of the wind turbine debacle, the Energy Savings Trust, funded by Government and big energy companies, has embarked on the first large-scale trials aimed at providing definitive information on the performance of different green technologies in the UK. The first trial concluded that an unknown amount of government cash has been wasted encouraging urban consumers to buy wind turbines when no one really knew whether they were effective or not.

»Keep reading 'Government grants create turbine debacle'

US Embassy in London to be off-grid ready

February 24, 2010
US Embassy in London to be off-grid ready For decades the residents of elite Grosvenor Square in London’s Mayfair had to contend with overbearing security along the entire side of the square occupied by the American Embassy.  Now, much to their relief,  the Embassy is moving to the less rarified area of Wandsworth, and in environmental terms, the new building will be everything America aspires to but rarely achieves. The $500m building will be nearly self-sufficient in energy production and capable of operating off-grid "for an extended period," according to officials. Unlike most glass office buildings, which appear slick and hard-edged, this one will look soft and pillowy thanks to the lightweight plastic attached to the façade “like boat sails.”

»Keep reading 'US Embassy in London to be off-grid ready'

← Previous Entries