Wednesday 1 February 2017

Did Tesla create the Grid ? Was AC a huge mistake ?

All of our homes use AC (Alternating Current) and all of our trailers, boats and cars use DC (Direct Current)
Thomas Edison was the inventor of DC and Tesla was the inventor of AC...   If we would have stayed with Direct Current we could have all been running our homes with a localized Power Source rather than over long Transmission lines.
I wonder if we had stayed with the DC model we would all be much happier than paying all these extra "Delivery Fees" to have AC power delivered to our homes ....  If we were all running DC appliances with Solar Power at our homes we would not need a Grid or DC to AC Inverters.  
Hmmmm.... Did Tesla create this whole mess ? 
"War of Currents! Edison’s least favorite of Tesla’s “impractical” ideas was the concept f using alternating current (AC) technology to bring electricity to the people. Edison insisted that his own direct current (DC) system was SUPERIOR, in that it maintained a lower voltage from power station to consumer, and was, therefore, safer. But AC technology, which allows the flow of energy to periodically change direction, is more practical for transmitting massive quantities of energy, as is required by a large city, or hub of industry, say. At the time, DC technology only allowed for a power grid with a one-mile radius from the power source. The conflict between the two methods and their masters came to be known as the War of Currents, forever immortalized by the band AC/DC.
The Bet. Tesla insisted that he could increase the efficiency of Edison’s prototypical dynamos, and eventually wore down Edison enough to let him try. Edison, Tesla later claimed, even promised him $50,000 if he succeeded. Tesla worked around the clock for several months and made a great deal of progress. When he demanded his reward, Edison claimed the offer was a joke, saying, “When you become a full-fledged American, you will appreciate an American joke.” Edison offered a $10/week raise, instead. Ever prideful, Tesla quit, and spent the next few months picking up odd jobs across New York City. 
The rift. Tesla eventually raised enough money to found the Tesla Electric Light Company, where he developed several successful patents including AC generators, wires, transformers, lights, and a 100 horsepower AC motor. Always more of a visionary than a businessman, Tesla ended up selling most of his patents (for the healthy but finite sum of $1 million) to George Westinghouse, an inventor, entrepreneur, and engineer who had himself been feuding with Edison for years. In fact, Westinghouse was a more economic participant in the War of Currents than was Tesla. Their partnership, one can imagine, made the eventual popularizing of AC that much more bitter for Edison.
“Post-war” history. In the end, AC won out. Mostly. Westinghouse fulfilled Tesla’s dream of building a power plant at Niagara Falls to power New York City, and built upon its principles the same system of local power grids we use today. Edison’s original point about the practicality of DC is well-taken, however: The average person can’t have alternating currents flooding massive amounts of energy into their household appliances, so most plug-in devices must internally convert AC back to DC (that’s what’s going on inside the brick of your laptop cord). That conversion wastes a lot of energy (think of all the heat coming from the brick of your laptop cord). Major studies are beginning to examine ways in which AC and DC power can work together with modern energy-harnessing technology, to run our overall grid more efficiently.
Tesla on Edison: "If he had a needle to find in a haystack he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to be, but would proceed at once, with the feverish diligence of a bee, to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search. ... I was almost a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor."
New York Times, October 19, 1931 (the day after Edison died)"
Via: http://mentalfloss.com/article/30140/acdc-tesla–edison-feud 



Monday 23 January 2017

Comparing Provincial Electricity Costs in Canada



Note: prices are from Spring/Summer of 2013, and as we know the costs have gone up over 200 %. So Ontario prices, including all Delivery, Taxes and New Carbon Taxes would be closer to 90 cents / kWhr.

Enough is enough.

Saturday 21 January 2017

Lithium Battery 1000 Watt 70 Amp Hr $ 488 from Walmart


• 1000 Maximum Watts
• 500 Running Watts
• Powered by durable long-life Lithium-Ion 

Battery
• Pure Sine Wave Inverter technology
• Ultra-Silent, light-weight, and portable
• Charge by AC through home electricity
• Charge by DC through solar power panels
• LCD display screen
• Safe for indoor use and on electronic 

equipment
• Up to 7 hours of run time at 50% load
• Ideal for powering: household items, 

small power tools and small electronic 
equipment



Can work with a 100 Watt Solar Panel. $92   HQST 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Panel with MC4 Connectors ...















Amazon.com :  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU0RRVJ/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_O2-DybV21VF13 


Friday 20 January 2017

Dalhousie, New Brunswick giving away Land in hopes of developing Tourism in the area



Dalhousie Mayor willing to give land away to drive Tourism Business in the area. 
"We have a lot of vacant land in our municipality that's sitting idle and doing nothing," said Mayor Normand Pelletier.
"So we decided to put them up for anybody who's interested — an entrepreneur or business."We'll give 'em the property."​
The town has 20 parcels of land sitting vacant. Some properties are zoned commercial, and some are zoned for residential subdivisions.
The value of the land varies from $20,000 to $50,000 and each property will have certain conditions attached to assure some benefit to the town. So far, two entrepreneurs have approached the mayor, who says the properties, which are scattered around the small town, will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
A Focus on tourism
Like many other northern New Brunswick cities and towns, the administration and council in Dalhousie are shifting their focus to tourism ....  As for its main attractions for tourists, Pelletier cited the Bay of Chaleur, the continuation of the Appalachian mountain range, visible across the bay in Quebec, and the Restigouche River. A plan is in the works to renovate the marina and waterfront this summer...."

More ... http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dalhousie-land-business-1.3929556

Tuesday 17 January 2017

16,500 Non GMO Heirloom Vegetable Seeds Survival Garden 40 Variety Pack $13.95


Sale: $13.95 & FREE Shipping You Save: $26.04 (65%)
  
http://amzn.to/2jUSt42


Pure Pollination™ 40 Strain Variety Pack


Over 16,500 Non-GMO Heirloom Seeds

 100% Open pollinated seeds that can be grown to produce seed again for generations to come.

100% grown and packed in the USA.









Includes the following::
1. Arugula, Slow Bolt ˜ 500 Seeds
2. Asparagus, Mary Washington ˜ 12 Seeds
3. Bean, Blue Lake Bush ˜ 12 Seeds
4. Beet, Detroit Dark Red ˜ 105 Seeds
5. Broccoli, Calabrese ˜ 445 Seeds
6. Brussels Sprouts, Long Island ˜ 315 Seeds
7. Cabbage, Red Acre ˜ 315 Seeds
8. Cantaloupe, Hale's Best Jumbo ˜ 40 Seeds
9. Carrot, Scarlet Nantes ˜ 2,200 Seeds
10. Cauliflower, Snowball Y ˜ 450 Seeds
11. Celery, Utah ˜ 3500 Seeds
12. Collards, Georgia Southern ˜ 315 Seeds
13. Corn, Bilicious ˜ 10 Seeds
14. Cucumber, Boston Pickling ˜ 40 Seeds
15. Eggplant, Black Beauty ˜ 165 Seeds
16. Honeydew, Green Flesh ˜ 40 Seeds
17. Kale, Blue Scotch Curled ˜ 315 Seeds
18. Lettuce, Buttercrunch ˜ 1,600 Seeds
19. Lettuce, Iceberg ˜ 1,600 Seeds
20. Lettuce, Parris Island ˜ 1,600 Seeds
21. Lettuce, Red Romaine ˜ 1,600 Seeds
22. Okra, Spineless ˜ 25 Seeds
23. Onion, Yellow Spanish ˜ 50 Seeds
24. Pea, Green Arrow ˜ 24 Seeds
25. Pumpkin, Big Max ˜ 4 Seeds
26. Radish, Cherry Belle ˜ 100 Seeds
27. Rutabaga, American Purple Top ˜ 450 Seeds
28. Spinach, Giant Nobel ˜ 100 Seeds
29. Sunflower, Peredovik ˜ 12 Seeds
30. Squash, Black Beauty ˜ 8 Seeds
31. Swiss Chard, Large White Rib ˜ 40 Seeds
32. Tomato, Beefsteak ˜ 60 Seeds
33. Tomato, Red Cherry ˜ 175 Seeds
34. Turnip, Purple Top ˜ 400 Seeds
35. Pepper, Sweet Yolo ˜ 70 Seeds
36. Pepper, Cayenne ˜ 45 Seeds
37. Pepper, Jalapeno ˜ 90 Seeds
38. Pepper, Sweet Banana ˜ 65 Seeds
39. Victoria Rhubarb ˜ 25 Seeds
40. Watermelon, Crimson Sweet ˜ 12 Seeds
Seed counts are averages and may vary. Includes Growing Guides

Tuesday 10 January 2017

Poll: When do you plan to go Off the Grid ?

Take the Poll:  When do you plan to go off the Grid ?
Already there ? This year ? Next Year ? Within the next 5 years ? Never ? 
You can Register your Vote on the Poll on the Right Column (Side Bar) of this Page.


If you are on a Mobile Device you will need to scroll to the bottom of the page and click "View Web Version" to see the Poll. 



We will let this run for a few years and see if the numbers grow for those "Already Living off the Grid".  It will provide an indication of how many people are moving in this direction. As more people do this the "Energy Storage" technology (ie: batteries)  will improve and become more cost effective. Some day everyone will live off the grid.  Also, please leave your comments below. Why have you decided to move off the Grid ?