Tall Tower Tales I'd like to add a few thoughts to Mick Sagrillo's useful article in issue 23. Old timers say that a three-legged towers are much more vulnerable to disaster than their less efficient four legged cousins. If anything happens to one leg of a tri-legger, down it comes. I saw one fall when a delivery truck backed into a leg. The same logic would tell you that guyed towers should have more than a minimum three cables, however elegant. Guy anchors invite damage. Many professional towers have six. All towers should have lightning protection grounding systems that are separate from generator electrics and from concrete-set legs, poles, or guy anchors. I suggest a heavy cable plus deep ground rod at each earth contact point. Reason: a lightning bolt going down a leg or guy may blow off the concrete footings as it seeks ground. You know what comes next! Mick's point about vibration is well taken. It is not possible to perfectly balance a wind machine for all conditions. I've seen well rigged Jakes slowly vibrate tower anchors right out of the ground (in the spring). One came to grief when a single rung of the tower ladder vibrated loose and was swept into the blades. Vibration may also cause the pole pad of a pole-and-guy setup to slowly sink (like your foot does when you pat it on wet sand at the beach) thus loosening all the guys. Ironically, nice tight guys will make the problem worse. That center pad has to be wide, deep and made with rebar. By the way, old timers insist that you should never use tower bolts and nuts a second time-- they may crack from the previous stretching. Use new ones of the proper strength rating. With legged towers built in place, it is a good idea to pour the last footing after the tower is up. Most bolted towers are assembled with a bit of distortion in 'em, and leaving one leg loose lets you cheat a little. Another way to prevent "the last bolts won't go in the @#$% holes" problems is to assemble the whole thing loose and then tighten up. If you do that, be disciplined sure you've tightened every bolt! Think it out carefully before using a 4x4 truck winch for a tower tilt- down job; the forces are huge even with a gin pole. I once watched a rock-weighted 4x4 3/4 ton Dodge pick-up catapulted to destruction by an 85 foot tower. Lost a nice Jake, too. Also beware underestimating the loads on block-and-tackles used to lower machines from towers. Once had to have a neighbor kid pour perfectly good beer on our gloves to put out the fire.... J Baldwin, Tech Editor, Whole Earth Review, 27 Gate Five Rd, Sausalito, CA 94965 ¥ 415-332-1716. Solar Cooking Dear Sirs, I am looking for people in this area who might be willing to help me make a solar cooker. Also any printed materials. Thank-you. Regina Pustan, POB 60724, Palo Alto, CA 94306 Regina, see the 'Things That Work!' in this issue for a review of a solar oven kit. Also Home Power has just published a book, HEAVEN'S FLAME, that gives detailed instructions on how to build a SunStar solar cooker. These ovens are made of cardboard, aluminum foil and glass. They cook as well as the manufactured model that costs thirteen times more (I am including the price of the book with materials cost of SunStar). See ad on pg.91 for ordering information. - Kathleen Kudos Your magazine is great, and especially encouraging for do-it-yourself tinkerers like me who prefer to build things rather than buy them (what's the fun of that, anyway?). We have a small system: Two PV panels and one of Bob-O's Lil Otto hydro units which feed some nicads we got from Pacific West Supply (great people!), plus a Power Star inverter. This is actually more than we need, and we intend to keep it that way (we are independent of our independent power system!). I appreciate your ability to make things clear and easy to understand, yet not sacrifice detail or talk down to us non-techies. So, even though we won't be expanding our system, we do want to improve it as new developments arise. That's where HP fits in: We know you'll do the best job of keeping us informed. S W Clarke, Box 74, Swisshome, OR 97480 Light of Day Dear Home Power Crew, I'm enclosing my renewal form. I've also got one complaint. HP#20 had an article on efficient lighting ("Lights at Night", pg 15). It reported the Osram EL lamps to be "virtually indistinguishable from daylight". I bought two of them. I was disappointed when I found them yellow compared to my 40 watt twin tube daylight fluorescent lamp (which I find close to daylight). The color quality of the Osrams seemed similar to that of a soft white incandescent. Nonetheless, I am still renewing (this time for two years). Having a technical background myself, I am very much impressed by the way your magazine brims with details of your subject matter. It has information that I can't seem to find elsewhere. I understand your desire to broaden the magazine's appeal, but please devote some reasonable fraction of your space to features such as Nerd's Corner, Homebrew stuff, etc. Here's a few suggestions for topics I'd like to see covered. --Battery Recycling. A good idea would be an article or an interview with a battery recycler/rebuilder (or someone knowledgeable about chemistry). It should cover what can be done and what is being done. It should include lead-acid, alkaline, and Ni-Cad types. AE is a pipedream for me now. Someday I intend to make the switch. Before I do I want to be sure that AE is solving one problem and not simply creating another (please see enclosed newspaper article). --Inverters. I'm very curious about the new generation of inverters. Could you have an article with details about how they work (including block diagrams/simplified schematics)? Are they feasible for home construction, even though it might be a lengthy, complex project? If so, I would like to see a project in the low to medium power range - 100 to 500 watts. --Fluorescent Ballasts. Another interesting construction project would be an electronic ballast for fluorescent lights(including details for various sizes/power ratings). One final question--will a revised edition of 'The Complete Battery Book' be published? Real Goods 1990 Alternative Energy Sourcebook said such a project was due out in Feb. 1990. Now it's no longer listed in their catalogs. I'm enclosing a SASE for a speedy reply on this one. A simple yes or no will suffice (along with a date if yes). You may publish this letter and reply to the other questions in Home Power. Thanks, you're doing a great job! Bill Joy, 515 SE 7th St, Gresham, OR 97080 Hello, Bill. The eyes have it. The Osram EL series has a C.R.I.(color rendition index) of 82, while your Daylight twin tube approaches a C.R.I. of nearly 100. A soft or "warm" white incandescent, on the other hand, only has a C.R.I. of 55. Of course, we're kinda talking apples and oranges, as the compacts are suited for different applications than the long tube fluorescents and vice versa. Many readers tell us they like the Homebrew articles. They have become a standard feature of the mag. We give Homebrew as much space as it needs. The amount depends on how many good projects are sent in by readers. All we ask is that the circuit be prototyped, working, and useful. An article on battery recycling and/or rebuilding would be great! Any battery rebuilders out there like to write? By now you've already gotten HP23 with Clifford Mossberg's article on How an Inverter Works. There was an article in Radio/Electronics a few years back which gave a schematic and plans for a roll-your-own 50 watt inverter. I built it and it worked, but I can't say I'd recommend them for home use. Inverter technology has come an incredible ways in the last couple of years. Fully regulated RMS output regardless of input voltage, frequency held to ±.04% (lots better than the grid), load sensing, impulse phase correction, on and on, oh my. Put it this way, I can build a 12VDC to 120vac inverter, but I sure as hell ain't gonna plug my VCR into it! So many folks have asked for an updated Battery Book, that the current plan calls for locking Richard into an unheated monastic cell this winter with only his Mac, espresso pot, and a goodly supply of peanut M&Ms until he produces it. 'Nuff said? Bob-O. Hi, Bill. My apologies for the statement about "compact fluorescent light being virtually indistinguishable from daylight". What I should have said was, "these lights have a warm light, not the blue light that makes everyone look corpse-like." I'm working on the revised edition of the Battery Book. I have large quantities of new information to add. I have no firm date for completing the New Battery Book. BobÐO's right, they need to lock me upÉ Richard Mac-It-To-'Em Keep up the good work. I was wondering how many readers would be interested in a Hypercard or Supercard version of Home Power? Mac-It-To-'Em. Recent ice storms in Rochester, NY took out almost all the central electrical facilities (nuclear). The line crews were sure interested in why I still had power. Some areas were out for 2-3 weeks. Even fossil fuels, such as gasoline, couldn't be pumped. One problem everyone in northern climates faces is heat storage. If there is anybody out there who has worked with heat-of-hydration salts for seasonal heat storage, I would be interested in hearing from them. May the Sun light your way, Robert Snell, 60 Lakeview Park Apt A, Rochester, NY 14613 If you include the line art and scans of the photos, Hypercard stacks for just one issue of HP would take 4 Megabytes or so. Unless you've got a "black hole" for a hard drive... If anyone is interested in text files from HP issues, contact Richard. He's been known to fill reader's 3.5 " floppies with all kinds of stuff. A similar power outage happened in southwestern Oregon area this winter. First the natural gas went out, then the electric power. We just stuck another log in the stove and watched it on TV. Shouldn't be smug, but it felt good, didn't it? - Bob-O Serviceable Servel Dear Home Power Folks, Enclosed are a check for my subscription renewal, my thanks for a job well done on issue #23, and a tip for owners of old Servel gas fridges. Reflectix insulation is a partial cure for excessive gas consumption. (Cleaning the coils helps too.) Drape a piece of Reflectix over the top of the fridge - leaving the grill in back uncovered, of course. Tape it down to the sides using the silver reflectix tape; nothing else works as well. Yank out the shelves and fit a piece to the back of the inside. This piece should stay in place by friction fit. Cut a piece to fit inside the door with about a 2"-3" gap between it and the door gasket. If you fit this piece tight to the gasket it will interfere with the door closing. You will have to cut out around the latch anyway. The final touch - cut and fit a piece around the sides and bottom of the freezer box. The lowered heat transfer between the freezer compartment and the fridge will allow you to keep your ice cream solid without freezing your pickles. Enjoy your popsicles and propane savings! Yours under the Sun, Hilton Dier III, Middlesex, VT Thanks for the info, Hilton, I just happen to have an old Servel, Harold, who is getting up there in years. I just reworked the door seal with silicone seal. I did the test where you put a dollar bill across the seal, close the door, and see if you can pull it out or wiggle it. Sure enough, money was slipping out of the seal. It all adds up. See page 67 of this issue for propane info- Kathleen Gridless Jammin What's great is that EVERYTHINGS interesting. So much to read. Not like, say, "time", or "OMNI" or even "Rolling Stone"....Takes 15 minutes to flip through the fluff and learn nothing in the process. Especially enjoy the "How to" articles by homesteaders such as myself - Keep up the good work! How about something on AE Rock 'N' Roll...systems and/or suggestions for musicians who lives and plays off the grid. But yes: This is a subject of great personal interest - the grand piano that occupies a major portion of my simple shack requires no energy beyond my own to operate, but my musical interests have been expanding to include other keyboards and other musicians. Would like to be able to power a jam session someday. Interested in clues as to what makes and models of synthesizers and keyboards are available or adaptable, or articles by other musicians who for one reason or another found themselves with nothing to plug into... PS I have an array of 6 Arco - solar "M-701" is on a tracker and some VERY old, still functional, telephone co. relay batteries, got 'em used, they're even more used now and someday soon will have to be assisted by a second bank - got a switchboard and an inverter that doesn't work right now.... You get the general picture! Thanks for listening.... Case Cohen, Box 203, Dixon, NM, 87527 There are lots & lots of AE powered musicians out there! Even Richard and I get together infrequently for a solar-powered blues jam. My Peavey Mark VI Bass amp and XR-700 PA work just fine on sunshine! The little inverter buzz would be unacceptable for recording, but for the average jam or even a gig, it would be fine. Most of the synths and keyboards I've seen lately run on DC from a wall cube. Converting these to battery power would be a piece of cake. How about it musicians? Any help with makes and models for Case? Bob-O Tree Towers Dear Home Power, I enjoyed Mick Sagrillo's information packed article on Wind Generator Towers in HP#23. I have to disagree, from our experience, with his caveat about using trees for towers. I think trees can make great, inexpensive towers. They fit into the landscape considerably better than steel towers. With the exception of one mishap due to some bad engineering advice, our 100+' Douglas fir tower has worked quite well for us for over five years. It easily supports our Winco 24 volt, 450 watt generator. Mick mentions four things he has against trees as towers - I'd like to give my view of them. 1) He say that trees are hard to climb safely. Personally I feel considerably safer climbing in trees than in towers. Of course, I've done some moonlighting (not literally!) as a tree trimmer, so I'd rather climb a tree with lots of branches to stand on and hold onto than a bare steel tower. In any case, folks should be tied in with a safety line climbing a tree or tower. We have a permanent safety line in our wind machine tree and I can be up and down it in about 15 minutes. 2) Mick says trees are hard to climb with wind generator parts and tools cluttering up your hands. I agree! But so are towers. This is a foolish way to climb anything. Your hands ought to both be free to climb with. I find that the safest way to deal with the problem is to haul tools and parts up with rope after you are secured at the top of your tower. I do carry some tools and small parts (and my cordless phone) in my many pocketed vest. Then I use a canvas bag and rope to haul up whatever else I need. 3) Mick says trees sway too much. He's right. They must be guyed in order to keep the top still. But I'm inclined to think that they need considerably less guying than some towers, since they're already built to stand some pretty intense winds. Ours has been through 100 MPH winds and it's still standing. We used 3/8" guy strand anchored to the bases of other trees. 4) I also agree with Mick about dead trees rotting at the ground. It would be silly to use a dead tree for a tower. I'd suggest using a healthy tree and doing everything you can not to wound in mortally. We topped our tree and through-bolted a short steel mast on top. Bolting straight through a tree to attach mast and guys doesn't inflict too much damage. You must avoid putting anything all the way around any part of a tree, since this will girdle it. I realize using trees for towers is not very conventional (Hey - neither is alternative energy!). But our experience shows that it can work if given proper thought and care. Our tower may not last forever, but so far it's been a lot cheaper and more aesthetically pleasing than erecting a 110' steel monstrosity in our clearing. Ian Woofenden, 378 Guemes Island Rd, Guemes Island, WA 98221 It sounds like that Doug Fir works for you Ian, but you've got to admit that with your tree climbing experience, you're not just the average bear. I believe that Mick is correct in advising most folks to stay away from trees as wind towers. First, you've got a Douglas Fir to work with. The Doug has very long-fibered, resilient wood. Second, you live in a wet area where a tree has a pretty good shot at surviving topping. Try that with a Pine or even a White Fir in a dry area, and you've got a dead tree in just a few years. Add that to the rest of the rassle with using trees as towers, and you've got a formula for a fiasco. Bob-O Remote vs Ruined Dear Richard: Richard Perez in his generally excellent article in Issue #22 of Home Power, "Renewable Energy Offers Freedom", nevertheless draws a couple of caveats from this reader: 1. Regarding the expense of putting in utility lines, which is truly enormous beyond a few hundred feet, the factor we objected to when we built our remote cabin and were faced with the power line choice was the aesthetic cost. Namely, the awful slaughter of trees to establish the corridor and the forever-after cutting or spraying necessary to maintain it. In our rocky area, power lines are seldom buried at utility expense, so every wind storm drops branches or even whole trees on the lines (at least in part because of the newly- opened, wind-tunnel corridor) and the whole system goes out. So negative aesthetics and practical considerations should figure in any decisions on power lines. 2. I think a certain caution should be exercised when telling people to go to pristine, natural places to live because land is cheap and they can enjoy their freedom more in remote lovely areas. This is true BUT, every time man moves in, he displaces other animals and plants that were there first and in our world presently, these other life forms are getting the short end of the stick and need habitat protection. Before some "freedom seeker", armed with all the good and responsible notions of renewable energy charges into some remote and fragile land to establish himself, he should consider the following: A. One should have an ecologist analyze the site if one isn't sure of what sorts of animals they will be living with or displacing. B. They should buy as much land as they are capable of to protect remoteness and to keep the area intact. If someone WANTS neighbors nearby, they don't belong in a wilderness, lonely area; they can best have their energy independence in a settled area. C. These people should consider a legal method of protecting the land, such as a conservation easement, so that the independence and freedom they so much treasure will be possible for some future occupier of the site. Modern technology is a great privilege and it truly is making OUR remote cabin possible and very pleasant. Our array of PVs and the rest of the gadgetry not only works wonderfully but offers an example to an area (Michigan's Upper Peninsula) that can benefit from energy independence more than most. But the word of caution remains: after all, if everyone were to do as we have done, the remote areas would soon be as screwed up and unlivable as many of the places we leave. Energy independence is one thing; settling down in pristine areas is another. John F Wilson, POB 52, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 John, we totally agree with you about the aesthetics of buried power lines. Unfortunately, since it's a "price-less" quality (along with acid rain and other utility-caused environmental disasters) it isn't often taken "into account". We definitely wish to encourage RE minded folks to disperse from the cities and adopt some dirt. After all, most of the land offered for sale today is hardly pristine. Logged over, grazed over, and generally ripped off of any saleable natural resources is the usual case. Will folks who think in terms of RE do worse than that? We think not. We believe we all should consider the "stewardship" of any land, water, and air that comes into our keeping a gift and an honor. "Owning" a piece of the planet is a ridiculous concept. Living lightly and co-existing with all other species is our only hope for survival. Bob-O & the whole HP Crew. CAFE OLE' Dear Home Power, I enjoyed reading the articles in issue 22 "From us to YOU". I agree with your view of the president's lack of a serious national energy policy. Apparently so does America. According to a recently conducted poll by The Alliance to Save Energy, 84% of those responding want to increase the CAFE (Corporate America Fuel Efficiency) to 40mpg by the year 2000. That same poll indicates that 82% want tax rebates for buying fuel efficient autos. There is currently several bills in front of both the Senate and House addressing this issue. The most productive bill is the Bryan Bill. Senator Tim Wirth from Colorado has proposed an energy policy to replace the one the president came up with. While the President's National Energy Policy shows solar and wind on the cover there is little inside to back up the cover. The Wirth bill is more than an attractive cover. It has real plans to reduce our addiction to oil whether foreign or domestic. It would save ten times the energy at a fraction of the cost of the President's plan. The sad fact is most of America is in favor of these plans but have not told their voices in Washington. I have written all my representatives in Washington and was surprised to receive an answer back from each thanking me for my input. Furthermore, all except Senator Packwood are in favor of these bills. Home Power readers are action people. If only a fraction of you write your representatives these bills will be passed. Please get involved. Dan Cosgro, 7 NE 79th Ave, Portland, OR 97213-7001 Thanks for the update, Dan. All right, you readers, take action. - Kathleen Back Issues Thanks for a great magazine! I have dreamed of living off the grid for over 15 years and see that it's quite possible. Please let me know how I can obtain all the back issues (# 22 is my first). Ever do any stories on disabled AE owners and users? Finally are there any AE stores and/or installers in my area I could correspond with? Thanks, Bob Skinner, 12407 Mopac Exp. N #100, Suite 142, Austin, TX 78758 Well, Bob, the only reason we haven't printed any articles on disabled RE owners/users is because we haven't received any. Sounds like a great subject, though. Most back issues are available. See Home Power's Business page in this issue for info. Here's a list of PV business in your neighborhood. Advanced Solar Services, 3671 Ridgeway, San Antonio, TX, 78259 Aldac, 2765 Kings Highway Suite 110, Brownsville, TX, 78520 Energy Management Center, Box 12428, Austin, TX, 78711 Osborne Solar, 511 N. Main, Elgin, TX, 78621 San Patricio Solar, Rt. 2 Box 45, Mathis, TX, 78368 ¥ 512-547-2256 South-Tex Industries, Inc., 436 Breesport, San Antonio, TX, 78216 ¥ 800-526-3337 Or 512-341-5073 Sun Trapper Solar Inc., 11953 Starcrest Dr., San Antonio, TX, 78247 ¥ 496-3696 Sunshine Solar Systems, 6213 Grisson Rd, #618, San Antonio, TX, 78238 - Kathleen Battery Life & Death Dear Home Power Persons: Your no-nukes editorial in issue #22, page 4, made many cogent points, but I presume a lust for concision induced you to gloss over a few related items: 1. If you are worried about disposing of nuclear waste, remember what half-life means. You don't have to wait for all the waste to get completely inert (10,000 years). You only have to wait until the waste is no more active than it was when originally mined (100 years). We humans don't create uranium, we just sort it out into different piles (pun intended). 2. You use the electric car on page 85 as an example of keeping lead out of the environment. Where do you think the quarter-ton of lead from those twenty batteries will be in ten years? The amount of lead on earth has not changed much in the past million years. Metals just get refined and dispersed over and over again. Lead is not a problem unless it is swallowed or inhaled; the real issue is controlling where it goes. Driving 60 mph with a trunk full of lead should not 'ipso facto' qualify persons as environmentalists. Do they recharge from Three Mile Island? 3. If you are boosting the use of Ni-Cads among the solar-minded, what do you think happens to all the cadmium when dead batteries eventually enter the municipal waste stream? According to a full- page article in Scientific American (May 1991, p. 122), nearly 900 tons of cadmium gets incinerated inside busted rechargable shavers and screwdrivers, it turns the resulting ash into highly toxic heavy metal waste, which can't go into regular landfills. Ground water leaching spreads the poison. This is becoming the subject of legislation, which might result in outlawing or licensing the use of Ni- Cads. 4. My belief is that you can't really throw anything away. You can only move debris from one place on our planet to another. The only proof that humans are intelligent comes from humans themselves, a biased source. Therefore, it may turn out that the best and only way to save our planet is to eliminate humanity, and turn the whole place over to the insects and the grasses. Do we really want to save our planet, or just want to save the human species? I have been living "off the grid" since Feb., 1987. But I don't like to fall back on a holier-than-thou attitude, imagining that everyone but me is raping the earth. If we efficient ones are to convince others that our way of life is best, we must at least organize our thinking to make our advice valid. Yours truly, Joel Chinkes, Cincinnatti, OH 45244 OK, Joel, let's go for it! 1. I happen to think that 100 years is still to long for keep radioactive waste. One hundred years is five generations of humans and scores more for furry friends and other lifeforms. That's a long time to have to sit on something as hot as nuclear reactor waste. 2. You are in error, I used the EV on page 85 of HP22 as an example of driving smart, not as an example of "keeping lead out of the environment." We all use batteries. Batteries are chemically nasty, otherwise they wouldn't be batteries. Part of the responsibility of being a battery user is proper, safe disposal of the spent cells. When the batteries are spent, recycle the materials. I maintain that the toxic materials within batteries are much more easily contained than say the exhaust fumes from cars. 3. Same as the rap for lead in number 2 above. Sure cadmium is dangerous. One of the safest places for cadmium in an electrochemical cell that is watched over by a responsible user. When the cell eventually dies, recycle its materials. Battery technologies are changing. The new Ni-H cells from Ovonics contains no cadmium. The ancient and long lived Edison cells use iron instead of cadmium. If we demand more environmentally benign batteries, then we will get them. It's a case of putting our money behind our words. I don't think we will ever have a battery that is totally benign. We will still have to deal with chemically reactive electrolytes. 4. You bet. Nothing disappears, we just rearrange it. As to leaving the planet to the bugs and plants, we may in fact do this. Several million years of evolution have put humans where we are now. A human ego lives for only a short time, but the genes go on. As for our species impacting the planet, you bet we do. We've been changing our world since we started using fire. We need to take care in all we do. I don't know about you, but I'm not giving up on the future. Richard Rookie Yearnings I have been reading Home Power since the first issue, so you know I love you. But somehow I still feel alone with my AE system. In 1987 I purchased two PV panels, hired a friend to wire my house and another to attach the panels. PRESTO! After 13 years, no more kerosene lamps. Over the years since then, I've bought additional items: besides 12VDC lights, a pump, a VCP, a fan. But I have NOT bought a charge controller, inverter, generator, or tracker. Not that I wouldn't like to have a better system. My little voltmeter is inadequate to my needs. Here is the problem: ignorance! What ARE the REAL BASICS of an AE system? I thought I'd just learn along the way, and I have learned a lot, but not enough. I see the need for knowing the stored AmpHours in my system. How awful it is for me to go all winter without that business about charging batteries to "the top" as I do in summer? What about those horrible gases that might kill me if I brought my batteries into the house instead of leaving them on the porch in winter's low temps.? This is basic stuff, I understand. Maybe you could get a couple of knowledgeable types to theorize about FIRST YEAR BASIC SYSTEMS. Of course I'm on an incredible shoestring budget so all costs MUST remain low. I would be very glad to read such ideas in good old HP. Marilynn Walther, Cave Junction, OR OK, Marilynn, I will write such an article. You can look for it in HP25. Here's answers for some of your specific questions. Completely refilling and equalizing lead-acid cells is essential for long life. This includes the winter. You should be doing an equalizing charge every five or six deep cycles or every two months, which ever comes first. The gases produced by the cells only happen in any amount during charging and equalization. The best place for all non sealed batteries is in a well ventilated area not routinely inhabited by any living thing. If this area is a porch, then the lead-acid cells can get very cold. Low temps cause the lead-acid reaction to become sluggish. Below freezing, lead-acid cells lose about 30% of their capacity. At 0¡F., the lead acid cell has lost about 55% of its room temp capacity. Put your batteries in a well insulated, solar heated box. Your 12 Volt system is simple, effective, and low in cost. If your electrical needs are modest, it will serve you well. If you eventually crave a washing machine, power tools, or as in our case a room full of computer, then your system will grow in size and complexity. I know of systems that have satisfied for years with a single panel and a battery, no controls, instruments, or inverter. I know of other systems that have 50 panels, and rooms full of batteries and electrical equipment. There no such thing as a standard system anymore than there is a standard person. Our systems reflect our differences. Ð Richard Alone Underground I have never read your magazine. A friend says it gets into the technology. I have dropped Mother Earth because they got too yuppie. I live very remote in the desert. Have 36 Photovoltaics charging a 48 volt battery bank into 2 Trace inverters. Also tapped ahead of the blocking diode a 110 volt super insulated water heater wired in series on the + side to zap up about 34 volts of the 48, leaving 14 volts left to charge a 12 volt battery bank and heat about 20 gal. of water per day. The 12 volt bank runs a Photocomm Deep Freeze Refrigerator and all my DC lights. I also use 48 volts DC for small amounts of heat into my totally underground house. Stereo, TV, microwave oven, 2 burner hot plate, all kinds of shop tools all run on AC. Also my water Flowlight pump runs on 48 volts DC, raising water 260 ft. into a 1,000 gal. tank next to the well. My water into the underground house is by gravity. My diesel is a 1956 Lister I picked up 15 years ago and ran a lot before Photovaltaics. Now seldom used. I am 1 1/2 miles from the power line. Hope its unsightly poles never get to me. My system is much more reliable than the power line. Inverters or nothing else has ever failed. I love the technology of all this. Every goal I have reached, gave me a brainstorm of another goal. If you have any questions about alternative energy I am willing to try to answer. Donovan A. McDonald, HC61 Box 18 Winslow, AZ 86047 Whew, Don, quite impressive. I would like to see some pictures of your accomplished goals. It sounds great. -Kathleen