2 + 2 = More Than Enough Kathleen Jarschke-Schultze You first see the large yellow water tank, turn right and follow the abalone shell lined driveway to a place full of character and inhabited by one. Stuart Ward's small, owner-built cabin sits on the juniper flats below the north face of California's Mt. Shasta. His two photovoltaic panels and two lead acid batteries supply more than enough power for his lifestyle. Earthbase Stuart Ward built his cabin, to code, over a period of two years, 1979- 1982. The cabin is 16 feet x 28 feet with the main floor encompassing 448 square feet and the loft area utilizing another 200 square feet. His cost for building materials at that time was $13,500. He hosted the 1981 California National Rainbow Gathering at his homestead, then known as Earthbase and now called Homebase. The yard is lighted by a stand alone solar path light system with its own built in panel and batteries. Stu purposefully chose his site, within a land development, in an area that did not have grid power and the accompanying power lines through it. Consequently the closest grid power is a third of a mile away. For the first ten years, Stu used kerosene lamps for the most part and rotated batteries in his car for a little 12 Volt power. He purchased his first photovoltaic panel in the summer of 1989. It was an ARCO M-75. The second panel, a Kyocera K-51, was added in the late winter of 1990. The panels are fixed at 30ø east of south with seasonal tilt. He uses a Trace C-30A charge controller , two Trojan L-16 batteries with six Hydrocaps and various meters and gauges to monitor his power. After reading a Home Power article he added safety disconnects to the system. Stu did all the wiring and installation himself. He made the panel racks from recycled materials. Throughout his homestead he has reused as many materials as possible. There is no inverter, no refrigerator, no generator, and no kitchen appliances in this simple 12 Volt lifestyle. The main uses of the system are TVs (9 inch & 5 inch, both color), VCR, car stereo and lights. The miscellaneous uses are a car vacuum, Makita drill battery and nicad flashlight charging, digital clock and a small fan. Stu figures his system produces two to four times the amount of power he uses. Usually by 11 o'clock in the morning the batteries are full. The only change Stu sees as a possibility in his system is a small inverter to run a computer as he is becoming interested in desktop publishing. He is going to consider it for a year or two before he decides. Solar Apparatus By utilizing the Sun's power in as many ways as he can think of Stu's home is a wonderland of ingenuity. He has made a solar shower, made from a camper holding tank and scrap lumber, that delivers 20 gallons of hot water on a sunny day. With some salvaged windows and scrap lumber he has fashioned a solar sauna that can work up a good sweat in about 15 minutes. After reading an article on solar chimneys he built one from recycled materials. When there is no sun propane fuels his cooking. When the sun shines he regularly uses a SunStar solar oven, which was a gift from Heaven's Flame author, Joseph Radabaugh. The cabin has 15 windows on the southeast side while having none on the north side, making the most of passive solar space heating. He used R-30 insulation in the ceiling and R-19 in the walls and floor. Energy Audit Several years ago Stu was randomly picked from 14,000 American households for a free energy audit from the Dept. of Energy. Stu called to make sure the Auditor could find his remote home. When the auditor arrived she said not only was he the only Renewable Energy home she had audited, but also he was the only person to call to make sure she was coming. She was amazed at how little energy Stu used in his home. Given that Stu uses so little power and produces it himself I am sure his data skewed the US energy averages. Water Saving Sanitation In keeping with his belief in simple use and conservation of Nature, Stu uses a Sealand toilet. He collects and saves rainwater for flushing. As the Sealand only uses 1 pint per flush, it works well for Stu. This type of toilet works in conjunction with a composting system or with a septic tank like Stu's. Conclusion Stu's first thought of renewables was in light of fire safety. Now he feels he has learned to appreciate Nature's power to provide us with all we need. He is more politically aware of monopolized grid power production. Stu has learned how to wire and maintain his system. For him that is enough. Shasta Sage Living in the center of Shasta Sage country Stu hand picks and solar dries the fragrant sage. He then fashions it into colorfully wrapped sage smudge sticks. These have been made for hundreds of years by the local indians. Although Stu takes great pleasure in making the sage sticks, it is against Indian custom to sell them. Stu would like our readers to know that he will send interested people Shasta Sage Smudge sticks for the cost of postage. Access Author: Kathleen Jarschke-Schultze, c/o Home Power, POB 130, Hornbrook, CA 96044 Homeowner: Stu Ward, 13715 Thrush Road., Montague, CA 96064 ù 916-938-3989