Homestead Energy: Fuel Cells

I'll be honest.  This particular option is something that I wasn't that familiar with before I started researching.  I had heard about hydrogen fuel cells for cars, but that was about it.  I had no idea that they were in such demand.  And I hadn't even imagined that they had gone past cars to being elegible for home use.  Now, quite frankly, it's my own fault I didn't know any of this.  If one looks, one will see this information out there everywhere.  There is a ton of information about fuel cells, how they work, and places where you can get one.  I just simply put the idea of fuel cells on a back burner of my mind and left it there.  It just never piqued my interest.  You see, the first thing that pops into my head when I hear "hyrdogen fuel cell" is basically just a really loud BOOM!  Think Hindenburg.  And even though NASA has successfully used hydrogen fuel cells in it's spacecraft for decades, the  images that come into my mind are frequently of the mishaps.  But I'll get back to that.

Ok, so the basics of how a fuel cell works is that hyrdogen is sent into the cell.  The hydrogen is split into it's protons and electrons.  Protons pass through an electrolyte, while the electrons are sent through the wires to perform their job creating elecricity.  Then, the electrons are sent back to the other side of the cell, where they are joined with oxygen, and pass as heat and water.  The type of hydrogen, oxygen, and electrolyte are all variables that make the difference between the types of fuel cells that are out there.  It can get a bit complicated, especially if you're fairly unfamiliar with chemistry.  This site seems to do a good job of breaking it down into easily understandable terms, and also goes through the different types of fuel cells, their efficiencies, output, and other useful information.

There is also the idea of a water fuel cell.  This type of fuel cell works in almost the exact opposite way as the hydrogen fuel cell.  In this cell, water is put in and then split into it's separate parts of hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis.  Now if you start with a basic online search for water fuel cells, you will inevitably come up with a myriad of links to a man by the name of Stanley Meyer.  There, you will find controversy.  Some say he was a scam artist.  Others say he was intentionally discredited and poisoned to death.  I'll leave that for you to decide if you choose to venture into that subject.  However, the idea of water powered cars has been a hot issue the world over.  Many have claimed to have built a working model, only to then disappear into oblivion.  Here is one such example.  For the simple reason that there is so much information on both sides of this issue that make it difficult to determine the true prospects of such a fuel cell, I'm not going to delve too far into this one.  I will, however, give you two ways of building your own water fuel cell.  A word of warning here is that in the latter of the two, the maker states quite clearly that it takes more energy to run the battery than the battery creates.  Those two sites are here and here.  I do believe that there is a great potential here, and if you have the time and inclination to give it a go, then by all means, please do!  I would love to see the results.

Back to the hydrogen fuel cells.  Now you can buy a hydrogen fuel cell fairly easily.  Here is one such place to purchase cells.  Most of the ones you will find will be relatively small, meaning that for anything effective for home use, you will need to stack multiple cells to achieve whatever level you think you will need.  A professional home system, not including installation can average in the neighborhood of about $50,000.  But if you know what you're doing, you can buy smaller units and stack them for a much lower cost.  Especially if you're power usage is going to be minimal.  The other option is to build your own.  If you decide to do this, I beg you to please be very careful.  Hydrogen, while the most common element known in the universe, is also extremely combustable.  It burns hotter and faster than traditional fuels.  Please take all necessary precautions.  A couple of places with instructions are here and here.  And, of course, YouTube is loaded with how-to's.  Most of the how-to's are very simple set-ups that would no doubt have to be adapted in order to successfully utilize them.

Back in the beginning of this post, I mentioned the thought of these fuel cells going BOOM!  There are safety standards in place for the development and sale of these fuel cells.  The thing with the Hindenhurg?  Well, that may not have been the hydrogen so much as the hydrogen combined with other highly flammable parts of the ship.  The newer technologies are attempting to limit the dangers by using containers that are higher in impact resistance, and contain the hydrogen better.  Here is an example of the type of containers for hydrogen that are being used more.  And if you are somewhat hesitant about the safety of these fuel cells, here is an article on safety concerns and standards.

All in all, I do think there is a great deal of potential here.  There are concerns that these fuel cells may not be as environmentally safe as the public is being led to believe.  A good look into the problems and issues with hydrogen fuel cells can be found here.  But they are on the market, and it would appear as if they can do at least some of what they claim.  It may be a good option for off-grid energy.  But for me, it probably would not be my first choice.

Homestead Energy: Plants

Ok, so I am really happy and excited about this one.  Mostly because it not only creates energy from a renewable resource, but it actually encourages people to grow plants.  And who wouldn't benefit from a little more green in their lives, right?  Win- win for everyone.  Well, ok, maybe not for gas and oil companies, but tough noogies for them.  The idea is to make them null and void, anyway.  So like I said: win-win.

Using plants for energy can basically be broken down into two categories: for fuel, or for electricity.  Fuel, sometimes referred to as biomass or biofuel, is an alternative to traditional gass and oil, broken down and primarily for use in various engines.   For electricity, the plant remains in it's whole, growing state and naturally creates energy that is harnessed to create electricity.  Let's start with fuel.

Right off the bat, here, let me tell you straight up that I am not talking about ethanol.  My personal opinion is that ethanol isn't really that great of a thing.  For the most part, it's made from corn.  So using it as a fuel source would actually redirect a major food source to be used as fuel.  This would also end up using huge swaths of land to grow the corn for fuel.  It tends to be corrosive, making transport an issue.  And there are concerns that it wouldn't lower greenhouse emissions, but rather just trade off for different ones.  Not real great, I don't think.  Yes, there are other ways of making ehtanol rather than corn.  Cellulosic ethanol might have some merit.  But I'll leave that for you to think about yourself.  What I'd rather talk about is algae.  Have you heard about this?  It's really brilliant.  First looked at as a potential fuel source during the 1970's under President Jimmy Carter, there is serious potential here.  Now if you're anything like me, algae is something you generally fight with trying to keep out of your swimming pool.  It grows fast, seemingly out of nowhere, sometimes.  But the truth is that algae has very high concentrations of lipid oil.  This is what makes it so great.  Well, that, and the fact that it is, after all, a plant.  And all plants eat up carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.  Yep, it's a great little plant.  To use it as a fuel source, it is compressedor centrifuged.  This results in a thick oil that can then be used as fuel.  Easy breezy.  Ok, so that's a bit of an understatement.  There is a bit more to it than that.  But really, it is a simple process.  There are some big businesses that currently use algae for fuel.  And there are companies, like Exxon-Mobile, who are looking into bringing it to market as a biofuel.  As of right now, however, it isn't commercially produced for you to go out and buy as you would gas or oil.  For that reason, the only option truly available at the moment, is to make it yourself.  Again, it's an easy process.  There are tutorials online.  Some are relatively simple, while others are a bit more complex.  First, you must decide what type of algae to use.  There are thousands of types.    Some need lots of sunlight, whereas others need very little.  It just depends on your needs and environment.  The beauty of this is that, as a fuel, it can be used for anything from fueling your car to running a generator.  To get an idea of what it can do, check out this building that is already up and running completely off of algae fuel.  Or the new micro-country of Liberland that plans to run the whole country off of algae.

The use of living plants directly for electricity is a much newer idea.  The basic idea is that when a plant processes nutrients, what's left over is excreted through the roots.  Electrons are one of these "waste products".  If an electrode is placed near the roots, giving the electron a place to go, it creates energy.  There are some studies underway in which the electrons are collected before ever leaving the plants.  That process seems to still be in it's early stages, and quite frankly, seems a little unessary to me.  Why?  Well, because of a new Dutch-based company called Plant-e.  They have marketed a system for harvesting the electrons after they've left the plant, leaving the plant unaltered in the process.  While this may or may not seem important, think of this.  While the electrons are still in the plant, part of their job is to create sugars in the plant.  If the plants in question are edible, I kind of like the idea of leaving the sugars in place.  I highly recommend checking out their website.  They explain it much better than I can.  Now, just a heads up, in case you can't read Dutch, you will need to translate the page.  Their prices range from roughly $150.00 to just over $700.00.  They are modular, so you can build based on your needs.  They're even working on large-scale projects like this.  If you were to do a search for how to make electricity from living plants, I'd say well over 90% of the links that pop up would have some connection to these guys.  The only other system I could find was this one at Cambridge University.  It's the same basic idea, with only slight differences.  Plant-e recommends plants that are in wetlands or marshes, while Cambridge is using a vertical living wall.  While I, unfortunately, have not been able to locate and DIY tutorials for how to do this yourself, I would think that if you can grasp the basic concept of how it works, then it shouldn't be too difficult to build a system yourself.   This is a system that would work anywhere you have access to plants.  It could, theoretically, have issues during the colder seasons when the plants die back.  But that could be avoided if you use a hydroponic or aquaponic system, a greenhouse, a walipini, are planning to build an Earthship (I'll talk about those in a later post on building styles), or even a natural pool.

Plants are amazing, aren't they?  They give us oxygen in exchange for carbon dioxide, food, shelter, and now, electricity.  There is a lot of potential in these green gems, some of which we are only now beginning to tap into.  I do highly recommend looking into plants as a source of energy in any and all it's forms when planning to build an off-grid homestead.

Homestead Energy: Geothermal

Geothermal energy is the heat of the earth, herself.  It manifests in different forms in different places.  We all know the most common ways this energy shows itself, in the form of eathquakes, volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers.  This is the energy that is tapped into in order to create electricity.  More active regions of the world, especially around the edges of tectonic plates, are obvious choices for using geothermal energy.  Some sources say that only these regions are capable of tapping into this energy, while other sources say that it can be tapped into anywhere on the planet.  So let's discuss.

The basic laws of geothermal energy are that the closer you are to the source of the energy, the more energy you can tap into and acquire.  Seems obvious, right?  Well, yes and no.  For larger scale production, it does help to have access to more energy.  That's why most production facilities are located in or near geologically active regions.  These facilities generally drill down to a depth of anywhere between 3 and 10 meters for greater access.  For smaller scale, single home use,  that depth is not necessary.  At a depth of only 10 feet, or just over 3 meters, the ground temperature stays around 50-60 degrees F.  The best part about geothermal energy is that it is constant and has tremendous efficiency.  If you remember from my previous posts, the efficiency of solar and wind are both right around 22%, and hydro runs at 90%.  For reference, coal/fossil fuel energy averages around 60%.  Geothermal outperforms them all, running an average efficiency rating of 400%.  Yes, you read that right - 400%.  That means that for every unit of energy that is used, it produces 3-4.5 units of energy.  Pretty awesome, huh?  It can, however, be costly for the initial build, and there are some environmental concerns associated with using geothermal energy.  For a decent list of pros and cons of using geothermal energy, this is a great resource.

There are three main types of systems to harness geothermal energy: dry steam, flash, and binary.   A dry steam system pumps steam from fissures directly to a turbine, creating energy.  Flash steam is a system where heated water from deep inside the earth is pumped into a container where it is cooled quickly to produce steam to drive a turbine.  A binary system uses a secondary fluid that steams at a lower temperature than water.  The heated water is pumped into a container that then heats the secondary liquid.  That liquid is then turned to steam and sent to the turbine.

Now from what I can tell, this is a bit different from other types of alternative energy.  First off, there just isn't a big variety of options.  Basically, you either contact a qualified contractor that installs the entire system, which can be incredibly costly, or you purchase a heat pump and supplies, or even a kit, rent a backhoe (or some other way to dig), and lay the system yourself.  I do believe that it can be done diy, as many people out there have done it.  However, it does seem to go quite a bit easier if you have some basic knowledge of plumbing and possibly HVAC systems.  This is a set-up that if not done correctly, it can cause serious headaches down the road.

Geothermal energy definitely has a lot of things that need to be seriously considered.  High initial costs (although those are coming down), and not a simple diy project, but the potential is quite astounding.  I don't know that this is a resource that I would personally tap into for the simple issue of initial cost.  But if you do have a bit more to invest up front and are willing, it can be a great resource.

Homestead Energy: Water

This is an interesting subject for me.  I learned an awful lot while doing this research.  Water, or hydro power is not as widely talked about as solar or wind power.  There must be a consistent flow of moving water to make the turbine/generator work.  Whereas we all have access to wind and the sun, we don't all live near a moving water source.  Thankfully, with some of the new inventions out there, that's not necessarily a problem any more.  We'll get to that in a minute.  But first, let's look at water.

The history of using water for power dates back a couple of thousand years, at least.  It's primary use was in agriculture, using it as a source to grind grains and such, much in the same manner that wind power started.  I'm sure that most of us are familiar with water wheels commonly used in years gone by for powering mills.  Much more information on the history is available here.  Water is an amazing thing.  Soft enough to bath in and drink, and yet powerful enough to carve out canyons through solid granite.  75% of our planet is water.  While it might not all be safe to drink, it is fine for creating power.  And that's where hydroelectricity comes in.  A few centuries ago, water was the primary source of power for many societies.  Today, it's primarily used in commercial and industrial industries.  There are areas where hydroelectricity is mass produced from dams, providing power for some residents much in the same way coal-fired plants do.  It's actually a bit ironic to me that hydroelectricity doesn't get more attention due to the simple fact that as of 2013, more than 50% of the renewable energy used in the U.S., and more than 20% worldwide, was hydropower, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.  It also runs at 90% efficiency, which is far greater than solar, wind, and even fossil fuel plants which average around 60% efficiency, according to this.  The downside of hydropower is that, for larger scale production, it can be costly to build, is highly susceptible to drought conditions, and can cause major problems environmentaly when dams are used.  However, those concerns are nearly non-existent in home use turbines.

Most water turbines fall into one of two categories: impulse or reaction.  The type of turbine you choose will be determined by the type of water.  Impulse turbines are best suited for high head, low flow water sources.  Reaction turbines are just the opposite, being best suited for low head, high flow water sources.  The term "head" refers to the height of the water.  Under each of these two main classifications, there are a few different examples, each with their own characteristics.  This enables a bit more specification to your individual needs.  And some of the options even allow for customization in and of themselves.  This site explains in much more detail each of these types, how they are built, and how they work.  One type of reaction turbine not listed is the Archimedean screw type.  While this type has probably been around the longest, having been used as far back as ancient Egypt, it has only become a viable option for home hydropower use within the last 10 years or so. This is a good video showing how the Achimedean screw works.

Now, like everything else, you can go out and buy a turbine and generator.  There are several companies out there.  The basic home set-up generally starts just under $1,000 and goes up from there.  Some only deliver locally, while others will ship worldwide.  Some leave it to you to install, others strongly suggest professional installation which will be an additional cost.  Some of the different companies that I've come across are here, here, here, and here.  I have no experience with these companies.  However, they offer a pretty good selection of products for a variety of needs.

All things considered, this, to me, seems to be a relatively easy thing to build, and cost next to nothing.  And oh, the ways to build a water turbine are vast.  In fact, it's easier to find information on how to build them that it is to find companies from which to buy them.  And instructions in building are as varied as the types of turbines, themselves.  The obvious plan is to utilize these turbines in a moving body of water, such as a stream or river.  I mentioned above that being close to that type of water source is not necessary anymore.  The reason for that is simple.  Any of these designs, or any that you might be creative enough to come up with, can be adapted to run off of a gray water system. So if you are planning on collecting and reusing water through one of these systems, you can use hydropower.  Hydropower is much less expensive to install, and is much more efficient than wind and solar.  It would be a shame to not at least consider it for your homestead energy needs.  I'll leave you with a collection of links with instructions on building your very own water turbine.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-water-powered-generator-from-an-old-/

http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_experiments_waterwheel.html

http://beforeitsnews.com/self-sufficiency/2014/12/homemade-water-wheel-electric-generator-2484748.html

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Hydro/UnderShot/WaterWheel.htm

http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-114/issue-3/Features/fish-friendly-hydro-turbine.html

http://www.greenoptimistic.com/hydroelectric-generator/#.V3na1_krLIU

http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-made-Hydro-Power-System/

http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/hydroelectric-power-systems.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzN3LDyl_AM

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Hydro/hydro.htm

http://offgridquest.com/energy/hydro-power/former-high-schoolers-amazing-hydro-elec

http://offgridquest.com/energy/how-to-build-a-5-gallon-bucket-hydroelec