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Old 10-28-2011, 09:27 AM   #1
Vintage Kin
 
Fort Worth , Texas
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Closed Loop Energy Independence

Well, okay, not quite perpetual-motion as a means of energy independence, but another piece of that puzzle.

Came across a design proposal that is scaled in a way that one cannot but imagine this for an RV (or sailboat, etc). Anyone who has read of "ghobar gas" will recognize it instantly.

Some nice -- very nice -- ideas here:

The Microbial Home

Cutting down on the waste disposal needs would be nice, but making use of that would be even better.

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Old 10-29-2011, 05:19 AM   #2
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Humans have a bad habit of not doing anything until it is too late or almost too late. It is easy to criticize the ideas in the link as impractical, but our present system can only work if there are perpetual resources to consume and infinite places to put our trash. Having just observed the remains of failed culture, makes me think more. The Anasazi culture crashed, at least in part, when resources—water—dried up, literally. Their solution was to move to somewhere with more water, but they had, at the time, seemingly infinite resources somewhere else. These were people who made efficient use of what they had, but forgot about the inevitable droughts that would come. They also forgot about the possibility of enemies. They adapted to a point, but not enough. They also threw their trash in a pile next to their houses.

A truly self contained RV was Wally's idea, but he didn't develop it beyond the understanding of his time. We haven't either.

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Old 10-29-2011, 07:16 AM   #3
Vintage Kin
 
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Yeah it's rather hard to see something like the above link work with only two people. Might take at least four. Who knows? What is known is the that the future won't be like the past (as predictor).

As to resouce use, one may Google "ghobar gas" and see how a family compound with some domestic animals can be self-sufficient in household gas production. The Indians and the Chinese (and less so the Japanese since WWII) have recent experience in maintaining even energy flows and chemical balances without artificial fertilizers or fossil fuels.

When I read the above link it hadn't before occurred to me that the desire by some for a composting toilet was not only a decent way to avoid a black tank, but that scaling it up and using kitchen waste also could potentially "power" a small living space.

A bit like solar panels versus electrical hookups. Extended boondocking. Would probably have to get it "primed" prior to departure. A full-timer cost saver (as who knows to the availability of energy on the road, some day?) Or, as with propane injection on a diesel TV, a way of extending current supplies well past current limits.

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