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Richard Mackney

Creative Technologist

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May 20 2011

Off-Grid Power Research

Once again I’m investigating ways of generating electricity off-grid (not necessarily green power). Part of the emphasis will be on mobility, this doesn’t mean it will fit in my pocket, but certainly could be used for living in a caravan, boat, tent or nuclear bunker 😉

The main point is to create electricity from a generator – how you power the generator is what I’m investigating. I’ll update this post with my findings (courtesy of YouTube) as I go…

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The Hog Stirling Engine
This engine can be run from any heat source – Including solar.

Wood Gasifier
Once you produce gas from wood you can start thinking about how to use it (run a generator). These can run from wood pellets made from recycled wood, used coffee grounds, manure, and other renewable biomass.

Small scale:

Medium scale:

Steam engine
Once you’ve created steam (from fire, solar, bio-waste) you can run a generator.

Traditional:

Modern:

Gloplug engine generator
Using engines from RC model planes (methanol).

Hand Crank Generator
Does what it says on the tin.

Hamster Power
If you take a hamster away with you, you can generate electricity in exchange for a handful of nuts 😉

Stay tuned …

Oh, I found that Motorhomes can have Silent Propane Generators – but they cost over 2k.

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Written by Richard Mackney · Categorized: Blog, Campervan, Tech · Tagged: Campervan, Caravan, Power, Solar, Tech

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Philip Campbell says

    May 31, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    Reply
  2. Philip Campbell says

    May 31, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    hey man thanks for the support! 🙂 – would love your help and support and advice for some site maps and the amazon elements for making a bit of extra cash are a great idea!

    Reply
  3. Richard Mackney says

    May 31, 2011 at 3:04 pm

    Hey @philcampbell no problem, glad to help if I can. I’ll get in touch when I’m back 🙂

    Reply

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