diy solar

diy solar

What Can I personally do to help against climate change?

svetz

Works in theory! Practice? That's something else
Joined
Sep 20, 2019
Messages
7,201
Location
Key Largo
What can we do as individuals to help slow climate change? Please post your ideas.

Note: Please do not disrupt this thread with if climate change is real or not, there are other threads to discuss that. If someone is childish enough to do that, please do not respond. Just report it and ask a moderator to delete it as off-topic. This thread is about what someone can do if climate change is real, not if it is real or not. Thank you!

I did a quick search and found a couple of similar threads/posts that might serve as appetizers, but they're more focused on one thing rather than general ideas:

Idea Index
The best ideas will not only be good for the environment but also save you money! Here's a list of those with little (if any) austerity:
Long Term strategy of the United States
 
Last edited:
Voting
There's always voting, but considering how legislation is worded this can always be tricky. You also have to be somewhat aware that legislators often wrap things you want with things they want, often greatly inflating the tax burden.

You might also be interested in the thread What's Congress doing in 2021 with Energy?

Federal Elected Officials

State Elected Officials

Local Elected Officials

  • Locate your mayor by name, city, or population size.
  • Find your county executive (the head of the executive branch of government in your county) by map search or your ZIP Code. The county executive may be an elected or an appointed position.
  • Get contact information for your city, county, and town officials.
 

Carbon Footprint​

There's a calculator where you can get a rough idea of your carbon footprint: https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/

The breakdown where GreenHouse Gases (GHGs) come from is shown to the right. So, it's from driving
cars, using electricity, where we work and build things, and even the food we eat.

If you have solar on your roof you're taking a nip out of that 25%. If solar is feeding your EV that's another
nip out of the 29%.

The rest is a bit harder. For example, Commercial & Residential is primarily fuel usage for heating homes
and buildings with a few percent for waste handling. From the calculator above, one of the best things
a homeowner can do is replace old leaky windows.
1625918155028-png.55661

According to the EPA, the 23% from “industry” is primarily from burning fossil fuels for energy, only 7% of that slice is from things like concrete & steel. The last is “agricultural”, which looks like it’s primarily cow burps/farts (Methane), fertilizer (N2O), manure (CH4 and N2O), many of which are far stronger GHGs).
 
Last edited:

Reducing Agricultural GHGs​



I was out to lunch recently and saw an Impossible Burger on the menu so tried it, OMG was it good. The bit about affecting GHGs is about 10 min in.

From the pie chart to the right it looks like CO2 is the biggest problem.
But, not all greenhouse gases are as powerful. If you multiply the percentage by the power (GWP, ref) you get:

CO₂: 1 x 80% = 80
CH4: 30 x 10% = 300
N₂O: 280 x 7% = 1960
CFCs: 23,000 x 3% = 69,000
1625950878982-png.55728
8%20-%20EPA%20-%20Methane%20Emissions%20by%20Source_touchedup_forweb.png
Sources-of-Methane-Natural-and-Human.jpg

CFCs were banned in the mid-'70s (although China only recently stopped despite being a signatory). They have a century long half-life, but the good news is that since we've stopped producing them thier GHG effect is going down.

From the second pie chart, almost half of the CH4 is primarily from cows. CH4 has a half-life of 9.1 years, but it breaks down into CO2 which is stable and needs sequestration (half-life of a few centuries with current sequestration mechanisms).

N2O is primarily from fertilizers and has a half-life of 114 years.

Comparing the relative land usages in the graph to the right and reducing meat would greatly reduce the amount of N2O from fertilizers.
1635517671347.png
gases-by-n2o-2021.png
 
Last edited:

If you have solar on your roof you're taking a nip out of that 25%. If solar is feeding your EV that's another
nip out of the 29%.

The rest is a bit harder. For example, Commercial & Residential is primarily fuel usage for heating homes
and buildings with a few percent for waste handling. From the calculator above, one of the best things
a homeowner can do is replace old leaky windows.
1625918155028-png.55661
your rooftop solar can take a nip out of the residential heating with heatpump furnace & mini-split... still feeling tiny

We need a paradigm shift and it may take a generation or two. Cheap energy mentality and mind set will take time to "wake" up. Imagine a $20/gal of petrol, innovation would come out of the wood-work, and perhaps the air will get cleaner
 
Dumped the 3500 Square Foot CapeCod styled house.
Got rid of the 64 Chevelle SS, 69 Beaumont SD-396, the Dodge Ram and all that "Junk" and downsized to a Ranger 4x4 & inherited a Military K15 4x4 for the Really Nasty Days.
Bought unmolested rural land, South Facing, Top of a 1700' Ridge where 3 valleys join.
Observed the "Natural Flow" of things on the land for 1st year, while clearing brush etc.
Cleared land to situate house working WITH the natural flow of things and retaining shade trees etc.
Designed & Self-Built hyper efficient Passive-Haus grade home using DIY-Hybrid SIPS (Structural Insulated Panels)
Installed a Solar System capable of supplying my daily needs with 3 days reserve (Initial FLA Bank), now have 10 Days full reserve with FLA & LFP Banks.
Cleared a Garden Space and started cultivating necessities, had planned a Wallapini type Year Round Greenhouse but out of time for that now.

Not much else left other than getting an EV, installing extra panels to charge it BUT that's not an option now... No Affordable EVs in Canada and certainly not 4x4/AWD Trucks (I am Rural & Remote and it is a MUST or no go in Winter) and as the Cancer is finally taking it's toll, time is up "very very soon" so there's no point in worrying about it.

Other things done Personally....
Helped here to get folks onto Solar Power...
Helped others (locals) go Solar... including 3 Greenhouse projects, 1 dairy farm and 2 Saw Mills (small mills). (for FREE NO LESS)

dats-it, dats-all LOL.
 
The nice thing about most of these is that they end up saving you money:
  • Solar/wind is already cheaper than fossil fuels, and gas prices have been going up lately
  • The cost of the impossible burger is currently about the same and predicted to come down to half it's current price if the market picks up. (guess I need to do more to help support that locally).
  • Better insulating windows or window films will cut your energy bills, although this can be tricky.
  • Energy-efficient appliances generally pay back the extra costs in the first few years of operation.
  • Many places have rebates for buying high-efficiency items (I got a rebate for my new cool roof a few years ago and on a mini-split I put in).
The downside is there's a lot of disreputable companies that will take advantage of you. Even if you don't DIY the project, I think you need to have the knowledge in hand to make sure they're doing it right and giving you a fair price.
 
Support engineering solutions to remove Co2 from the air.
Greens opposed such measures claiming it would allow irresponsible behaviors to continue.
It's too late to depend on reducing Co2 emissions alone. Would pair well with Co2 removal.
Stop China. They planned on building more massive coal fired power plants.
VOTE
 
Last edited:
Cow farts vs Termite burps.
Termites are wide spread and have a far larger biomass. If the cows don't consume the grass, the termites will.
Stock yard cows are grain feed. Additives to feed can reduce gas.
VOTE
 
Last edited:
Old gas and oil wells leak greenhouse gasses. Pouring concrete down a pipe is not a permanent seal. Pipes rust and concrete crumbles. Better solutions are needed. An aerial survey of California identified old wells as sources of greenhouse gas.
Resealing them would be a cost effective way to reduce greenhouse gasses. Certainly cheaper then shutting down an economy.
BTW: I heard Roman concrete is still around in harbors and shore lines. It's made with pumice not sand. Gets stronger when exposed to water.
VOTE
 
Last edited:
Support engineering solutions to remove Co2 from the air.
Sure, however carbon capture technology is not even close to being effective at scale nor economically viable (horribly expensive). I put it in the basket of options like fusion power, which might be great one day. But that day is a loooong way off and we just don't have that long.

Stop China.
Like CCS, oil wells etc above, this is a thread about what an individual can personally do. If you can personally stop China from building power stations, then all power to you.

Some options open to the individual:

- Get off gas and go electric, and then choose low carbon sources of electrical energy. Either produce your own (solar PV) or buy low carbon sourced power.
- eliminate unnecessary consumption
- don't have children / pets (or another one if you already do)
- improve energy efficiency (e.g. insulation, energy efficient appliances)
- use active transport options (walk, cycle) where possible
- use public transport where possible when walking cycling isn't
- keep car tyres well inflated
- change diet
 
Helped here to get folks onto Solar Power...
Off-topic: THANKS @Steve_S, learned a lot from your comments in various threads. Sounds impressive on what you have build there! Something to dream about in crowded NL. A bit sad to read about your current health outlook...

On-topic: my tiny contribution (I hope): solar on my house which generates 1/3 of yearly electricity use. Invested in a shared windmill which takes another 1/3. Improving insulation and DIY wall heating in a clay (loam? think that is the correct word for it?) wall so got natural gas (heating) usage also many m3 lower. Still having a hard time deciding to let go of my '95 motorcycle but from an pollution point of view I should.
Eating way less meat. And surprisingly: if you spent some time figuring out how to cook with that wide variation of existing vegetables, ideally locally grown obviously, you won't even miss meat in many cases.
 
@Steve_S
That house/property sounds quite cool! How difficult was it to build using SIPs? i've long been interested in those, it looks like a somewhat straightforward building style. I've never really looked into them, as I'm not building a home anytime soon, but I have done some research into composite structural foam panels for vehicle/camper builds which I think is in the same ballpark.
 
Through improved household appliance efficiencies, adding grid tied solar PV, as well as an off-grid system and some other actions we have over the past five years reduced our net grid consumption from 52kWh/day to 9kWh/day, an 83% reduction.

Our grid, while improving with more renewables in the mix, is still one of the world's dirtiest, so it makes a difference. We are not net zero yet but we have made pretty decent strides along the way.

Screen Shot 2021-10-30 at 8.22.18 am.png

We have more to do, primarily with improving the thermal efficiency of our house. It leaks heat like it's no one's business.

In time I'll replace ICE powered items with electric motors where it makes sense. Car is an obvious one but options are not suitable just yet. Yard appliances such as chainsaw, brush cutter, blower. The yard stuff can charge using the excess capacity from my off-grid solar PV system. Electric mowers are not yet capable of dealing with our terrain as the electric options available are domestic level units, which are undersized, underpowered and with inadequate energy capacity for our needs.
 
Off-topic: THANKS @Steve_S, learned a lot from your comments in various threads. Sounds impressive on what you have build there!
@Steve_S That house/property sounds quite cool!
Steve, have to agree... seen a number of your posts here and there about some of the amazing stuff you've done.

... Yard appliances such as chainsaw...
I have a normal 2 cycle chainsaw with a 20" bar and after a bad hurricane that would be normal goto to clean up once the gas stations reopen.

But ... I got an electric ryobi pole saw a few years ago. Basically, it's a tiny electric chainsaw (8" Bar) on a stick. At first I thought it was junk I wouldn't ever use, but then as luck would have it needed a polesaw so tried it out and fell in love. Cut's like it goes through butter and it's lighter and quieter. It's just a joy.

It still needs chain oil and sharpening, but as it doesn't need gas/oil I use it for a lot of stuff. A friend of mine that does professional landscaping borrowed it and says it crap, so YMMV; but I love this thing. Probably just lazy, but I'll use it or the battery sawzall with a 12" pruning blade long before I'll fire up the chain saw unless it's +6". My next chain saw will definitely be electric.

Only had one close call with it, was trimming branches from the roof and when one 100+ lb branch let loose it caught the strap and tried to pull me over the edge; no Darwin award though and no videos/photos so it doesn't count other than a brown spot on the shorts. Well, there was another time when I was so wrapped up in trimming I went off the edge into the lagoon. Pride was severely injured, the polesaw not so much. Didn't have the security bits to get the battery apart in time so couldn't rescue it, but took the rest apart and washed/oiled/siliconed and it's still been working great which really surprised me.

... Electric mowers are not yet capable of dealing with our terrain as the electric options available are domestic level units, which are undersized, underpowered and with inadequate energy capacity for our needs....
I've seen in a couple of threads now that gas generators and lawnmowers are being phased out in various places. Hopefully, someone has some recommendations for that. Our yard is xeriscaped (e.g., all rock) so I just have to pull weeds when they pop up. The trees produce an ungodly amount of leaves, I have an electric bagger/blower for that although I usually blow them into a pile and then rake them into a bin though (the vacuum action works, but makes too much dust, gives me a sinus headache).
 
Last edited:
Sure, however carbon capture technology is not even close to being effective at scale nor economically viable (horribly expensive). I put it in the basket of options like fusion power, which might be great one day. But that day is a loooong way off and we just don't have that long.


Like CCS, oil wells etc above, this is a thread about what an individual can personally do. If you can personally stop China from building power stations, then all power to you.

Some options open to the individual:

- Get off gas and go electric, and then choose low carbon sources of electrical energy. Either produce your own (solar PV) or buy low carbon sourced power.
- eliminate unnecessary consumption
- don't have children / pets (or another one if you already do)
- improve energy efficiency (e.g. insulation, energy efficient appliances)
- use active transport options (walk, cycle) where possible
- use public transport where possible when walking cycling isn't
- keep car tyres well inflated
- change diet
Voting is an option open to individuals. So what I mentioned is germane to this thread.
 
My next holiday will be local and not blasting into space on one of those environmental crusader's rockets.
 
Voting is an option open to individuals. So what I mentioned is germane to this thread.
In which case voting for political candidates who implement practical policies which will significantly reduce emissions and pollution is the relevant action.

That doesn't mean however voting for politicians who talk up CCS. All they are doing is using it as a greenwashing distraction tactic when really they continue support growth of fossil fuels and to avoid taking real action. The current Australian Federal Government is a prime case.
 
an 83% reduction
I guess there is a more subtle point I wanted to make with my earlier post.

One thing you can do is to actually measure and record stuff.

While that in and of itself doesn't reduce emissions, measuring your current energy consumption, production and carbon emission status and trends helps to clearly identify the scale of your emissions, where the biggest culprits lie and where your energies and resources are best spent/focussed.

For example, I recently added Home Assistant and integrated my grid tied system data. I also added the grid CO2 monitoring integration, so the Energy tab now keeps a record of the proportion of our energy which comes from fossil vs non-fossil sources.

Here's a snapshot of last week:

Screen Shot 2021-10-30 at 12.05.11 pm.png

On the lower right you can see the non-fossil energy sources made up 77.6% of our energy consumption in that week.

Up the top right you can see the grid imports and exports, and of the grid imports what proportion was non-fossil.
 
Back
Top