Monthly Archives:November 2004

Inspired by our story about the island off Norway, Utsira, adopting hydrogen power? ( ‘Island switches to wind and hydrogen’ posted 5th of August 2004). Consider a trip to the International Hydrogen Energy Congress & Exhibition, being held in Turkey from the 13th to 15th of July 2005.

A holiday is in the eye of the beholder. No Swimming pool, no tv, no minbars… For those who want to truly off-grid when they take off, Petit Byahaut, located on St.Vincent in the West Indies, would be far from the madding crowd, rather than just maddening.

Tranquility is a human right

So what do you get? An eco-resort that offers five Frangipani surrounded guesthouses with corrugated-roofed open-air bedrooms, natural beauty products, and fresh seafood hauled daily form the sea. But the most appealing aspect for the vacatioining off-grider, is that whilst you let your body gradually unwind, your conciensce can take a break too. …

What’s the most effective way generating enough off grid energy? Try not needing quite so much in the first place. According to the National Energy Foundation, in a typical UK home a third of the heat produced by a central heating system is unnecessarily and rapidly lost. As winter makes its hasty approach, try taking a few of these heat saving techniques to make sure you will be like the proverbial bug in the rug…

Imagine this. In the future, you get in from a long, hard day. You open fridge a take out a slab of pasta and pop it into the microwave. Soon it goes ping, and you happily enjoy it with a nice glass of wine. If that doesn’t seem remotely high tech; think about that scenario again. What’s missing from that equation is the guilt inducing mass of packaging a ready meal normally produces. That’s because if WRAP, the Waste & Resources Action Programme have their way, soon that packaging will be a thing of the past. And as they have just received £8 million from the government with the aim of reducing household waste by 310,000 tonnes by March 2006, it might happen sooner that you think.

Off-Grid loves any excuse to kick back and enjoy the view, and design team The Collaborators have made it possible to do that just about anywhere. Their Pods come in all shapes and sizes, and they allow you to create your own space and relax, wherever you can find a place to hang your pod.

Life’s a Pod

Transported in its own flat carrying case and coined “The seat to watch the apocalypse by”, all you have to do is find a nice tree or girder and swing whenever you feel inspired.

Know (or running?) a sustainable energy scheme that deserves recognition? Act fast; the Ashden Awards closing dates are looming.
The Ashden Awards celebrate the achievements of local energy solutions, which, by encouraging these schemes can radically transform the lives of those faced with challenges such as poverty, resource shortages and climate change.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if someone offered you between £400 to £5000 to cut your bills, help the environment and get off-grid?

Following the success of the Clear Skies scheme, aimed to provide householders and communities with grants and advice to help reduce the amount of fossil fuels used and realise the benefits of renewable energy, the Department of Trade and Industry(DTI) has announced additional funding of £2.5m, and extended the scheme until March 2006.

…In the most literal sense of the world. The Energy Efficiency Foundation course is a free day workshops throughout November and December at various venues around the United Kingdom and Ireland, for anyone with a professional interest in understanding and implementing energy efficiency measures.

So you live in a two bed room semi detached house in a regular housing estate. Despite appearances, (and perhaps assumptions), even the most conventional house can have it’s own off grid revolution, and even go one step further; by becoming a power station in its own right.

And how would you do that? Through the implementation of a system known as ‘micro-generation’, which is quietly transforming energy in the domestic environment.