Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 223

Incorporating Renewable Energy in Your Everyday Life

When we sit in a beautiful, quiet place to watch the sunrise most people are taking in the beauty and perhaps having a meditative moment and appreciating nature. Then we go about our day never really thinking much about the power of the sun. Maybe we’re just thankful it comes up everyday. 

What we never stop to realize is that the sun provides a constant steady stream of energy that is not likely to burn out for the next 5 billion years. What that means is that this incredible source of energy is renewable. Yet most of us have the impression that it is still beyond our reach. 

I hope I can change your mind because in this episode I am going to discuss how to incorporate renewable energy in your everyday life. 

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E223 Incorporating Renewable Energy in Your Everyday Life. 

Well folks I am going to start off this episode with the good news story of the week because it is related to this episode. 

Good News Story of the Week 

We have become so accustomed to a take, make, dispose society that most of us are still stuck in that linear antiquated cultural model. We bow to planned obsolescence and go buy something new, yet again. Most of us likely don’t even remember a time when products were built to last and services were offered to make them last even longer. In other words, we still don’t think in terms of reduce, reuse, and renew. But fortunately that is changing. 

By far one of the most wasteful things in our culture is our attitude toward take, make and dispose. This is directly related to planned obsolescence, which involves designing products to become obsolete within a certain timeframe or designing products to have a limited shelf life before they break and have to be replaced. This idea can be traced as far back as 1924 but this idea was not widely recognized until the late 1950s. 

Fortunately a lot of people are starting to recognize that this practice is tremendous wasteful and results in a significant environmental impact. Consequently, “right to repair” legislation has now been introduced in all 50 states. This marks a major milestone in this important grassroots consumer movement. 

What this means is that consumers and independent repair companies have access to the tools, parts, documentation, and software required to diagnose, maintain, and repair certain types of equipment. These laws typically require the original equipment manufacturer to provide manuals with specifications, schematics and software update to consumers at no cost, allowing devices to be repaired without voiding the warranty. 

These laws also ban the use of technological protection measures and are designed to restrict repair only to authorized repair technicians. With the progressive difficulty of repair most electronic devices, most do-it-yourself folks get frustrated and just throw something away because they cannot repair it. Consequently, electronic waste is one of the largest sources of non-recyclable waste that ends up in our landfills. 

Right to repair laws are a fantastic step in the right direction to reduce the millions of electronics that end up in our landfills every year. So, this week’s round of applause goes to the right to repair laws.

And speaking of something that is reusable, this week’s episode is about renewable energy and how to apply that to your everyday life. In my opinion, it is about time because as difficult as it may be to accept, the error of our ways is creeping upon us in a not so subtle way. Now we are in a race with time before reaching critical tipping points even though we have known about potential climate change for over 100 years. Big business and big government continue to push their selfish agendas even though we could run the entire planet on renewable energy. 

I think most people would completely change their thoughts on renewable energy if they knew that in a single hour the sun provides more energy than what all of humanity consumes in an entire year. 

To grasp the extent of that we have to talk some pretty big numbers. Every hour there are 430 quintillion joules of energy impacting the earth from the sun. A quintillion is the number 1 followed by 18 zeros. Presently, it is estimated that humanity consumes about 410 quintillion joules in one year. That means in a single day the earth is impacted with approximately 24 times more energy than all of humanity uses in one year.Interestingly enough people have been harnessing the energy of the sun for centuries. The use of solar energy dates back as far as the 7th century B.C., where ancient civilizations concentrated sunlight with glass and mirrors to light fires. Ancient Egyptians are also known to have used solar energy on a large scale to heat their homes. Modern solar technology, however, began to develop more significantly in the early 19th and 20th centuries, with key discoveries and inventions that paved the way for today's solar power applications.

Initially solar energy was far to expensive for residential application. However, due to advancements in technology as well as several other factors, the cost of solar continues to decline. Between 1998 and 2009, the cost of installed solar panels dropped by 30 percent, and since 2010, the cost of installed solar has dropped a further 70 percent. In just the past decade, the price of solar electricity has dropped by 89%. 

On my own homestead, I installed solar in 2017. Since my system is stand-alone and off grid, I need a battery bank to store energy. I just recently had to replace those batteries which cost me 60% less than my initial investment. Truly it is within the reach of everyone of us to incorporate renewable energy in our everyday lives.

As you likely know, renewable energy comes from natural sources that are constantly replenished. Examples would be solar panels which harness the energy of the sun, wind energy which is generated from wind turbines, hydroelectric which is generated from moving water, geothermal which is a natural source of heat from the earth, and finally biomass which is energy generated from organic materials and agricultural waste. Unlike the use of fossil fuels, these energy sources do not produce harmful emissions and help reduce our carbon footprint.

Fortunately, there are several ways in which each of us can incorporate renewable energy into our daily lives. 

Solar Panels

Solar panels on our homes is likely the most obvious example. At first you may think that you cannot afford to do that. However, it is not as expensive as you may think. Let’s take for example a 5 kilowatt solar array, which at the time of writing costs about $7K USD after tax credits. Granted this is not enough energy to run an entire home but I just want to use this as an example. 

Based on average energy use for our homes in 2022, if every residence in the United States installed a 5 kW solar array, it would offset our total energy production from fossil fuels by 21.7%. Also based on average emissions from electricity generation in 2022, we could cut our carbon emissions by 48%. That is the equivalent of removing 160 million gas powered vehicles from the road. But this also means improved air quality due to less pollution.

Switching to a Renewable Energy Provider

Another very practical thing to do is to switch to a renewable energy provider. The installation of renewable energy has now far outpaced that of the development of fossil fuel plants. The primary reasons for that is cost and the efficiency at which a commercial renewable energy installation can be assembled and functional is remarkable less compared to that of a fossil fuel plant. Taking advantage of commercially renewable energy provides several benefits:

-Cost savings: Renewable energy installations have a very low operating costs. That cost can be passed along to the consumer. And, a personal note on that, my cost of electricity has remained essentially the same for the last 8 years. Just recently I had to replace some equipment for my off grid system. When I did, that cost of the equipment had gone down by 60% since my original installation. Furthermore, between 2010 and 2017, the average price to install solar panels has dropped by 70% and the cost of generating electricity from wind has dropped 66% between 2009 and 2016. 

What this means is the the cost of renewable energy for the consumer can be very stable over time. Unlike fossil fuels where the cost is determined by the world market which we all know can vary dramatically even in the course of a few weeks. 

-Environmental benefits: And there is of course significant environmental benefits with renewable energy with reduce emissions which helps with climate change. -Job creation: The transition to renewable energy is expected to create millions of jobs globally. Every dollar invested in renewable energy creates three times more jobs than the fossil fuel industry, with an estimated gain of 9 million jobs by 2030. 

-Support for a sustainable future: What most people still cannot grasp is that it is possible to run the entire planet off of renewable energy. The only way we will transition away from fossil fuels is to reduce or eliminate our use of this energy source. The best way to do that is for each of use to apply renewable energy to our daily lives in every possible way. 

Solar powered devices 

Another practical application is to use solar powered devices. Things such as solar chargers, solar lights, and solar cookers all reduce your use of electricity and lower your energy costs by taking advantage of free solar electricity.  

Additionally, using solar chargers, or even a small solar array, to run all of our electronic gadgets which constantly consume energy through phantom loads, which is the energy consumed by all of our devices just because they stay plugged in all the time. In the United States alone, phantom loads cost Americans approximately $19 billion annually, consuming nearly 1,375 billion kWh of electricity and resulting in nearly 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In Spain, phantom power accounts for about 300 kWh per year, representing 7-11% of the total annual consumption of Spanish households. In a typical home, phantom loads consume as much as 10% of the total electricity used. You can easily reduce your electric bill by 10% by getting rid of all the phantom loads. 

Besides our primary solar array, we have another smaller array that recharges batteries that we use for multiple different applications on the homestead. For example, lighting for sheds, the barn, pumping water, and to power venting fans for the greenhouse. This prevents us from using a generator and again reduces our dependence on fossil fuels. 

Switch to LED lighting

Changing your home over to all LED lighting is one of the most energy efficient things you can do because these use far less electricity. For example, a 6.5 watt LED lamp provides that same amount of lighting as a 50 watt halogen bulb using 87% less electricity. Not to mention that LEDs last up to 50,000 hours. 

Solar water heaters

Solar water heaters are another great practical application. They can produce up to 50% of all hot water needs for the average household.  If that is not a practical choice for you then change over to a tankless, on-demand water heater which would dramatically reduce your cost of hot water. This is what we use at the cabin because of the extreme efficiency and because keeping a tank of water heating all the time is just impractical for us. 

Using energy star rated appliances

Energy efficient appliances can lead to substantial savings over time.  

For example, an Energy Star clothes washer uses 20% less energy and 30% less water than conventional washers. If every household in the United States used an Energy Star rated clothes dryer, we would save $1.5 billion in energy cost every year.

As good as it sounds to incorporate energy star appliances and use renewable energy, think of this in a little bit of a different way. The greenest energy is the energy you never use. What that means is that if can get by without using any electricity at all, take advantage of that alternative. Unless you have a specific reason for using a clothes dryer, hang your clothes out on the line to dry naturally. Natural energy is the best and it’s free. 

Solar Powered Home Appliances

One other option that I think most people would consider to be rather novel, is to use solar powered home appliances such as ovens, refrigerators and freezers. These are a fantastic way to reduce your dependence on electricity. Since our cabin is fully off-grid, both our refrigerator and freezer are solar powered only. These are the only two things at the cabin that run 24 hours a day and both of them combined use less electricity than a 100 watt light bulb. 

For example, it is simple and inexpensive to set up a solar powered freezer with a small stand-alone solar array and battery backup. If the grid goes down for any length of time, your food will not spoil. The same is true for your refrigerator. I have known several people that live in areas of the country where the grid is constantly going down due to weather is this is exactly what they managed to do with minimal cost. Truly this is a fantastic idea that most people never even think about. 

Planting trees around your home

Trees provide a natural barrier to wind and excessive heat. In turn this reduces the cost of cooling your home. It can make a substantial difference is cost savings which I know from personal experience. A home that I used to own years ago had very large mature trees on the east and west side of the home. Considering the climate we were in these trees provided a significant amount of shading which kept our utility bills at less than 50% compared to our closest neighbors. So, trees make a significant difference. 

The Greenest Energy is the Energy You Never Use

One thing I cannot possibly emphasize enough is that the greenest energy is the energy you never use. There are so many simple things we can do to reduce our consumption of electricity. For example, making your home more energy efficient, turning lights off when not in use, placing a timer on your thermostat and better regulate your home temperature, using any solar powered device that is practical. And this is just to name a few. 

But if you want to go a step beyond that, when and where you shop and what you buy makes a difference. Buying local reduces energy costs. Purchasing from companies that support renewable energy initiatives. Purchasing food from the farmers market or from a local ranch both of which support local economies and reduce transportation costs. 

Incorporating solar energy into your everyday life is a win-win for everyone. It reduces pollution, saves money, makes our power grid more resilient, decreases our dependence on imported fossil fuels, creates jobs and a more sustainable future. 

So, ask yourself a couple of questions. What renewable energy sources are most accessible in your area? What small changes can you make today to reduce your energy consumption? What can you do in the next month to incorporate renewable energy in your everyday life? 

Taking advantage of the power of the sun should be a no-brainer. Humanity has been doing it for thousands of years. Granted there are challenges with running the entire planet off of renewable energy and it is actually possible with the technology we have in place today. However, the big oil companies and big government, in other words those that make billions of dollars on fossils fuels, would have you believe just the opposite. 

The sun provides more energy to the Earth in one hour than what all of humanity uses in an entire year. The best part is this energy source is completely free. The downside is that the technology to make use of the energy is not. That said, the cost of installing solar panels has gone down by 70% over the last 15 years making the use of solar energy more feasible than ever before. 

I think I have always been an independently minded person. That is the reason I have been in business for myself for the last 25 years and that is the reason I live on an off-grid homestead. A big part of this is that I do not want anyone else to be in control of my resources because that means they control my life. I figure out creative ways to work for multiple places so that my income is not dependent on any one thing. We live off grid so that we are in control of most of our personal resources. In my opinion taking more control over your life is more important today than ever before. 

Incorporating renewable energy into your everyday life is just one simple way that makes it possible to control more of your personal resources. But it is also essential for a sustainable future. Even small steps can make a substantial difference. If everyone of us incorporating enough renewable energy to power all of our phantom loads we would save $19 billion annually. That is a lot of money and that alone should make you realize why big business does not want us to make the switch. They are far more concerned about profits than they are saving the planet. 

Commit to a cleaner, greener future everyday by using renewable energy everyday. It is possible. You just have to make the right choice. You will be saving money, saving the planet and supporting a sustainable future. 

Well folks, I think that is about it for this week. I hope you have enjoyed this episode and that you will join me again next week. Until then, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.