Renewable Energy

I have lived off-grid since 1997. In April 2000 I moved to a low impact intentional community, Steward Community Woodland where I have been mainly responsible for installing and maintaining the off-grid renewable energy systems there. I have run a number of courses to share the knowledge I have gained whilst living off-grid. Below is a list of some of the skills I have aquired in this time.

  • DIY off-grid solutions I have lived off-grid since 1997 and supplied my own sources of electrical power and wood fuel. More recently at the Steward Community Woodland project I have shared my experience by running courses on the subject.
  • Photo Voltaic Solar
  • Pico Hydro
    • Pelton wheel turbine
    • Turga turbine
    • Water power analyses
  • Wind Power Although I have not had as much experience using wind power as Solar and Hydro because of the location where I live I have experimented with building my own basic turbines in the past.
  • Wood Gasification I have experimented with wood gasification at the Steward Community Woodland project. We have built a working gasification unit but had issues with good gas filtration and therefore could not run it for any reasonable period of time without risking damaging the engine.
  • 12v electrics I have got a good understanding of 12v electrics having been interested from a young age and studied electrinocs at collage. This has lead to me understanding energy consumption, safety, battery technology and other principles.
  • Battery technology Having used off-grid renewable energy since 1997 I have had a lot of experience with different types of battery technology, especially deep cycle lead acid.
  • Wood fuel Having lived with a wood burning stove for many years I have a good understanding of wood fuel usage and sustainable woodland management for wood fuel.
    • Rocket stoves
    • Wood fired boilers and plumbing
  • Site feasability study and reporting

Electronics and Radio

Having an interest in computers and technology has led me to experiment with micro electronics and amatuer radio. I also hire UHF handheld radios for business use.

  • Micro-electronics My mixture of interests in computers and alternative technology have inevitably lead to my involvement in micro-electronics projects. These are a hobby as I have no work experience with micro-electronics and include using micro-controllers, ADC\DAC's, digital displays and more
    • Arduino
    • PIC Micro-controllers
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Protocols (I2C, SPI)
  • Amateur radio I have been a licence holder since 2013 and now hold a full licence. I use an HF rig and VHF/UHF handheld rigs. I also enjoy experimenting with the electronics used for radio communication.
    • Radio electronics
    • Antennas and feeders
    • Propagation
    • Licensing