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
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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