I'm down this rabbit-hole again it seems. I mean, the idea is quite fascinating. Coming up with a way to generate energy, to not depend on anybody sounds Utopian, and thus very seductive, but at the end of the day I end up walking into the same wall.
This time of the year the Sun around here acts more like a resentful spouse. It shows up when it wants, for a very short time and does little to warm the room. Luckily, we are maybe a month away from the "good times", but as I've said before the energetic crisis is already here, so I'm looking for solutions, for alternatives. In other words, I need more.
That being said: What I would love to figure out something too..
What about nighttime?
Yeah, I mean, solar is great, love everything about it. It's quiet, which is the biggest plus for me, but more than that it's quite efficient.
Lot's of alternative options, including windmills are nowhere near as effective in generating a lot of power for the footprint they require.
The search for a solution has guided me into the pretty much obscure world of thermoelectric generators. Which, In my opinion, for our location at least, sound the most promising.
If you are able to filter through all the bullshit, which is plentiful on this here internets (redneck accent). You can find something very viable, very doable, and not "expensive" per say.
Turns out
These are real, the peltier modules do work and you could, funnily enough, charge your cellphone using a tea candle. WHAT?
I can see you typing with my foresighted imagination. You are probably saying this has to be a lie, there simply no way, but I checked plenty of material on the subject and even found reputable experiments, and yes, this is a thing, this works.
Scaling it up...
That's another challenge altogether. Not that I would mind having a reliable way to charge my cellphone granted all other options are not working. It's happened more than once this week, the batteries of my solar system can't store enough power to make it through the night, and thus using an external generator has been the only solution. Which, I should add, sucks.
Can I make a bigger one? That is the question. Can I make a barrel size thermal generator to power some lights, laptop and cellphones, as to use up all the debris around the farm, which has plenty if I'm honest, and achieve a new level of autonomy.
Many experiments required, but the little boy inside of me seems to be quite excited at the notion of such a thing.