Rainy Days at Green-Trust

Fortunately we are getting rain today. I say fortunately, becuase it means our existing well is getting recharged. It does mean we are taking a break from drilling the new well. We have been running into issues as our sandy soil is filled with glacial till, which causes the drill to move back and forth as it hits these small round rocks, and we end up with a uneven drill hole. Solid rock would be easier to drill through.

I did get the new Outback MX-60 MPPT Charge Controller installed this morning, as well as 550 watts of PV, connected serialy for a 100vdc input. The MPPT controller matches this to our 12vdc battery bank.

The MX60 also features Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), which seeks out the maximum power available from a solar array and uses it to recharge the batteries. Without this feature, the solar array does not operate at the ideal operating voltage and can only recharge at the level of the battery voltage itself. The MX60 “sweeps” the array’s operating voltage at user-determined sweep intervals to track the Maximum Power Point (MPP) of the PV array.

I also set up two web based ip camera systems for a friend to keep track of deer and security at his camp in the woods while in Florida for the winter.

The rest of the day is dedicated to lectures and assignments in my online Bachelors (Network Management) program from Westwood College.

New reading material on the environment and security of energy supplies

We recently read two new books, one on the health of our planet, and one on what we must do as a nation to secure our energy supply. We recommend both of them, and encourage you to read the reviews at http://tips.green-trust.org

1. WHERE WE STAND: A Surprising Look at the Real State of Our Planet by Seymour Garte, Ph.D.

2. Freedom from Oil: How the Next President Can End the United States' Oil Addiction by David Sandalow, Brookings Institution scholar

Steve Spence
http://www.green-trust.org

DIY Well Drilling at Green Trust, Oct. 25th. (updated date)

Come stop by Green Trust, and learn how to drill a well, yourself. Nathaniel Burson, from http://www.howtodrillawell.com is coming to give a class. You will learn how to make the drill, drill for water, and pump it to the surface. It's easy, and a whole lot cheaper than the big guys. Be in control of your water! Make money drilling for others. Admission will be $60 and will include a free set of plans and DVD and a $40 coupon off kits from http://www.howtodrillawell.com. Classes will be held Thursday (the 25th) afternoon/evening, and then all day Sunday and on Monday night if the well isn't finished Sunday. The class will feature a complete well drilled from start to finish using our new affordable system. All attendees will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience drilling their own well. We will have info available on DIY pumps designed by Jim Juczak from http://www.woodhenge.org. Boondocking is available. You can contact Steve at 315-328-5726 or Nathaniel at 903-576-6800.

93 Sheldon Rd.
Winthrop, NY 13697

Map and Directions:
http://tinyurl.com/yhgzfd