Gift from the Sun

Thirty years ago, friends of mine bought a farm in Ontario. It was a rustic property right in the middle of Mennonite country. The nearest municipality which was a few miles away did not seem to be aware of the existence of this rural area.

Everyone knows that Mennonite energy consists of mainly elbow grease and horse power. Consequently, there were no electric lights in the house and no power outlets. There was a wood stove for cooking and some oil lamps for light. Oil lamps have their place, but they are not much to read by late at night.

Well, my friends, being used to modern conveniences, applied to have the power lines brought in to the property. New hydro poles, expensive but necessary were ordered. Unfortunately, the Electric Company refused to accommodate them saying that its jurisdiction ended just east of their property. And so they approached the municipality to the west of the property to find that its jurisdiction ended just to the west of them.

There they were in the middle of nowhere, isolated! What a quandary! Faced with this adapt or die situation they looked desperately around for alternatives, and they found.. a .....miracle!

They found SOLAR POWER and it was wonderful! It was extremely expensive to install at that time However, so was the cost of having ugly hydro poles planted.

Well, the benefits of solar energy which is after all, a free gift from the sun to all of us, supplied them with unlimited power to operate all their modern appliances. When I first witnessed this I was just amazed!

Ontario has some wicked winter storms and widespread power cuts. Sometimes the general population has to survive with sleeping bags and candles for several days. Fresh water is scarce because most rural homes need electricity to pump from their wells.

I remember calling my friends during one such storm to see how they were making out.

WELL....! They were making out JUST FINE! They were bathed in electric light and they were using their computers, cooking, and watching television etc. They had fully functioning refrigerators, and laundry facilities, while the rest of us were freezing in the dark.

I had to see this phenomenon for myself and I was intrigued at how neat and compact a system it was. Inside a little lean- to shed at the back of the house tucked away under a shelf was a row of batteries each about the size of a car battery. I can?t remember how many but I think about six, maybe more. Apparently, this is where the energy was stored. Outside in the garden there was a small shed. The roof of the shed was comprised of solar panels. On the side of the shed there was some sort of measurement gauge and that was it!

The whole contraption was far less unsightly than hydro poles and much less of an eyesore than monstrous hydro towers strung across the countryside.

Incidentally, these hydro towers are a source of great controversy. Besides being ugly there is a school of thought that finds them detrimental to the health of anyone within near proximity. Sometimes, the installation of these steel monstrosities have been authorized on private property despite protests. Farmers have been known to abandon their farms rather than compromise the health of their families.

The benefits of the solar system for my friends were immense. The solar panels collected the energy and the batteries stored it. Once the system was purchased the power was free!

The icing on the cake was this. A meter installed on the wall of the home kept count of the energy produced and the Surplus energy was purchased by the Electric Company!

Of course, thirty years ago, at the speed of which modern technology advances could be considered the dark ages.

However, nowadays, the process has been refined and made more affordable. All components needed are readily available and not only that but detailed DO IT YOURSELF instructions can be bought cheaply. Solar panels can be constructed for about $200 or less.

Switching to solar is greatly valued by the planet and enormously appreciated by home owner bank accounts.

The concept boggles the mind. Just imagine plentiful power and no electricity bills!

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Betty Locke and husband, operated a successful hobby farm for many years, with the goal of achieving complete self sufficiency,focusing on producing top quality organic food for the family. She was intrigued by the prospect of independent electricity but the cost was prohibitive. Now, with DO IT YOURSELF instructions, independent energy is no longer beyond the average grasp. For further info please visit http://betty-locke.com