PureCountry said:
Venezuela is sounding better all the time. That is cheap. WOW!
We're looking at going off grid because of energy costs in utilities. New well we're looking at drilling will be totally solar and wind powered when we do it. Trying to figure out where to build a straw bale house as well. Been researching it for a few years, just can't decide where to put it.
That straw bale idea is an interesting one. I've done some research on it too as I've long been interested in alternate building techniques. We've got such beautiful sandstone in the region, much of broken naturally into blocks of assorted sizes, that when I do build my home it'll likely have a signifcant portion of local sandstone blocks.
Wind and solar are excellent energy sources when you can take advantage of them. We're about to complete the final hookup for my "cochinera" (hog pen) which is about 40 acres in size. It's fenced with two strands of electric, powered by a solar panel. We get plenty of sunshine most of the year.
I've also done some looking at assorted wind powered electrical generation as there's almost always a stiff breeze out of the east at the ranch.
My place is currently off grid but that's only because I've not spent the funds to contect to the neighbor's lines. I'd have to run about 2 kilometers of poles and lines, which isn't too much, just never did so. And actually, I'm glad I didn't as not having electricity at the ranch was never a big issue anyway (we've got several small generators).
As it turned out, there's a major construction project going on at the peak of a nearby mountain and they've decided to run power up there. Those power lines will run along the other side of my place, farther from where I want to build my home than my neighbor's connection, but passing near my ponds. So I've shifted gears and decided I'll hook up over there and run power past each pond where I can later use electric to run pumps for my irrigation system.
The problem in Venezuela isn't the cost of power, it's the reliability. Power outages occur weekly, most lasting just an hour or so, but sometimes lasting 24 hours or more. There are plenty of brown outs too which I'm sure damage compressors and the like. Regardless of the hook up I have with the local power company, I'll also be prepared for outages and shortages with generators, solar, and/or wind to help out.
