Lubbock, Curious about Solar Power? Get answers October 5!

Woohoo! I am excited!

With the LP&L/ERCOT changes, I've had a several people ask me about residential solar in Lubbock. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know much. But that's going to change next Saturday. The local chapter of the CCL has invited some solar pros to come talk and share what they know.

Oh, by the way, you're invited too!

Sorry, the links are not active, but the flyer info is good!

I hope to see you there!

Be well, my friends!

A Walk in Fort Worth

We moved the fabulous young woman this week. Yesterday morning the granddog/nephew and I went on an exploratory walk. We took some fun pics, so I thought I'd share. Not a whole lot of Mesquite Huggery stuff, just a good morning walk with good company. Come, walk with us.

Charles "Chuck" Bartowski

Character?

An Austin in Fort Worth?

Electric bikes and shipping-container architecture - Oh yeah!

To boldly bike where no one has biked before...

Bees and trumpets

From the bees to the B Station

Up the Junktion

(not) our house in the middle of our street 

Caliche and plastic attitude!

Can't feature Cow Town without a cow.

For years I dreamed of opening a scooter shop - this would work.

Vintage Voltage Scooters of Fort Worth - hmm.

Lonesome dove

Three Little Birds (and the State Bird of Texas mocking them)

Solar-powered, foot-operated recycling and garbage receptacle

The sun also rises...

...in Fort Worth.

Thanks for strolling with us! May you find beauty wherever you look and may you walk in great company.

PS. Be watching for more on the e-bike shop on 2Wheels Maybe.

The Dream Shows up Again - Solar VW MicroBus!

The most persistent Mesquite Hugger DIY dream is to take an old van, convert it to electric power, and add solar power to the roof - a self-powered clean machine with the ability to haul a little stuff. The star of my dream is usually an old Econoline van or an old Greenbriar van. But's also been a Grumman postal truck, a Vespa Ape, a Cushman Truckster, a Subaru 360 van, a Crosley wagon and pretty much every other box-like vehicle out there. VW Microbuses have made the list on many occasions.

An email from Gear Junkie popped up this week and [BOOM] there it was - a solar-powered Microbus. Yep, they emailed me the dream.

Here's the video

The bus was built by Brett Belan from Oregon. And it's pretty standard for a converted EV, at least as long as you don't look up. When you do look up, you see a pretty hefty solar setup, over 1200 watts on a platform that tilts up to more efficiently catch some rays.

And when the panels are tilted up, it creates a great sleeping area, so Belan crafted a tent that attaches to the panels.

You can take it with you.

How's that for a room with a view?

You can learn more about the Belans' Bus here.

May you come into your own by following the sun!

Bonus electric bus (without the solar)

Electric Subaru 360 (Lane Motor Museum)

World-Famous Scientist, LBK Experts, and a dork at the TTU Museum tomorrow!

One of these three people is speaking at the Texas Tech Museum tomorrow (10/16/2016) at 2pm: (And I am excited about it!)

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and a couple of dorky guys

If you've never heard Dr. H speak, you could be in for a real treat tomorrow, but you have to get yourself over to the Texas Tech Museum (4th and Indiana). It's a bit ironic that Lubbock [where we work so desperately to convince ourselves that we have nothing to worry about or that there is nothing we can do about it] is home to one of the world's most respected and influential climate scientists.  

Dr. Hayhoe and her unsung colleagues at the Texas Tech Climate Sciences Center offer a clear voice of inspiration, wisdom, and hope in an area that offers lots of sound and fury but little else.

The whole event is in support of the Smithsonian/Chicago Museum of Science and Industry Green Revolution exhibit which is now on display at the museum.

All the info you need

Besides the speaker, the reason that I am excited about this event is that it is designed to offer encouragement and support to local people who want to lead greener lives. From 2:30-4 you can visit booths manned womaned peopled by local experts on a number of topics. You can meet the LP&L guy who is the Mother Teresa of LED lighting, you can meet the Tech Recycling people; you can meet our local authorities on xeriscaping, community gardening, water conservation, wind energy, solar power, and so much more. There's even going to be a dorky blogger there talking about electric vehicles and their ability to help us pollute vastly less while saving money and enjoying the ride! (He might also talk a lot about bicycles, give away a few {tiny} Teslas, and give away three self-promoting t-shirts.)

May the dorky blogger see you there and may we all find new ways to make our world a healthier place!

PS. Personal Carbon Reduction makes me so very happy!

Mesquite Hugger Disclaimer 2: Solar/Wind Power vs Energy Conservation

[Earth Day is just 4 days away!]

 

Yep, you know me. I'm an eco-dreamer. One of my struggles with going green is how snagging expensive it can be, especially if you follow popular media and conventional wisdom. If you pay much attention, you quickly develop a high-dollar list of must haves in order to go green:

• solar panels
• electric car
• high-efficiency appliances
• rain collection system
• organic food
• so forth
• so on

It's pretty easy to see that I bought in - at least figuratively. My finance manager, however, did not buy in. My finance manager believes that you should not spend money you don't have. (We argue a lot.)

So, the Mesquite Hugger home does not have solar panels mounted to the roof or a wind generator spinning away in the yard. But I have done a lot of reading in preparation.

Home Energy Saver Calculator

The first two things people do to prepare for going solar is assess their home and clean up their act. The more energy efficient you can make your home, the smaller your solar setup needs are, and that means less money out of your pocket.

So, where do you start?

Electricity

 

One of my favorite electricity tools - simple and inexpensive

This one is multifaceted and can have a huge impact. It can be as simple as working to reduce energy use in rooms you are not in (no lights left on, close a/c and heater vents, eliminate phantom power losses) or measuring power usage of the electric devices you have (Switch to LED bulbs already!!!) or finding ways to not use your electric devices (Hanging your laundry up to completely or partially dry can drastically reduce electricity usage).

20 Things You Can Do to Conserve Energy

Air leaks

Doors, windows, vents, even light switches - these can all contribute to air loss in your home. Sure, it would be great to have someone come over and replace them all, but most air leaks can be dealt with using much less intense and expensive approaches, and many of them can be done by a less expensive technician - you.

US Department of Energy - Tips: Sealing Air Leaks at Home

Insulation

Similar to dealing with air leaks, adding insulation to your home can be a great way to conserve resources and make your house more comfortable all year round.

A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Sealing and Insulating with Energy Star

 

Looking through these on-line resources, you can see that there are lots of projects you can tackle yourself with very little time, money, and skill. Small efforts can make big payoffs when it comes to making your home (or workplace) more energy efficient.

 

May you find a path to green conservation and money conservation with no financing involved!

AMIE: Tiny House EV Concept that checks a lot of Mesquite Hugger Boxes

Check out the MH Checklist, y'all!

A tiny house that looks like a roly-poly bug? Check.

 

An ugly (hybrid) electric vehicle? Check.

 

A photo of a dog? Check.

 

It was featured in Gizmag and Treehugger? Check.

 

Self-generated, clean (and shared) energy? Check.

 

Minimal  construction waste? Check.

A house and car that share the love? Check.

Cool animated video? Check.

 

Raised bed garden? Nope

Backyard chickens? Nope

 

Recycling? Nope

 

Cheap Cargo Bike? Nope

Okay, so you can't have everything, but I am loving the concept and all the stuff it does have!

May we keep striving for better, keep choosing better, and never give up.

Climate Talk in Lubbock?!!! A nice welcome home!

I read the news with excitement this morning. There is a climate change talk at the local university this Saturday.

Last week my wife and I took a mini vacation in a beautiful place and a place where there are signs that some of the locals give a damn. Monday was our first day back, and I have to admit that it was hard to settle back into our home town.

Free publications encouraging green energy and conservation - imagine that!

Speaking of conservation...

A business operating completely on its own solar power

 

My kind of carport!

 

Not so much.

I watch closely and see few signs that anyone here gives any thought to (or even believes in) climate change. The main local focuses seem to be bigger houses, more powerful cars, and more extravagant ways to tailgate. Yep, I sometimes feel like a green peg in a black hole.

But I now have plans for Saturday. From 1:00-3:30 (Room 169 of the Human Sciences Building at Texas Tech) there is a free talk about climate change. And I am excited. There will be two speakers, and one of them has shown up on Mesquite Hugger before - Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, the internationally known climate scientist, a woman who gives me hope as a mesquite hugger, as a Christian, and as a human being

Learn more here:

http://lubbockonline.com/education/2015-10-20/climate-change-event-scheduled-saturday-texas-tech

May we meet somewhere to deal with the damage that we have been inflicting on our badly battered planet.

Regional Carbon Reduction: an Alien Sun

Props to Roswell, New Mexico and Excel Energy!

Lubbock is a town where we battle our own beast. We "own" Lubbock Power, Light, and Water. And it is an unruly beast. Local politics over the last few years have centered around LP&L, its  mismanagement, its shortsightedness, and its lack of response to the needs of its "owners" .  Our power company is very opposed to renewable energy in any form. We live near some of the most productive wind generators on the continent and we live in a very sunny place. We get our power from coal and natural gas.

So, when I see our neighbors making better choices, I like to draw attention. Here goes:

Excel Energy cleared for solar purchase near Roswell, NM

Excel is a big power company in the region. Roswell (you know - the place famous for a UFO coverup) is a strangely nifty place just west of us. Our part of the world is ripe for solar and wind power, and these two entities are working to take advantage of that. And I want to say thank you to both!

In case you find yourself in Roswell, be sure to check out all of the alien stuff - the museum makes it hard to be a UFO cynic, but be sure not to miss one of Roswell's truly best- kept secrets: 

The Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art

It's an astoundingly good collection - the Luis Jimenez motorcycle sculpture is worth the trip.

Thank you, Excel. Thank you, Roswell. Thank you, everyone who works for a healthier world!

May you be surrounded by such people!

Electric BMWs in the LBK? Or, Financial Planning for Idjets!

So last week you may have read a Mesquite Hugger post about the vehicles and such I would buy if I had the money for a Tesla Model S. (By the way, I saw a Model S at the Vine on Friday night.) Well, Sunday morning I received a text from Ben. The text contained a photo of an exotic electric car here in our dusty town. (Ben loves exotic cars and has an appreciation for electric cars. And he is great to snap a pic anytime he sees one. He has supplied us with photos of a few Model S's, a Tesla Roadster, a Ford Fusion Energi PHEV, and various other cool stuff lately.)

Ben's pic of an i8 spotted here in Lubbock

 

By our count, that makes three electric BMWs in town - two i3's and this i8.

The cool but vastly less sexy i3

 

The i8 is BMW's answer to the Tesla, and outside of Tesla land, it is one of the more impressive electric cars out there, but it still burns some gasoline and costs twice what a Model S costs. Twice!

So, I will do the shorter version here with lots of changes because I've had time to think:

If I had the Money for a BMW i8, I'd...

...try to talk the wife into a used Volt. Neither of us are Chevy fans, but it really is hard to beat the Volt for price, reliability, and range if you are looking at plug-in hybrids. And, they are good looking cars. $15,000. (With the balance we save from buying the Fusion PHEV, we could pay for some education she has been wanting.)

...pay off the fabulous young woman's college!

...put $20,000 into the little brother's college savings account.

...pay someone to complete my electric Mazda pickup project for my daily runabout and invest in a high-powered generator to make it capable of long-distance travel. I would keep our junky old Dodge Ram for bigger hauls, but drive it as little as possible. (Since I don't have the money or time fantasized about in this post, the Mazda is going up for sale in my attempt to cut back on unrealistic [for me] projects.)

...finish both Silver ElectroPigeons. (Woohoo!)

...go solar! Our home would be very green and Lubbock Power and Light could stop burning coal and natural gas on our behalf!

...put $15,000 into starting something similar to Good Karma Bikes here in the Hub City. (Thanks, diybiking.com!)

That should leave about $20,000 for retirement and a nice long vacation.

OR

...forget all of the previous plans and move to Costa Rica where I could compose blog posts in the sand on the beach and share fabulous sunsets with my wife!

May your dorky green plans come true!

 

What's Better than an EV Microbus? A Solar EV Microbus!

 

If you hang around Mesguite Hugger long enough, you're going to see an electric VW or four. VWs make great conversion candidates. They are light, plentiful, and their rear-mounted transaxles adapt easily to electric rebirth.

Green Car Reports posted 1966 Microbus today that has a lot of appeal for me. It's a green, self-fueling machine. The article is pretty skimpy on details, but it's nice to see that we get closer and closer. (The article does mention a slug-bug that's getting the same treatment.)

Classic 1966 VW Bus With Green Drivetrain: Solar-Powered Electric Motor

May you end up with clean, green transport that feeds itself.

In case you are an EV van fan too:

1957 Volkswagen Single Cab Pickup

1978 VW Westfalia

Voltabus!

Solar Kickstarter Coffee-Napkin Minipost: UNplug your fridge off-grid!

(Still shot from the great video)

As you may have figured out, Grizz and I talk a lot, but we do very little. We meet most days for coffee, and on the really good days, we design and scheme. We solve all the world's problems on some days, but most days we look at getting a little bit off-grid. A common discussion for us is the thought of small-scale solar - taking one appliance at a time off grid. Our first victim is always the refrigerator.

UNplug Treehugger article

So, today when I saw a Derek Markham Kick Your Fridge Off-Grid article on Treehugger, I got pretty excited. Then I watched the Kickstarter video and became downright tickled. I hope you enjoy it as well.

UNplug Kickstarter page

May you not break your toe when kicking the fridge (off-grid)!

Monday Mini-Post: Solar-Powered Bicycle

Ok, I admit it, I am a double slacker today.

Photo from the TH post below

 

Slacker point 1: I have been gearing up for the National Bike Challenge, so I have been trying to ride the conventional bicycle as often as possible. But this morning was a little breezy and the forecast calls for sustained 25mph winds at the end of my work day. And I have a bad case of the Mondays. So I said no to the conventional bike and arm wrestled between the ebike and the non-e pickup. The ebike won. High winds and high temps are the reasons I wanted an ebike. It was a nice ride and I was breathing a little heavily when I arrived at work. I would have been breathing heavier had I ridden the regular bike.

Slacker point 2: I have been working on a solar-powered vehicle post.  While there are definitely limitations at this point in time, I find solar power to be the most logical and promising fuel for transportation, and I follow solar vehicle articles with a gleam in my eye. But I have been dragging my feet on the actual article.

So, here is a Lloyd Alter/Treehugger article about a solar-powered bike that is under development in Copenhagen. The video that accompanies it also gives you a nice little slice of life for bike commutuing in the world's most bike friendly city. The bike itself is a pretty conventional setup outside of the wheels that contain and transmit solar power. Enjoy!

It's a solar-powered electric bicycle. Now we're talking. Again.

May your vehicle fuel itself sustainably!