NJ man lives off the grid with solar and hydrogen power.

While researching SHTF survival, I came across this youtube video from 2008. I did a search and did not see anything pertaining to this video. If I over looked it, Mods, please remove.

This guy has built his own power plant, largely from energy grants. He has also converted his car to run on his some of his home made hydrogen. In the video he talks about his home as a starting off point for future technology to minimize the size of the operation. Considering this video is four years old, has anyone heard or read anything about building something like this or has this fallen by the way side like most alternative energy developments?

I'm in NJ and never heard about it, thanks for posting it. I would like to visit him.

reply to post by Trueman


I was just about to say that...

If anybody living near him could go visit him and maybe get a good interview of this guy that be awesome

I have a lot of family in NJ and they have never heard of this either. I am quite surprised since the story was on MSM.

I wonder what sort of background he has. I assume engineering, but what else would he need to be proficient in to build such a thing? Chemistry?

reply to post by Catalyst317


Oil isn't a dirty three letter word

reply to post by rebellender


You are correct. It is not a dirty word, just an expensive one.

I have been aware of his operation for a while. He was able to get grant money where a lot of others were not. That grant money allowed him to get the solar panels which is at the heart of his system. His electrical system is very expensive and very complicated. The average person could not pull this off unless they hired a full time operator/maintenance person to operate it.


On top of the electrical system he has the hydrogen plant. The grants paid for those big tanks and all that stainless he used for the hydrogen cells. What he is doing with the hydrogen is dangerous which is why he needs so much storage space for the gas. You cannot pressurize the output from a hydrogen generator because it contains oxygen along with the hydrogen at a 2-1 ratio. This is the perfect mixture for an explosion. The three parts of a fire triangle are 1)Fuel (hydrogen) 2)Oxygen 3)Heat (Pressure). That means that a fire can ignite if there is enough pressure to ignite the mixture. This mixture under pressure in a confined space (tank) is a hydrogen bomb unlike the same size tank of 99.9% pure hydrogen gas which can safely be pressurized and liquified.

He does not separate the hydrogen and oxygen. If he were to do that he could release the oxygen or have it certified for welding then pressurize and sell it. He could then pressurize his hydrogen and use it in any hydrogen vehicle or other internal combustion engine or fuel cell supplying electricity from the hydrogen. With a little work he has the components of a working power plant and fuel manufacturing facility. His output is a positive derivative of water and sunlight which would actually help the environment. He has no fuel cost and produces no carbon footprint.

According to current EPA restrictions he needs a special permit which must be granted by them to operate a hydrogen vehicle on the public roads. He would also need his hydrogen plant certified and licensed. I am sure he could get more grants since that is how he did this in the first place.

He is on the right track, but don't think for an instant that anyone can do what he is doing for a couple hundred bucks. What he has must have cost northward of a quarter million dollars. He can supply his house with power and enough gas for a 4 cylinder engine on short trips. Not exactly a cost effective solution to green energy. It is a good example of how several technologies can work together to supply energy off the grid though. If he were to tie in a wind generator and maybe water turbines he could supply power to his neighbors for a fee.

Anyone can do something to lessen their impact and put power back into the grid. I use home built solar panels to supply 200 watts of power to a grid tie inverter. It puts that power right into my house and any excess turns the meter backward. If I produced more than I needed I would need to sign an agreement with my power company and sell them the excess at a cut rate and any energy I consumed would cost me more. They would put a different meter on my house as well which would monitor all of my electrical activity. No thanks. I don't need a battery system for the grid tie system so it is cheap and effective as long as I am hooked up to the grid.

I could make hydrogen HHO (hydrogen+oxygen) mix with my panels, but it would have to go directly to an engine or holding tank. I do not like the idea of HHO in tanks. Recently a guy in California was killed when his tank exploded. He had been experimenting with higher pressures in his tanks and the mixture ignited blowing the roof off his building and killing him. He had done this before and apparently didn't learn his lesson. There is always the potential for an explosion from the mixture of gasses and when it happens it is very violent.

I use the gas for welding/brazing, hydrogen cannon, automobiles and truck to improve mileage and when I want to make a big bang using a balloon and 100 ft of tubing as a wick. It is very explosive and ignites incredibly fast. The good thing about it is that there is no residual fire after it is ignited like gasoline or other liquid fuels. The flame from it is much hotter than gasoline or natural gas. If placed directly onto the bottom of a pot it can burn through even when the pot has water in it. It also likes to flash back into the holding tank so a flashback arrestor must be used. The only reliable method of stopping flashback is to bubble the output through water so the flame gets stopped prior to entering the gas tank or hydrogen generator. They use a bubbler with a blow off valve half filled with water for this.

What he is doing is what we all should do in some way to our ability. There is something about putting power back into the system that makes you feel good especially when it comes from some free source like wind or sun etc. I feel great every time i hear my inverter fan kick on because I know it only does that when it is producing a lot of power.

reply to post by onecraftydude


Great post! Star for you!
You brought up a good point as far as all of the hoops one must jump through to start getting something like this off the ground. I assume the hoops are in place so that someone who does not know much about the dangers does not accidentally cause a massive explosion. Do you think his neighbors have anything to fear?

reply to post by Catalyst317


This guy only lets his tanks get to a couple psi I think. If there is any ignition source at the outlet of his tanks they would have something to worry about. I am sure he is aware of that and has used great caution with his system.

If one of his tanks were to explode his neighbors would feel it and their windows would likely be blown in within a quarter mile on that side. At 100 ft I can feel the explosion from a balloon holding about 1 cu/ft of HHO. The percussion is very strong since it is a low frequency vibration.

Originally posted by rebellender
reply to post by Catalyst317

 

You are correct. It is not a dirty word, just an expensive one

how much would Hydrogen cost on the open market if we all converted?

make it your self, you say? America has trouble making dinner its self. Making Beer its self, Making Woosky its self. going to a park to play ball instead of watching it on $160.00 per month Cable. Then there is on line dating even for Christians and Jewish faiths who you would think would just shop for free at the local church or synagogue. We want it now!!!

Nope not going to buy into your story that any other is lessor expensive.

Oil has been coming out of the ground for what 150 something years now. Its not a new science, only more safe. OK now throw The Gulf Crisis at me....OK that argument is a host of CLICHE's packed with conspiracy from all angles.

OPEC and the market speculation....now we are getting somewhere. Simple, Take the propping up of the dollar out of the power of the zionists.....OH No!!! you scream...just convert to self serve water power and solar power....OK for 10 minutes until somebody isnt getting palms greased and decides to put a tax on consumption.....

as for living off the grid...yeah, until you need to go to the hardware store that becomes owned by the utilities company

see, oil isn't so dirty or expensive....$150,000 buys a bunch of gasoline even at $5 a gallon...but look oil will be trading under $70 in August

sorry not trolling you, just dont agree with the Idealistic Tree Hugger approach to the solutions of Life....

OK. OK now you want to bring FREEDOM into it. How does Isolation work for you?

have fun

I don't know about living off of hydrogen, but I am working to purchase a cruiser type sail yacht with wind and solar power attachments.

It may be off topic, but does anyone know of a good live-aboard that's about 30 - 36ft for under $25,000?

I think it would be way easier to live off the grid with a boat.

reply to post by LeTan


silp rent is pretty cheap, so finding one not being lived in is pretty hard to do

Originally posted by rebellender

Originally posted by rebellender
reply to post by Catalyst317

 

You are correct. It is not a dirty word, just an expensive one

how much would Hydrogen cost on the open market if we all converted?

make it your self, you say? America has trouble making dinner its self. Making Beer its self, Making Woosky its self. going to a park to play ball instead of watching it on $160.00 per month Cable. Then there is on line dating even for Christians and Jewish faiths who you would think would just shop for free at the local church or synagogue. We want it now!!!

Nope not going to buy into your story that any other is lessor expensive.

Oil has been coming out of the ground for what 150 something years now. Its not a new science, only more safe. OK now throw The Gulf Crisis at me....OK that argument is a host of CLICHE's packed with conspiracy from all angles.

OPEC and the market speculation....now we are getting somewhere. Simple, Take the propping up of the dollar out of the power of the zionists.....OH No!!! you scream...just convert to self serve water power and solar power....OK for 10 minutes until somebody isnt getting palms greased and decides to put a tax on consumption.....

as for living off the grid...yeah, until you need to go to the hardware store that becomes owned by the utilities company

see, oil isn't so dirty or expensive....$150,000 buys a bunch of gasoline even at $5 a gallon...but look oil will be trading under $70 in August

sorry not trolling you, just dont agree with the Idealistic Tree Hugger approach to the solutions of Life....

OK. OK now you want to bring FREEDOM into it. How does Isolation work for you?

have fun

edit on 24-6-2012 by rebellender because: (no reason given)

Wow... you just had a whole debate by yourself. Star for you. LOL

Originally posted by LeTan
I don't know about living off of hydrogen, but I am working to purchase a cruiser type sail yacht with wind and solar power attachments.

It may be off topic, but does anyone know of a good live-aboard that's about 30 - 36ft for under $25,000?

I think it would be way easier to live off the grid with a boat.

Great idea! When I worked in the gulf offshore field I lived on a 34' Hunter ketch for 5 years. I set it up with 2 wind turbines, as well as an R.O. water purifier and also had 2 water turbines that I custom build and mounted on the keel for added power generation while under sail.

IMO if you are looking for a great boat for live aboard purposes I would go with a Hunter, Morgan Outisland, or an Irwin Citation. I don't know what you sailing abilities are but I would recommend staying in the 30'-35' range as anything larger can be a handful to single pilot, especially in high winds and seas. About 20 years ago when I was stationed at Coronado I owned a 42' Morgan and it could get difficult to solo.

Your post brings back memories for me as I sold my Hunter about a year ago when I first started planning to move to ND. I had the same plan as you but was offered a great job in a great state that values individual freedoms so I made the choice to become a landlubber again and sold her.

I don't know where you are located but the boat market is great right now for buyers in the southeast and any of the boats I mentioned can be found for 12 to 20k if you look around enough, sometimes even less. I recently seen a 36' Irwin Citation ready to sail for 16,000 in Sailboat Trader online. I think it was in Virginia.

Good luck on your plans!

Originally posted by Nucleardiver

Originally posted by LeTan
I don't know about living off of hydrogen, but I am working to purchase a cruiser type sail yacht with wind and solar power attachments.

It may be off topic, but does anyone know of a good live-aboard that's about 30 - 36ft for under $25,000?

I think it would be way easier to live off the grid with a boat.

Great idea! When I worked in the gulf offshore field I lived on a 34' Hunter ketch for 5 years. I set it up with 2 wind turbines, as well as an R.O. water purifier and also had 2 water turbines that I custom build and mounted on the keel for added power generation while under sail.

IMO if you are looking for a great boat for live aboard purposes I would go with a Hunter, Morgan Outisland, or an Irwin Citation. I don't know what you sailing abilities are but I would recommend staying in the 30'-35' range as anything larger can be a handful to single pilot, especially in high winds and seas. About 20 years ago when I was stationed at Coronado I owned a 42' Morgan and it could get difficult to solo.

Your post brings back memories for me as I sold my Hunter about a year ago when I first started planning to move to ND. I had the same plan as you but was offered a great job in a great state that values individual freedoms so I made the choice to become a landlubber again and sold her.

I don't know where you are located but the boat market is great right now for buyers in the southeast and any of the boats I mentioned can be found for 12 to 20k if you look around enough, sometimes even less. I recently seen a 36' Irwin Citation ready to sail for 16,000 in Sailboat Trader online. I think it was in Virginia.

Good luck on your plans!

Awesome, I was actually looking at the Hunter 34 1986 model.

Truth be told, I just recently got reunited with the sea. I want to buy a boat to live on board and then take lessons on how to pilot her as I go.

Thanks for your encouragement. Right now, at the Texas coast, all I can find are Catalinas and Morgans. I don't care much for the design of Morgans, I know they are sturdy boats but the layout bothers me. I think I will save up and wait until the Fall season. An old sailor gave me that advice on the docks the other day.

Back on topic, I absolutely ADORE boats that I see which have their own solar, wind and wave generators. All in one boat! And lets not forget that some even have on-board water makers.
I feel if you're gonna live off the grid, the ocean with a sailboat providing it's own power and water is just the ticket.

Back on topic, I absolutely ADORE boats that I see which have their own solar, wind and wave generators. All in one boat! And lets not forget that some even have on-board water makers.
I feel if you're gonna live off the grid, the ocean with a sailboat providing it's own power and water is just the ticket.

edit on 24-6-2012 by LeTan because: (no reason given)

I have to admit, that does sound quite appealing. Although, I would defiantly need some place to grow food. Maybe building a pontoon like platform attached to the boat with soil? How would this affect traveling? Obviously, no around the world voyages, but what about moving from place to place. Maybe like 20 miles or so.

reply to post by Catalyst317


Well, you could try using hydroponics in the aft cabin of the 36' models. It would take up a sleeping quarter but the aft usually has generous space. During the day you can also move plants to the deck to get sunlight. Some sailboats even have such good natural lighting in them that you could just grow plants in the salon (the boat's living room).

I guess it's just how you use your space. The idea with a tie on dingy might be cool, but it depends on where you are docked. If I wanted to do plants, I would just buy a 37' boat and use one of the sleeping quarters as a hydroponics room.

In fact, that sounds like something I could research..

reply to post by LeTan


Some of those grow lights that would be needed, if adequate sun light was not possible, use quite a bit of electricity. Could wind, solar, and wave power be enough to power them? Would there be enough room to still move around comfortably with all the equipment on board (assuming you upgraded the power supply to accommodate and had to invest in larger batteries and equipment)?

reply to post by onecraftydude


Seems you know the case well. Thanks for the info, those tanks you mention worry me. I got kids, to complete the formula for a disaster. Solar panels sound good for me, and safe for my family.

reply to post by Catalyst317


You're asking a very biased guy. I think anything needed on land can be provided at sea, and do so best on a boat.

The power isn't an issue, I wouldn't think with 3 resource generators, you're getting plenty of electricity to run your equipment even if only one of them is effectively working. Though, I imagine, once you are at sea, your power usage will be cut in half because you will be enjoying a dip in the Barrier Reefs while the world burns around you.

Another thing you could try is having a fish tank on the deck for small time aquaculture Maybe raise a few crabs, shrimp, or even bait fish. I've considered this myself.

I'm still new at the whole concept of battery life on boats. Though I know a few builds have more than 2 batteries.

You also won't need to big of a grow light that would consume large amounts of power. The aft room is usually very well light. I'd say for the one in the picture, you would only need one small grow light for effectiveness.




Ah, I'm so close to this dream. I can almost taste it.