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Solarcentric

The Suffolk Solarcentric magazine sales are gradually increasing. We would appreciate any 100 - 200 word articles from Permaculture members. Don't be like some of our members, reluctant to tell the unconverted of our way of life. Let us make those polluters realise they are losing out. http://www.irene.org.uk/solar/solar1.htm

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Organic was Commonplace

I grew up on a small farm. I recall we had a cycle within the farm that reused the produce we could not profitably sell. If grain prices were low, we ground it for animal feed. Our milk went away in churns that sometimes stood in full sun for too long and was returned as unfit. It became yoghurt. By skimming some cream off we had butter and cheese and less returned milk.

We had the typical mix of animals and crops. My father did not like pigs, but we grew a good deal in our hedgerows. Coppicing Ash for sale and Hazel for our own use. The Blackberry hedge supplied fresh fruit and jam. There were Crab apples, Bullaces, Sloes, Plums, Greengages, Apples and Pears. Also Rose hips for the syrup company and the Hawthorn berries and Quince for the wine makers.

The ditches were not always wet enough for Water chestnuts or Cress, but they drained the fields and gave us clean water for the cattle and ourselves to drink. Household pond water was filtered through charcoal produced in a nearby woodland. The ponds were also home to our ducks, geese and various water fowl.

The variety of meat we had, Chicken, Beef, home grown and wild Duck, Goose, Pheasant, Partridge, Rabbit, Hare, Pigeon would probably turn a vegetarian's stomach. However, the variety from the garden would make them green with envy.

At the age of twelve my mother offered me a shilling (5new pence) for every day that I could supply food for the table. Business reared its head in my young mind. I already had my pocket money from my own chickens.

With auctioneers closing markets because they cannot reap the high rewards they seek,

I wonder if any of today's farmers could find markets for such small quantities of so many products.

They could if we could get the local small shops to stock this local produce.

Where do we start? Do we try to get hold of a few acres and then try to get a shop to sell the yields? Or..... do we find the market with box schemes and then try to find the land, or the farmers to supply that market?

- a cautionary tale of solar panels

In October ’98 Issa & I moved out of Cambridge to a magical rural cottage near Saffron Walden. One of the major attractions was a large wood construction barn, ideal for conversion to a studio for Issa to paint, weave, plus a workshop area for me.

However, it had no official electricity supply, so before moving in it felt right that we invested in a solar panel for winter light and a small wood burning stove for heat. It was just over a year later that either of these actually worked, and this is the story of the light.

A totally-green specialist 1 ½ man company existed in Cambridge selling panels, controller, bulbs etc. by mail order and some of the bits reached the house before we did. Recognising my lack of electrical expertise, Ben also gave me some pre-cut, pre-marked wires; a detailed circuit diagram; and dire warnings about what has happened to others who accidentally made links from pre-charged battery positive terminals to the negatives. (I never did)

Much else needed sorting in the next months before I turned my attention to where the panel could be safely fixed. The flat roof sloped the wrong way and its overhang at the front shaded the sun-facing wall at its top. Lower down, I felt the panel would be far too much at risk from my log chopping activity etc, so O built a platform half-way up the wall. It was quite good, but as leaves appeared on nearby trees it became obvious that it became obvious that it wouldn’t get enough sunlight. At the third attempt, a compromise position was found which although shaded in summer would work in winter when most required. Then I began connecting wires.

To minimise power loss the wires (if long) should ideally be 6mm diameter. The biggest I could get was 4.5mm, and Ben had now emigrated to Spain, but still trading and offering advice by phone whenever needed. Even 4.5mm however, was much bigger than would push into the maybe 3mm holes leading out from the charge controller, with nothing but a 1mm gap separating positive out from negative out. Inevitably I blew the protecting fuse, but that was easily replaced.

Eventually I had 10m runs of wire from both, to the light socket brought from Homebase, with its UK type of bayonet fitting. The American-made "ballast" into which the special 12volt bulb fitted, unfortunately was of screw-in type, but I had an adapter amongst my hoarded treasures.

No on/off switch though for a dc circuit, so more time passed whilst I sorted that out with difficulty.

The solar year was half gone now, but the barn has big windows, well insulated walls and is like a greenhouse in spring and summer. Patience is a virtue! I was cultivating it, along with my vegetable plot nearby.

Finally everything was connected. I switched on. Nothing happened. The controller has little lights, all twinkling away to give me reassurance about charge levels in the two batteries etc. But no charge fired the serious light bulb.

I consulted Ben by phone, and every electrician who crossed my path, but none of the latter was willing to look at a solar circuit. I even consulted Yellow Pages, but no-one round here admits to this line of business. Solar panel plumbers – Yes. Electricians – No. Far too much money in high-tech industries in Cambridge. Capable friends offered words of encouragement, but no actual ‘rescue’.

I borrowed a circuit-tester, and to my amazement everything was fine. I took the bulb to a wonderful Aladdin’s cave sort of shop and it still worked – but not with my circuit. I screwed the ballast in more tightly - and broke it. Patience, I said, and sent it off to Ben in Spain.

"I’ve repaired it" he replied, and wired it directly to a connector so you won’t need any socket adapter. Still the light wouldn’t light! Patience, I said. This is a test for me: there must be a break in the circuit somewhere.

So I did a sort of coronary by-pass on half the circuit, tried reversing the polarity. Nothing. The anniversary of our moving her arrived. The wood-burner was finally connected up, and I burnt some rosemary prunings. A few days later I replaced the fuse again, took out the bypass, reconnected the original wires and lo – there was light!

Expensive light maybe but I’m ready for power loss as the millennium dawns. Mind you, I still haven’t worked out how I can link a radio to the circuit as well, but silence is golden. So I’ll listen to the birds instead and remember with gratitude the friends around Halesworth who would have solved all those problems for me in a lot less than solar year.

Old bath for holding water in the garden.

My idea is that it will be lower than a conventional water butt, therefore less likely to blow over on our exposed site; it should be less visually intrusive; it can be used as a seat; and as a plant stand with capillary matting to the water below.    Nigel

Stepladder,

wanted permanently, not just to borrow occasionally Lucietta

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