Sunday June 27th, 2010 Going off the Grid?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live totally independent from those monthly or bi-monthly energy bills? Well, there are ways to never receive that monthly hydro, gas and water bill, become self sustained and most importantly, impress all your friends and neighbours with your ingenuity (and good looks). There is more and more of a movement where home and camp owners are looking into the possibilities of alternative and renewable energy as a way to decrease costs and become environmentally friendly. While you do not have to go entirely off the grid to reap these rewards, one can still benefit from having even one alternative energy source. If you are interested in learning about this subject, Thunder Bay Public Library has numerous resources to assist you in that department.

I will first mention the many recent books the library has on the subject of renewable energy sources and sustainable living. One publication that covers a variety of methods to consider is Renewable Energy Made Easy by David Craddock. This book documents the pros and cons of renewable energy and information on renewable and alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, hydropower, wave power, biomass and geothermal complete with case studies offering how-to projects. Another book which also features a number of renewable energy sources and detailed information and instruction pertaining to each is The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-grid and Sustainable Living by William H. Kemp. While this publication appears to be geared towards rural living, camps and cottages, every homeowner will benefit from the information contained within.

There are also books at TBPL which highlight specific types of renewable energy. One example is Power from the Wind: Achieving Energy Independence by Dan Chiras. Focusing on small-scale energy production, this publication offers readers detailed information with diagrams, charts and photographs concerning all avenues of wind energy, from theory to the practical. Moreover, if you are interested in the steps required to harness the sun’s energy in your maniacal quest to take over the world….or are interested in solar power to just save money, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Solar Power Your Home by Dan Ramsey and David Hughes is the way to go. This resource is easy to read and quite informative concerning the topic of solar power as a renewable energy resource.

While TBPL carries periodicals that feature articles concerning renewable energy and sustainable living, one monthly magazine I really want to draw attention to is Home Power. This magazine features information on renewable solar, wind and microhydro energy cover to cover for both the layman and expert alike.
Lastly, TBPL offers users access to a series of electronic databases (named the Virtual Collection) which contain a wealth of knowledge on almost every subject (accessed through the TBPL website at home or at the library, provided you have a library card). One electronic database to consider when attempting to gather information about renewable energy and sustainable living is GreenFILE. This database powered by EBSCOhost can offer users access to helpful articles from journals, magazines, books and reports that might otherwise be hard to locate.

Of course, completely transforming your home to go off-grid is a major project that will take a lot of time, money and energy (no pun intended); however, even implementing a small renewable energy adjustment to your home or camp might save you dollars in the long run, which you can then spend on those much wanted and needed margaritas. In fact, even I kinda feel like undertaking a small project……..or just sitting in sun drinking margaritas; either or.

Derek Gradner, Library Technician