Renewable Revolution

Quote from: azozeo on June 12, 2018, 03:36:20 pm

For me it all started with this hard to explain streetcar setup, where a streetcar was being pulled by a horse. This is one of those instances where an official explanation was running into a sharp contradiction with common sense. I was always wondering why people would go through the hurdles of developing, producing and installing a whole rail system to just use it in a horsecar combination. This of course, had to include the development, and production of the actual car. Just like I mentioned, the rig became known as a horsecar.

Wikipedia contains its own explanation of this horsecar occurrence, “The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport that developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel rail or tramway.”

The above sort of gibberish language and bogus explanation could never sit well with me. Common sense was suggesting that a normal person would never go the length required to produce the entire rail system to just pull cars with horses. Indeed, none of us would think that the below provided setups were intended to be used as presented.

click on link for the rest...
https://www.stolenhistory.org/threads/19th-century-compressed-air-cars-and-street-cars-gone-and-forgotten.96/.

The Amish power their machine shops and ceiling fans with compressed air. It's a way to harness wind power, for them.

I've never been sure why it's okay with God to use compressed air but not electricity. Maybe because its a  DIY tech that doesn't require an "outside" power grid, so they aren't tied to BAU, which seems to be a big deal for the Amish.

The ceiling fans are available for sale online , but they are not cheap.

19 Oct 2015

The Amish Are Going Solar? 

By Jenny Lou Bement | Green Energy
 
Have you seen solar panels on rooftops in Amish country? According to NPR, the Amish population in Ohio is steadily adding solar power technology to their homes. In fact, it reports that 80% of the Amish in Holmes County, Ohio, are embracing this renewable energy. Although a handful of families refuse to take advantage of solar electricity, even some of the more orthodox Amish are excited about the incorporation of solar power. At first glance, it seems strange but, believe it or not, it makes sense.

If there's a community that has held tight to its traditions, it's the Amish. With their own language, way of life and near-absolute separation from mainstream culture, or "English" as they call it, the Amish are famously known for their strong ability to live off the fruits of their labor rather than technology. In general, they live without cars, television or electricity but with advancements in energy generation, some of this is changing. Like many eco-conscious, tech-savvy folks across the world, the Amish are reaping the benefits of solar energy.

Why the Amish are embracing solar

One reason why solar is becoming increasingly popular among Amish communities is the fire risk of their traditional lighting methods such as kerosene lamps and candles – especially for the elderly and younger members of their communities. It also gives their communities the ability to have cheaper, cleaner electricity with the perk of remaining off the grid. In a nutshell, solar is a win-win for the Amish – they remain off the grid, preserving their culture while reaping the benefits of clean renewable energy when needed.

The Amish use electricity?

It's not that the Amish aren't allowed to use electricity, it's that they believe too much reliance on electricity or access to public power grids will tie them too closely to the rest of the world and hurt their well-preserved culture. It's not necessarily against their beliefs to have power. Before solar panels became readily available, the Amish used gasoline or diesel generators to produce their own electricity for a handful of luxuries – lighting and, in some cases, household appliances such as washing machines.

The Amish don't believe electricity is bad; they believe having ready access to it will create temptation that can lead to television and other electrical luxuries that could hurt their values. Their culture values hard work and while they may appreciate appliances and tools that can make their jobs easier, the general consensus in their community is if they have complete access to these technologies, it will compromise their children's work ethic and could lead to a tarnished version of their way of life over generations. With solar, there's less risk of diminished values and mainstream culture, just as with generators. The big difference is – it's better for the world and 100% renewable.

https://www.saveonenergy.com/green-energy/amish-going-solar/

I understand their worry that electricity can lead to television. Definitely a bad outcome there, and I'm not being the least bit tongue-in-cheek.

I hope they don't let that happen. Solar PV is fairly new. I wondered if they would embrace it. They've been using compressed air for a long, long time, and no one else seems to use it.

Quote from: Eddie on June 12, 2018, 05:28:52 pm

Interesting.

I have a big compressor, but my wife made me take it out of the garage because it was really noisy. It's in storage. I have a few air tools, from the days when I thought I wanted to learn to paint cars. More recently, all the power tool makers have come out with alternatives to air tools. I have an electric impact wrench, for instance. When I was young there were no electric impact wrenches, or at least I never saw one.

The high speed air turbine is still my default dental drill (handpiece, we call it), but they have good electrics on that too now, which some people prefer.

The Amish use windmills to compress air, which is kinda cool.

Agreed. 

And that sound of that high speed dental drill is something no person who has ever been to the dentist can ever forget! 

I've often wondered why compressors are so noisy. Sure, the physics involves all the vibration frequencies that are blasted in every direction from air that don't wanna be compressed, so to speak, but there is a sneaky way to get around that. I know they use that with mufflers. As you know, if you can get two sound wave frequencies to interlace a certain way, they cancel each other out. If they can do it with car mufflers, why not with compressors? If you put your thinking cap on, I'll bet you can make your noisy compressor purr like a kitty so your wife won't ban you from using it.