The power grid is our umbilical cord.  All the gadgetry of our techie lifestyle makes it seem impossible to live without it. Well, almost…because PopularMechanics senior technology editor believes that technology can lend a hand when there’s a blackout. That and, alternative sources of energy.

To prove the point that it’s possible to live off the grid and keep all your gizmos going, he decided to put his family through an off the grid lifestyle challenge.  This how to will show you how to live off the grid with all your gadgets switched on: computer, internet access, LCD TV, Wii, cold beer, and power tools.  Should life grind to a halt because there’s no power? Not anymore.

Off the Grid Power Plan:

All the power he generated is stored by charging two orbital gel-cell deep-cycle batteries powering an inverter.

Green Powered Gadgets:

The Experiment:

• The location: 17-acre farm in upstate New York. A site with abundant supply of sunlight and wind.
• People: 3
• The challenge: To live completely off the grid using only the electronics and alternative power sources.

Living off the grid: Day 1

Day one started well with their arrival at the location. Glenn and his family came equipped with all the gadgets and the batteries fully charged up. On arrival, the thermoelectric fridge was plugged in and stocked with cold beverages. The other battery run devices were also connected for a cycle of recharge.

Assembling the solar panel took half an hour but the wind turbine presented problems because of the weather.   Internet connectivity was setup with an Acer netbook connected through Verizon’s MiFi 3G wireless hotspot. Stereo music was piped from a Tivoli mini boom box. Entertainment as movies came from a 22-inch HDTV playing a Blu-Ray disc of Wall-E.

Day one ends well without the batteries needing a recharge.

Living off the grid: Day 2

Day two begins with both the batteries running out and needing replenishment. The plan was to hook up one to the Yamaha generator and the second to the wind turbine-solar array combo. The Yamaha generator charged up one battery in two hours while the solar-wind combo took up six hours.

Logistically (and physically) it was a challenge as hauling the heavy batteries from the inside to the outside and back was grunt work.

Living off the grid: Day 3 and more

Glenn develops a cycle for recharging the batteries. The batteries were charged up alternately through the solar-wind station and later it was topped up by the generators when the sun set. To prolong battery run, they also toned down the use of the more power hungry gadgets. The TV and the projector consumed 35 and 41 watts, respectively but ran in shorter bursts while the fridge ate up 50 to 60 watts all day long. So, the fridge got unplugged at the end of the day.

After three and a half days, the fuel for the generator ran out and that was the end of the experiment.

Lessons learned:

Glenn’s ‘field notes’ show that it’s very possible to live off the grid with a mix of the proper equipment and calculated use. The use of alternative sources of energy needs to factor in the whims of weather but it is a vital source of power. Those willing to forgo a part of the high tech luxuries can easily maintain the remaining ones.

What’s your Armageddon plan?

Perhaps our green electricity can help you get off the grid for the day.

• How to: DIY Solar and Wind Energy Tutorial
• Solar Energy Setup Tutorial = Free Electricity
• Put Wind Powered Wifi on your Roof

Mother nature provides us with countless ways to produce our electricity. The tricky part is harnessing it. Learn how to install solar panels and wind turbines to generate all the electricity you’ll ever need.� Also, check out our energy efficient 110v LED light bulbs.

DIY Wind Power Tutorials:

• GotWind.org is probably your best bet. It’s loaded with useful information to guide you.
• Another fantastic resource to help you is wind power generation.
• To start small, start out with some science fair level projects.
• Ready to move on? Try a dirt simple turbine.
• After that, move up and build your own backyard turbine.
• Canada even published a lengthy article on how to build a turbine.

  

DIY Solar Power Tutorials:

• Build it Solar has plenty of great information to help get you started.
• Before you build, be sure to ask yourself some of these important questions.
• Next, check out this detailed tutorial for an example of the steps you’ll be taking.
• For a far more simple project, learn to generate free heat using pop cans and plexiglass.

If you’re craving even more info, see our DIY Free Electricity section. Need solar panels? We’ve got dirt cheap prices at the HacknMod store. Join the thousands of satisfied DIYers today!

More DIY Free Energy Tutorials:

• How to DIY Solar Panel Installation
• Free Electricity? Yep – Build your own Wind Turbine
• Next Gen Wind Energy you have Never Seen
• Put Wind Powered Wifi on your Roof

Steven Robert’s Microship project is a “technomadic” (technology nomad, get it?) adventureÂ� traveling the country with his computer laden recumbent bicycle which is now on display in theÂ� computer history museum, situated in Silicon Valley.

The nomadic research laboratory created amphibian pedal, solar, and sailing devices. They created all this with the help of their 160 corporate sponsors, consultants and many volunteers.

One of their most famous works is the microship (pictured above).� The center hull is made of materials like fiberglass structures, canoes of plastic, aluminum, vinyl for using in river running abuse. The mechanism is used in a way that absolute floatation is used in case of flooding. The odyssey canoe hulls are the ideal starting base for this project.

Odyssey Vehicle Specs:

• 42 pounds
• Kevlar ultralight construction
• 18.5 in length
• Flat bottom from bow to stern
• 13.5â€� center depth
• 35â€� maximum width
• 32.5â€� waterline width

The landing gear steering is situated at the beginning of the deck and the two wooden strips are attached to the sides of the hull to make it stiffer. Gunwale belly is the area in the cockpit area which provides horizontal surfaces for armrests and control, support to the equipment console, installing retractable seat, essential fixtures which allows space to sleep and vertical walls support the solar panels.

Horizontal flat section is situated is front of the open cockpit space which is used for equipment console area with computers and communication gears.� Again, check out the microship website for more info.

You’ll also enjoy:

• All of our robotics and circuitry projects.
• Many of the microship projects are solar powered.Â� Go green and learn how to build your own DIY solar projects.

Related Free Electricity Projects:

• DIY Energy Efficient LED Light Bulbs
• Make your own Backyard Solar Concentrator
• How to: Harness Solar and Wind Energy

You’ll also enjoy our fantastic DIY Free Energy Hacks:

1. Electric Vehicle blows past Ferrari, Maserati
2. Screw Gas – Build an Electric Car
3. Screw Gas (again) – Build an Electric Motorcycle

A man by the name of PlasmaBoy creates insanely quick electric vehicles that are capable of annihilating suped up muscle cars using lithium instead of gasoline. His latest creation, White Zombie, holds several world speed records. The video above tells you just about everything you’ll want to know, but also check out his detailed website.

Related electric vehicle projects:

• Screw Gas – Build an Electric Motorcycle
• How to build Moonbeam, a 100 MPG microcar
• So You Want to Build an Electric Car
• 17 Year old Builds Two Electric Cars
• 200 Miles Per Gallon? Yep – DIY Electric Bicycle
• The Electric Vehicle Site
• Building an Electric Car, The Blog
• Electric Auto Association
• Build an Electric Vehicle – Step by Step