Solar Power and Regenerative Agriculture in Burma

It goes without saying that 2020 has been a year, unlike any other, in most of our lives. The normal patterns of life that we were so familiar with have all changed. Things we counted on, no longer seem so reliable.

This is also true for Solar Roots. Normally at this time, I would be on my way to Asia for another season of work with disadvantaged communites in Burma, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. But November 2020 finds me  living in a cabin in the mountains of Northern California instead. I'm not complaining, because here I have peace and quiet, healthy food and clean air, and I have few social interactions. No-one really knows when overseas travel will be permitted and safe, so for the foreseeable future, I will remain in the California mountains, living the solar life.

My 40 acre forest property is called Rowdy Bear and I have no grid connection, no sewage connection and no running water - but life here is happier and healthier than in almost any place I can think of. It is here that a lot of my solar knowledge has been gained, through experimentation, and trial and error. My solar power system is almost constantly being changed as I cycle through various pieces of equipment , either for testing or to increase capacity. I would like to share with you some of the details.

I starting in solar in 1990, so now celebrating 30 years of getting my energy from the sun. Back in the old days, panels were much smaller and so expensive - about 10 to 15 times more than today's prices! Choices in batteries was very limited and the electronic parts were quite rudimentary and inefficient. So, we have come a long way in terms of availability, quality and affordability.

The normal choice for off-grid batteries is Lead Acid, because of cost and availability, but early on, I opted for Nickel Iron batteries, which have a reputation for ruggedness, longevity and non-toxicity. After 30 years of service, a few of the cells are beginning to show their age, but in general, the majority are in good condition and should last another 10 or 20 years.

In the photos you can see that the solar panels are mounted on top of poles and they can swivle to follow the sun during the day. They can also be adjusted according to the sun's position in different seasons. This manual type of solar tracker is a very cost effective way to squeeze out more energy from the same number of panels.

At the moment, the batteries are located in the Barn, nearly 400 feet from the panels, which inevitably causes power loss. It would be too expensive and a waste of resources to install larger wires to overcome these losses. So, I have built a new Power Shed next to the panels, and one of this winter's projects will be to move the batteries into their new home.

I will also be upgrading the solar array with some new, very efficient solar panels, which have fortuitously come my way. Please stay in touch to learn more about off-grid solar living.

If we are lucky, I may be able to start traveling overseas again in late 2021 or early 2022. But until then, I'll be living up at Rowdy Bear, pursuing my practical studies in solar and vermiculture. Stay tuned!