Solar Power Update | Dealing with Loneliness

Description

#solar #offgrid #logcabin

Following up on the first video of me installing solar power at the cabin, I give an update on how the Goal Zero Yeti power station and solar panels are doing to cover my electricity requirements here at the off grid log cabin.

At the end of the video, I talk about the difference between being alone and loneliness.

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Tags: Self Reliance,off grid,log cabin,diy,cabin,tiny home,Shawn James,solar,solar power,solar electricity,off grid power,loneliness,alone in the wilderness,goal zero,goal zero yeti,solar panels,solar energy,solar panel,my self reliance,tiny house,my self reliance cabin

Video Transcription

(instrumental country music) - So, I think what I'll do is burn these two or one by sixes and fasten them down just like I did on the cabin roof. That'll keep them from rotting quickly. They will probably last, I don't know, 10 years. This is probably too low a slope to do that kind of style on. But it's just a wood shed, so I'm not too concerned about it. Because it's low slope and I decided not to go metal it will hold snow. So I will have to rake it off as well fairly regularly. But it's more fitting just to keep using wood here instead of bringing in metal. Don't mind the look of it, and like I said it'll last long enough. It's cheap, and it's something I can replace any time. I'm starting to rip my own boards now too, so I can cut down significantly on costs, and I've got plenty of resources here. So, that's the plan, I'll probably do that sometime next week when it's a little bit calmer out, burn those boards and fasten 'em down. Just wanted to show you the solar setup again quickly now that it's mid-October. So the sun is much lower on the horizon and what's happening is it's behind these trees for probably the entire day. I might get some sun coming through in the afternoon here, the issue is that with monocrystalline panels it actually needs the entire panel in direct sunshine, direct sunlight in order to produce power. That's contrary to a thin film panel that really thin stuff that comes in sheets that you can laminate to surfaces like the top of a trailer or a boat or even shingles and stuff like that. That's much less efficient but it actually produces power with indirect sunlight as well. So even just daylight or cloudy days it'll still generate, these don't. These are much much more efficient however. So these 200 watts of panels when I had direct sunlight later in the summer and the panels were fully lit up, I was generating about 100, what, 140 to 160 watts. So that would charge this 3000 watt power bank fairly quickly. Now the issue at this time of year is that it takes like three or four days of fairly direct sunlight with this low sun angle to generate enough power to charge this thing fully. So this is not a great system for permanent use. Like it's not going to replace your home electricity system for example. But it's perfect for mobile setups like in a trailer or a boat, even in a vehicle. Or here at a cabin like this where I don't have a lot of power need. And also because the cabin's in shade it's not like I can just set these panels up or more panels on the roof and generate power all the time. I have to move these around the site. So this system works perfectly for me. If I was really building this place into something that required more energy, more electricity, then what I would do is clear some of these trees out, mount panels on that roof that generate more electricity so it charges the system quicker. So not ideal for permanent setup like I said but absolutely ideal for a mobile system. So I'm happy with this so far. The only thing I'm using the power bank for is charging my laptop, my cameras and my phone. And iPad and this little miscellaneous, well that little fridge that I'm running in there. But I'm mostly using that as an icebox. If I was to plug that fridge in and leave it running all the time plugged into this power bank, it would drain the bank within three days. Roughly from what, from my experience so far. So what I prefer to do is just use it sort of as a freezer, freeze blocks of ice, and then use it, the fridge as more of an icebox. So that's the plan with that. And then I've got the icebox in the floor as well and I'll be building a cellar in the future. So I don't think I'll ever need to expand my refrigeration or freezer setup. So that's putting out, now it's getting more sunshine, a little break in the trees, it's now generating 30 watts of power. Yeah it went up to 33 so as the sun kinda breaks through these trees here it's going to continue, it'll get up to like I said 140 to 160 watts. So not bad for this time of year. Now I do have a backup gas generator that I bought recetnly, I haven't used it yet. But it sounds like it would take like 30 hours of running that to charge this power bank to full power. I guess during that period what I'd be doing is cooling down the freezer, plugging into the generator as well and charging other devices so that it, so that I have less of a need to plug directly into the power bank. The Go Zero Yeti 3000 in order to make that last longer. So it's just a matter of managing my electricity systems. It's like everything here on the property. Just getting used to managing things like waste and water and power in this case. It's a bit of a learning curve but it's not that difficult once you get the hang of it and I get the hang of it. So I have this device called a solar pathfinder. And what it is, I'll show it in another video. It's a little dome, it's not mechanical. It's just a dome and you literally take a piece of paper and sketch on it. And what it does is shows the path of the sun at all times of the year and where the obstructions are that are going to impede or block the sunlight. So trees for example or if you're in an urban environment it'll show you when the buildings shade the panels and then tells you what the efficiency, or how much power you can expect to generate with the system size. You can always still get that in app form for Android and iPhone, that's what I actually use quite often as well. So you just take your iPhone in my case, move it around so you have direct south and then press a couple buttons and it'll actually lay out the path of the sun any time of the year. And therefore show you where the best location is to locate. Not only your solar panels but even things like vegetable gardens. So it'll show you daylight hours you have. Or sunshine hours you have directly on the garden. Great, very useful, I'll provide a couple of links I guess in the description to show you what I'm talkin' about. So if you have any questions just comment below and I'll try to answer as much as I can about this system and I'll continue to give you updates throughout the winter and again next year on how this is performing for me. I don't know if you can see that 'cause it was reflecting off the screen but that hit 118 or 119 watts of output, so generation. When the panels were at this angle leaning up against the door, so that's like 75 degrees. Yeah probably 70, 75 degrees angle. And the sun is, maybe it's pretty close to that. So I'm gonna try a couple of tilts when the sun clears this cloud here. When the cloud gets past the sun I'm gonna show you a couple of different angles and what it does to the output. So that's how important it is but it dropped down to what, 18, 13 watts of... 13 watts of panel out put right now. So when it's shady that's what I was talking about with the monocrystalline panels or polycrystalline panels, you need full sun on them. Thin film would probably, I don't know what it would be for that, first of all 200 watts would be twice the size of that. But the output would probably be two or three times the output that I'm getting with these with partial shade or full shade right now, so that's how solar panels work and why for me it's important that I can move them around and take advantage of the different sun. Now that is time consuming, ideally it'd be nicer if I could have one spot. Get them set up permanently, and I think in the summer I will be able to do that at the path on the way in where I'm clearing that spot for the garden and the workshop. Come here, you. (dog toy squeaks) (liquid bubbling)

So I finally found a way to make this, these little chairs work for me especially if I'm trying to work at the desk here. And that's to use these big great pillows that my wife bought that were on that big chair that I built that's now up at the fire 'cause it ended up being a little bit too big for the cabin. But these two cushions although they're down so the sink quite a bit I'll actually probably need a third one so I can work here. Anyway I'm sitting here getting a really slow start this morning 'cause it's cold and I just was tired from lifting all those logs and cutting all that firewood yesterday. So I am getting a late start but I was lookin' at my journals from the first time I built the cabin when I was 21. And when I first moved up there to the property, I was sleeping in a tent as I was building the cabin. And looking at the journals I see there was a lot of times that I did get a late start and I sat there reading in the morning and just taking my time. And I think part of it was just taking advantage of the fact that I was not on anybody's schedule. So I wasn't working, I was intent on building this cabin and living a wilderness lifestyle. And it was just an opportunity to set my own pace and take advantage like I said of the opportunity just to be in the wilderness not being on anybody's schedule except nature's and dealing, being more impacted by the weather and daylight when the sun rises, when the sun sets for example. So doing the same today and I happen to be reading again One Man's Wilderness by Sam Keith. But it's from the journals of Dick Proenneke. And also this follow up book to that which is a publication of the rest of his journals or a lot of his journals from what is it, 1974 or something to '80 looks like, yeah 1980. And it made me think about how alone living a complete wilderness like a hermit lifestyle is. He lived there for 30 years but he had a lot of contact with the outside world. I think for the first few years he spent the winters back at his home in Iowa and then the last few years spent it in various places with family or friends. And he had regular visits of course as his food was flown in every couple of weeks. I'm thinking back to, I think maybe more so to back when I was younger when I started that cabin and I moved there, now I only ended up there for three months before I had to come out of the bush and get a job to pay the mortgage, small mortgage on that property. I don't know what I was thinking, why I thought I could get away with not paying it for a while or getting a local odd job, just to cover the small amount of mortgage and the property taxes and food that I needed to pay for. I think back to all the comments I've received on my website and also in the forums that I belonged to when I first started posting stuff online, they were mostly canoeing forums. And a lot of questions from people asking about going on solo trips and how do you deal with the loneliness and the fear factor being outside in the wilderness. Especially at night, sleeping alone and having no outside contact. And I think it's different for everybody. For me I've never been one to first of all be afraid of the wilderness, afraid of the outdoors. And secondly I've never shied away from loneliness or being alone. I think there's a big difference from loneliness and being alone. I guess it's one of the points I wanna make. I think from when I was young I used to go off into the forest near my parents' house north of Toronto and I would just wander. And if nobody was available to join me like my sisters or friends I did it anyway. And it ended up getting to the point where I preferred it, I liked spending that time one on one with nature. I got to listen to the sounds and see the animals and the birds and really become fully immersed in the environment. Without the distraction of another person or even a dog, I found that since Callie came into our lives again I'd been a few years without a dog and I was able to really fit into or be accepted into natural environments so more animals I would be able to see and more silence, more solitude. And so it was a bit of a sacrifice to bring Callie back, or to have any dog back in our lives, it's just different. That's not a complaint by any means. But one of the things it made me realize is that a lot of people actually are lonely. And they don't choose to be alone they just don't have other people in their lives that they can connect with. So I think it's really unhealthy for us to be truly alone with no contact or no deeper contact or deeper relationships in our lives. I know for myself I'm okay with being alone and I never do feel lonely but others can feel lonely even with people around them. And I think it takes some effort and I think it's worth putting some effort into making deeper connections with people so that you don't feel that loneliness. I don't think it's healthy to envision this life where you're living in a log cabin in the wilderness with no outside contact and that you would be happier that way. I don't think that's true for most people. I think for the majority of us, we need that I think for everybody we need some outside contact. I just don't think it's healthy to withdraw from society and withdraw from people and try to live completely alone. I think it's not fulfilling. The solitude and the serenity is peaceful at first but I think for most people they would find that it becomes, they first of all they start to lose contact or the ability to even interact with people. I think we generally do have a society and communities that are worth being a part of. Worth participating in and at the end of our lives we look back and we'll remember those relationships and those good times we had with people more than we will remember the times that we had that were completely alone and I think it's so personal and so different for everybody. I think some people feel lost and alone if they're, if they have no contact with anybody for a day. For other people that's weeks or other people like Dick Proenneke could pass months possibly or at least several weeks without any outside contact. I do think it's worth spending some time alone. I think everybody should try to find a place, a time and a place that they can get away and not just an hour or a little, any time I think is beneficial to spend days or even possibly weeks alone, truly alone. And really getting immersed in some kind of environment that brings you peace. I know it allows me to kinda slow down. And it does take a few days to learn that or to be able to slow down. First day or two you're still feeling an urgency like we do in our regular lives to get things done or to get to that next place or talk to that next person. So it takes two, three, four days to really slow down and fit into the pace of nature, the natural rhythms. And I think if everyone is able to do that once in a while I think it's a great opportunity to recharge and reset your priorities in life. You might find that that's something you want to make more time for. And that you want to create a life that allows you to spend more time alone or spend more time at least in the natural environment maybe with a loved one. You may find the opposite, you may find that you don't like being alone and that you need to find a career or a job that allows you to interact with more people to be more service oriented. But either way I believe that that time spent alone is going to contribute to your happiness, contribute to your outlook on life. And allow you to see what your true nature is. I think the longest time I've ever spent completely alone without outside contact is about three weeks. And for me I still didn't feely lonely. I felt like that was actually natural for me, that I could do that and I could do that for longer periods. But I think becoming too alone and becoming too much of an introvert, whether that's because of social anxiety or some other thing that makes you withdraw, maybe you've been hurt by people in the past and you want to withdraw from all people. I think it becomes a dangerous mindset. I don't think it's healthy to continue to pull away because once you do, once you get too used to that solitude or that loneliness or being alone, the less likely, the more difficult it is for you to get back into society and form deeper relationships. And I have to be honest there's lots of things that I do out here that I feel like I want to share and it adds a lot more meaning to the event and if I didn't have anybody to share that with, I feel almost like if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it does it actually make a sound? And that's how I feel about some events of my life. If I'm not able to share those, did they truly have any meaning? So if you're truly feeling lonely, whether you are actually alone or whether you just feel lonely in the community or in the environment that you're living in, I encourage you to put some effort into changing that situation and reach out to people. You know, contact a support group or join a club. There's any interests that you'd like to pursue then find a club, whether it's photography or for me lately mushroom foraging things like that. There's lots of groups that you can join that can get you out there and explore new hobbies and possible future passions. And just try to add more meaning to your life rather than what's wrong and pulling away and finding that you don't have anything to live for, so I have to thank my friends and family for continuing to support me and my lifestyle. And all of you guys for watching and continuing to follow along. And sharing your stories and allowing me to interact with you, that's I guess part of the reason why I don't feel lonely when I'm here alone. So I'm gonna wrap this video up right now. I'm gonna stop reading, get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather. It's supposed to be raining this morning but the sun is actually shining. It's cold, it's perfect working conditions. I have a lot of heavy work to do today. I'm bringing all the logs up and I'm peeling them and hewing them straighter and getting them prepared for the log cabin that I'm about to start. So thanks for watching this video, I really appreciate it and I look forward to seeing you at the cabin next time, take care. (instrumental country music) (footsteps) (bird calling)