Just curious, how can you be an ex anything.........you are where you were born...that never changes......I think...
B in Santiago
- Thread starter Robert
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Living Costs in the Dominican Republic
Just curious, how can you be an ex anything.........you are where you were born...that never changes......I think...
B in Santiago
Many people can start one panel at a time. Then on the first panel you can run the rice cooker, LED bulbs, laptop etc.
Over time it gives a serious reduction on the cost of living ........
pi2
The solar rice cooker has some points but it's not how Dominicans cook and if there is one thing Dominicans are particular about, it's how their rice is cooked. I can tell you with some certainty that the chances of any man telling a Dominican woman how to cook rice is close to zero, and that's being optimistic.
With several modifications something like this might work in rural Haiti but it would prob have to be free and use a small amount of wood or ::gasp:: charcoal to get it started. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
New stove technologies are in general very hard to introduce as demonstrated by the Jiko type stoves in Africa. Most folk have a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mindset and when they are struggling to survive, they tend to be even more risk averse. Solar cookers have been around for a long time and can be made fairly cheaply, but it just doesn't catch on until every other option has been used up.
The most "user friendly" of new stove technologies for poor countries is probably the production of charcoal made from corn cobs. It's something that be made on a small scale and it's readily adaptable with existing stoves. In fact, many of the existing stoves were once gas stoves that were converted to charcoal when the price of gas got too high or the burners corroded out.
With several modifications something like this might work in rural Haiti but it would prob have to be free and use a small amount of wood or ::gasp:: charcoal to get it started. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
New stove technologies are in general very hard to introduce as demonstrated by the Jiko type stoves in Africa. Most folk have a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mindset and when they are struggling to survive, they tend to be even more risk averse. Solar cookers have been around for a long time and can be made fairly cheaply, but it just doesn't catch on until every other option has been used up.
The most "user friendly" of new stove technologies for poor countries is probably the production of charcoal made from corn cobs. It's something that be made on a small scale and it's readily adaptable with existing stoves. In fact, many of the existing stoves were once gas stoves that were converted to charcoal when the price of gas got too high or the burners corroded out.
If you go to Santo Domingo and other towns you can see the Chinese selling their rice to Dominicans with chicken etc. Indeed one time my favourite place was 80 pesos and there were many Dominicans.
Suprisingly when I cooked chicken and fried rice, prawns and fried rice with a mixture of china and DR spices comments and repeat orders pointed to favorable response from Dominicans.
There are two or more methods of using solar to cook rice and veg. One is to use direct solar to boil the rice. The other is to use electric to run the familiar and widely popular rice cooker.
Some rice cookers employ induction heating to provide even temperature and efficiency.
Either way the the final preparation may involve quick frying in a wok to produce fried rice. This can be spiced with Chinese or Dominican flavors.
Nine times out of 10 I leave Dominican cooked rice alone. Chances are it is not well cooked or has been left standing so it is apt to produce food poisoning.
Your comments on introducing solar cookers into developing countries are apt. I know the Indian government has been working strenuously on this problem for years - yet solar oven penetratiion is low.
Solar Cookers in India
Still there are hopeful signs of progress such as the oven I featured.
For gringos living in DR I own a Tulsi oven. This also uses low power electiv to cook 250 watts I think so it is far more efficient than conventional ovens.
It cooks a mean pizza because the temperature is very even throughout.
Best Solar Oven? Tulsi Hybrid
A gringo setting up could consider some solar, a rice/veg ( mine Aroma brand ) cooker, a solar oven to reduce the cost of living and contribute towards worldwide efforts to reduce pressure on the environment.
Just bought 2 lbs carrots, sweet potatoos. 25 pesos.
pi2
Suprisingly when I cooked chicken and fried rice, prawns and fried rice with a mixture of china and DR spices comments and repeat orders pointed to favorable response from Dominicans.
There are two or more methods of using solar to cook rice and veg. One is to use direct solar to boil the rice. The other is to use electric to run the familiar and widely popular rice cooker.
Some rice cookers employ induction heating to provide even temperature and efficiency.
Either way the the final preparation may involve quick frying in a wok to produce fried rice. This can be spiced with Chinese or Dominican flavors.
Nine times out of 10 I leave Dominican cooked rice alone. Chances are it is not well cooked or has been left standing so it is apt to produce food poisoning.
Your comments on introducing solar cookers into developing countries are apt. I know the Indian government has been working strenuously on this problem for years - yet solar oven penetratiion is low.
Solar Cookers in India
Still there are hopeful signs of progress such as the oven I featured.
For gringos living in DR I own a Tulsi oven. This also uses low power electiv to cook 250 watts I think so it is far more efficient than conventional ovens.
It cooks a mean pizza because the temperature is very even throughout.
Best Solar Oven? Tulsi Hybrid
A gringo setting up could consider some solar, a rice/veg ( mine Aroma brand ) cooker, a solar oven to reduce the cost of living and contribute towards worldwide efforts to reduce pressure on the environment.
Just bought 2 lbs carrots, sweet potatoos. 25 pesos.
pi2
HOW ABOUT THE NEW SOLAR POWERED BIKINIS..........
Love to hear your input on these.......
B in Santiago
Love to hear your input on these.......
B in Santiago
You love your life all lit up.....
Shop at extreme glow......
Extreme Glow, Tupelo, MS, wholesale glow-in-the-dark novelties.
Latest price from local agent is in the region of five hundred dollars for 235 watts solar panel . This means that someone relocating to DR could go for a very nearly electric bill free life for about 1,500 dollars investment plus some specialized equipment/lighting. Sure beats an 80 dollar a month electric bill!
pi2
Could you give us pricing on personal nuclear reactors? Or when there's a sale on seaweed tenderizer?
Again, I'm surprised the moderators have allowed one poster to pull an otherwise very good thread so far off course. How many of Pi2/Yannadu's now 250+ posts have found their way into a relative few threads, and how many of those have been designed to distract and detour what could have been one of the most informative threads on the board?
Now a reader has to sort through 51+ pages of foolishness to find the 100 or so non-Yannadu/Pi2-infected posts to get some decent information.
Or do the moderators really think that page after page of solar rice cookers and home nuke plants are really beneficial to the board?
Again, I'm surprised the moderators have allowed one poster to pull an otherwise very good thread so far off course. How many of Pi2/Yannadu's now 250+ posts have found their way into a relative few threads, and how many of those have been designed to distract and detour what could have been one of the most informative threads on the board?
Now a reader has to sort through 51+ pages of foolishness to find the 100 or so non-Yannadu/Pi2-infected posts to get some decent information.
Or do the moderators really think that page after page of solar rice cookers and home nuke plants are really beneficial to the board?
pi--
Why not start some of your own threads? There have been of plenty productive threads here on green living. Do you have any info on where to get LEDs in the DR? Threads on reducing electrical demand are good. I just ordered a 1W LED and looking forward to fiddling with it. As you know a 1W LED is VERY bright, maybe as bright as a headlight.
As for the hybrid cooker or panels you've mentioned, have you ever looked into making a tracking device for them? It's pretty straight-forward using two photo-resistors set apart that control a motor until they are equal. The devices have low power needs so a small panel can power it as well. Since you are in the tropics, you have fewer degrees north to south to worry about(and they can be adjusted weekly manually), but tracking east-west would make sense.
There are numerous examples on YouTube, but there are all kinds of ways to cobble together a tracker and what would be best would pretty much boil down to what materials are readily available. If I were to make one, I'd prob rig something up to a cordless drill that had a threaded rod in it that then pivoted the collector.
One of my friends was building a solar tracker last spring and he was asking me for help on how to calibrate it with complicated math and knowing what time of year it was and his lattitude. I told him to simply drill a hole perpendicular to the panel and stick a dowel or pencil in it. When it was adjusted so there was no shadow, you knew it was pointing straight at the sun. This is exactly how you use a photo-resistor that controls a motor.
Why not start some of your own threads? There have been of plenty productive threads here on green living. Do you have any info on where to get LEDs in the DR? Threads on reducing electrical demand are good. I just ordered a 1W LED and looking forward to fiddling with it. As you know a 1W LED is VERY bright, maybe as bright as a headlight.
As for the hybrid cooker or panels you've mentioned, have you ever looked into making a tracking device for them? It's pretty straight-forward using two photo-resistors set apart that control a motor until they are equal. The devices have low power needs so a small panel can power it as well. Since you are in the tropics, you have fewer degrees north to south to worry about(and they can be adjusted weekly manually), but tracking east-west would make sense.
There are numerous examples on YouTube, but there are all kinds of ways to cobble together a tracker and what would be best would pretty much boil down to what materials are readily available. If I were to make one, I'd prob rig something up to a cordless drill that had a threaded rod in it that then pivoted the collector.
One of my friends was building a solar tracker last spring and he was asking me for help on how to calibrate it with complicated math and knowing what time of year it was and his lattitude. I told him to simply drill a hole perpendicular to the panel and stick a dowel or pencil in it. When it was adjusted so there was no shadow, you knew it was pointing straight at the sun. This is exactly how you use a photo-resistor that controls a motor.
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So you did your homework and believe that you can live on 705 watts of solar power? (3 Panels)
This may be the land of sunshine, but not 24 hours a day!
Just how many of those 705 watts, do you think you would be storing in the batteries?
Minus conversion loss, cloudy and/or rainy days, night time, etc.
Hope I have permission to reply Robert - I stay on topic.
The supplier who supplied part of my system in LT gets a through a container load of panels every few months.
From my soundings there is interest to reducing electric bills and the cost of living; in particular to those who are retiring here.
His systems are mostly grid - tie i.e surplus power is pumped into the grid during the day and then power is withdrawn from the grid at night.If you go away for a week they pay you for luz.
There is little battery storage requried - they pay for surplus power during the day - you have credit to use at night.
Mine is not - I am building up to this.
But with efficient refrigeration, economy light bulbs, about 30 watts, 20 inch LED TV about 60 watts, laptop consuming 12 watts on average, solar cooker electric assisted by 250 watts max, a rice cooker, solar water heating for showers, eco-fan about 25watts, near zero electric bills on average should be achieveable for this system.
Now typing away on the computer apart from refigeration - consumption is 50 watts - fan low, laptop, small desk light - still partial daylight.
I could suggest to Robert that he approach the local supplier for advertisments etc. His prices have been reducing steadily.
I must say that this is for someone who is investing 30,000 plus dollars in an appartment to live here and has capital reserves to reduce costs of living that are not required likely before the 3-7 year payback period.
Promise not to mention seaweed again before a direct enquiry ; meanwhile I conclude my invetigations.
So after this last effort I am definitely banned!
pi2
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Pi--
You've got some good ideas and other ideas that will be considered off the deep end. Just start your own threads and then no one can complain about you being off topic! I'm sure there are some folks who can actually copy some of your solar designs, just make it your own rather than hijack some other thread. The living off of dried beans and seaweed is going to be a hard sell. Choose your battles.
You've got some good ideas and other ideas that will be considered off the deep end. Just start your own threads and then no one can complain about you being off topic! I'm sure there are some folks who can actually copy some of your solar designs, just make it your own rather than hijack some other thread. The living off of dried beans and seaweed is going to be a hard sell. Choose your battles.
Sure: the lounge/kitchen area is a 20 foot by 20 foot times 20 foot high space. Two 8 watt bulbs are great when watching TV etc. When cooking the the kitchen light goes on plus undershelf lighting.
Bedroom has another, bathroom 4 watt.
I am just trying to describe a not unattractive lifestyle for people who most days are relaxing by the pool or on tbe beach.
More solar and electric bicycle may well be next projects. I do not like paying oil moguls for gasoline but that is me. Computer and hi-fi is solar as I speak. Sunlight is streaming in the room.
pi2
Could it be that the anti seaweed lobby are missing out?
Another red alga, an agarophyte (produces agar), Gracillaria spp. had been mostly eliminated by aggressive harvesting on several Caribbean islands to support a booming male virility tonic folk industry for both local and export consumption. These are basically favored hot water extracts. From Belize (where I purchased a bunch for personal delights and consumer testing; at least there were no noticeable adverse reactions) to the Virgin Islands "Seaweed Drink" is popular; it must be effective.
Harvesting seaweed info
Thanks for helpful comments - will this be the post that gets pi2 banned?
pi2
Another red alga, an agarophyte (produces agar), Gracillaria spp. had been mostly eliminated by aggressive harvesting on several Caribbean islands to support a booming male virility tonic folk industry for both local and export consumption. These are basically favored hot water extracts. From Belize (where I purchased a bunch for personal delights and consumer testing; at least there were no noticeable adverse reactions) to the Virgin Islands "Seaweed Drink" is popular; it must be effective.
Harvesting seaweed info
Thanks for helpful comments - will this be the post that gets pi2 banned?
pi2
Yes; thanks Robert ; I respect your editorship; I do not drive a Humer H1; Your advertisers have cheaper property for sale also - perhaps not good for people with a $3,000 a month budget.
pi2