Solar Powered

My husband and I spent a couple weeks building a solar oven. It seemed like a perfect fit, after all, we DO live in Sunny Florida. Except, it has rained every day since our project's completion.

But today, there is sun. And the water in my oven is a piping hot 200 degrees. So today I am cooking our dinner in a small black box in my back yard. I put frozen chicken in a rectangular pan and will let that cook until it looks almost done. Then I will add bbq sauce and let it go. No heating up of the house and no trying to air condition a heating oven.

Not that this whole thing is not without problems. The inner sides of the oven are pulling away from the insulation as I type this. We may have to secure it with bolts and washers. Also, if it starts to rain, I have to put my oven away. Still, it's a start and it's fun to boot.

My dream is actually to be energy self sufficient. Solar panels and wind turbines would go a long way in providing energy for my home. The hitch is...the cost. Enough solar panels to provide 50% of the power that I use in my house would cost over $80,000 after rebates and tax credits. The turbines are less expensive and I will be looking into those as I go. If I ever build a house from scratch, I would like to be almost off the grid if possible.

Actually, in my dream of dreams, I see myself in the North Carolina mountains in a cabin off the grid. My water would come from a combination of rain and well supplied. Heat, a wood stove and both passive and active solar power. I would have my flock of chickens, a small herd of rabbits, a couple dairy goats and maybe a steer for beef. Oh yes, a pair of Morgan horses to help with the hauling.

I wonder though....do you think A T & T have cell towers out there????