The Naki for some Alternative Energy!

When we were in Taranaki last time, we found this really cool hostel called EcoInn. Their main business however, EcoInnovation, has renewable energy workshops, so we headed up to The Naki again last weekend and I took the course. I am finding renewable energy to be quite an interesting field and life may pull me in that direction career-wise soon enough.

The course was sweet!! First off, the place is nestled in the foothills of Mt. Taranaki. It is hilly, wet and windy, all great things for earthly types wanting to setup a home in the country and stay off-grid. They are supported by micro-hydro, wind, photo-voltaic panels and solar hot water. Not to mention a beautiful hand-built home by the owners Michael and Linda themselves. We stayed in a small cabin in the back but enjoyed their home for meals and tea. Cheryl worked all weekend on her teaching work, but also helped with meals and chatted up the family.

The course introduced us to all four of those. First we learned about solar PV panels and how the whole electrical setup works - the battery banks, regulars and inverters. A lot of the electrical jargon was new to me, but it is super fascinating and I am keen to learn. After that, we worked on setting up a wind turbine. They showed us how to strip one down, fix em up, and get them off the ground. In fact, getting a heavy unit like that up on a 12m pole is not all that straightforward. On Sunday, we learned about micro-hydro and a bit about solar hot-water. Throughout the course was the constant reminders that staying off the grid requires living in a very energy efficient home and keeping the luxuries to a minimum.

All in all - super fun and very interesting. Can't wait to learn more.