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--- start [2015/01/15 22:10]
82.8.65.114 [Workshops and talks to include:]
+++ start [2015/09/10 15:17] (current)
2.166.39.238 [Alum alt-tech tour 2015]
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+===== Alum alt-tech tour 2015 =====
-We are a group of three volunteers currently based in london, who run an
+**The tour was a success!  Thanks to all who helped and participated! [[tour|Details of the tour]]  --- [[photos|Some photos of the tour (more coming soon)]] **
-alternative energy workshop.  We will make an educational tour in summer 2015 to
+==== A UK tour to spread ideas and techniques for energy autonomy ====
-teach how to become truly independent from coal and nuclear power.  On the tour we
+Alum alttech workshop and the authors of [[http://ameba.ehion.com|freenetworks wiki]] will make an educational tour in summer 2015 presenting talks, workshops and discussions on the theme of off-grid living and DIY small-scale renewable energy systems.  On the tour we
 will demonstrate simple, low-cost wind and solar systems but with a
-particular focus on maintaining and rejuvinating batteries, as replacing
+particular focus on maintaining and rejuvinating batteries and ideas for new kinds of batteries better suited to our needs - small scale, low cost, long term, low voltage systems.
-batteries is undoubably the most environmentally damaging (and expensive!)
-aspect of off-grid living.  We will teach basic battery maintenance as well
-as how to bring back to life old batteries which have become inefficient
- due to a build-up of sulphur on the lead plates.  Most importantly, we want
-to teach how to convert old batteries to 'alum'.  Alum is a salt, often
-used as a deodorant, and can also be added to pickles to make them crisp.
- It is much less environmentally damagining than sulphuric acid, and
-because it is non-corrosive to the battery terminals or lead plates, alum
-batteries almost never need replacing!
-We believe energy autonomy is important not only from an environmental perspective but because it gives communities financial indepence and can make it possibile to live in more remote places, encouraging de-urbanisation and access to land.  We want to move away from cities and closer to nature and to think long term.
+We want an end to nuclear power, to minimise our use of coal and gas, and to stop the construction of bigger, higher voltage powerlines.  However, we believe energy autonomy is important not only from an environmental perspective but because it gives communities financial indepence and can make it possibile to live in more remote places, encouraging de-urbanisation and access to land.  We want to move away from cities, closer to nature and to think long term!
-Our tour will visit communities and farms across the UK who are using alternative energy, or would like to be.  We will make our talks accessible to people of all ages and levels
+Our tour will visit communities and farms across the UK who are using alternative energy, or would like to be.  We will make our talks and workshops accessible to people of all ages and levels of knowledge, and will do childrens activites including alum crystal growing, to demonstrate how safe it compared to battery acid!
-of knowledge, and will do childrens activites including alum crystal
-growing, to demonstrate how safe it compared to battery acid!  We have been kindly donated a
-vehicle for the tour, and will install a workshop inside during the spring.   We will also need to buy a small solar panel and
-material to build a wind-generator
-(we already have these things but we
-cannot take them away or we would leave our co-habitants in the dark!).  We
-do NOT intend to use funding money for vehicle insurance, fuel, travel
-costs or food.
-These costs will be covered by us personally or by any donations we recieve.
+The tour will be an opportunity for the groups we are visiting to share information, as we will bring ideas and information from different groups together and create a mailing list to continue to share ideas and support each other after the tour.
+We indend to build a permanent mobile workshop inside a vehicle for the tour, which will remain a community resource afterwards and be available for groups to use to build and maintain their own renewable energy systems.
-The tour will be an opportunity for the groups we are visiting to share information, as we will
-We indend to build a permanent mobile workshop inside a vehicle and make an educational tour in summer 2015.  We will visit living communities and farms who aim to produce their own electricity by a renewable means and give practical educational workshops.  After the tour the mobile workshop will be remain a community resource and be available for groups to use to build and maintain their own renewable energy systems.
 ==== Workshops and talks to include: ====
@@ Line 41: / Line 23: @@
 {{ :alum_solarpanel.png?100|photovoltaic panel}}
   * **Solar panel installation and maintenance** \\ including regulators and maximum power point tracking
-  * **DIY Wind turbines based on Hugh Pigots design**
+  * **DIY Wind turbines** based on [[http://scoraigwind.co.uk/|Hugh Piggott's design]]
   * **Building pedal generators** \\ We will look at simple pedal generator designs, using DC motors and cycle training stands.
   * **12v lighting tips and tricks** \\ Getting LEDs cheaply, and reducing loss on larger systems by using short cable runs and thick cable.
@@ Line 51: / Line 33: @@
   * **Childrens activites** including alum crystal growing, to demonstrate how safe it is compared to battery acid!
   * Joule thief circuits
 More information about all of these topics can be found on our **[[info|Information and resources]]** page
 **[[tour|Where we will give workshops]]**
+==== Campaigns against the energy monster ===
+{{ :alum_powerline3.jpeg|High voltage lines are taking over}}
+  * [[http://stophinkley.org/|Stop Hinkley]] Campaign against two new nuclear reactors planned at Hinkley Point in Somerset
+  * [[http://www.nodashforgas.org.uk/|No Dash for Gas – Reclaim the Power]] against fracking and plans for 30 new gas fired powerstations in the UK.
+  * [[http://coalactionscotland.org.uk/|Coal Action Scotland]] against new opencast coal mining in Scotland
+  * [[http://www.stop-tht.org/|Stop-THT]] against the contruction of 'Très Haute Tension' (very high voltage) lines across france and beyond.
+  * [[http://www.noalamat.com/|No a la MAT]] against the construction of 'Muy Alta Tensión' (very high voltage) lines in Spain and beyond.
 ==== About our group ====
   * {{:alum_alternative_energy_constitution.doc|Our constitution}}
   * {{:financial_forecast_sep14_to_sep15.pdf|Our financial forecast September 14 to September 15}}
-  * Contact us at alttechtour [at] riseup.net
+  * For more information about the tour, watch this space of contact us at: alttechtour [at] riseup.net

start.1421359818.txt.gz · Last modified: 2015/01/15 22:10 by 82.8.65.114 · [Old revisions]