Completely Off The Grid

Completely Off The Grid

"...some Senators have expressed an interest in energy initiatives this fall now that the debt-ceiling debate has concluded, he said.

....At his house in the woods of western New Jersey, the civil engineer turned green energy evangelist uses fuel cells to convert the power generated by about 150 solar panels so that it can be stored in 11 hydrogen tanks about 100 yards from the house.

For eight or nine months of the year, the photovoltaic cells mounted on Strizki's workshop roof and scattered around his yard generate more than enough electricity for a full range of domestic appliances including energy-guzzlers like a hot tub and a big-screen TV in his white-sided suburban home.

For the winter months when there isn't enough solar power for domestic needs, the house draws on electricity stored in hydrogen tanks, which he converts back to electricity with fuel cells.

The technology has allowed Strizki to live off the grid since 2006 without emitting an ounce of carbon or paying a penny to the local utility.

With the recent installation of more solar panels, Strizki now generates 21 kilowatts, or about twice as much power as he needs, and sells the extra to the power company, netting him about $25,000 a year....."