With 8 kilowatts of Solar panel to meet our power needs, it was time to think about winter heat. The solar power could be used to pump water, provide lighting, charge various devices and run small appliances, it just wasn’t going to be enough for heating — especially at night. We have a nearly endless source of deadfall live oak here at the ranch though, and a wood stove was the obvious answer.
Continue reading →It’s been a tough couple of years. The last two years have seen below-normal rainfall. While not unusual in the Hill Country, they have been remarkable for the depth and severity of the Texas drought. During the years ending September 2022 and 2023 we measured just 11.75 and 10.65 inches respectively. That compares with an average rainfall of between 30 and 35 inches.
Continue reading →The Solar Power Resilience Project at Roy Creek Ranch Over several years, we’ve built and expanded a multi-system solar installation at Roy Creek Ranch. In particular, a recent upgrade to the battery and inverter system significantly improved our resilience during … Continue reading →
I have been interested in gardening since I was a child and spent time with my great grandparents who were gardeners. The Square Foot Gardening method was developed in 1976 as a simple alternative to labor intensive and inefficient row gardening. Explore the possibilities . . .
Continue reading →I’ve been threatening to build a storage shed at the ranch for some time now. After going through everything in the shop and selling, discarding, or giving everything away I could, it was still too crowded to work effectively. I needed more space. A friend had recently mentioned a sale on small buildings at Costco — it was worth a look.
Continue reading →In a previous post, we selected a site, cleared trees and installed foundations. Now we were ready for framing. There were four 8-inch concrete piers defining the four corners of the array. The plan was to mount two 10-foot 4-by-4 … Continue reading →
With the Solar Generator Project underway, it is time to mount the solar panel array. Last May, I purchased eight Renogy 270-watt solar panels similar to those in the Solar Rainwater Project. At 65 by 39-inches, and weighing 65 lbs., they require a substantial mounting system. In the Solar Rainwater System, I had the advantage of an existing building with a south-facing roof that could hold four panels.
Continue reading →For the last ten years, we’ve been farming bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) around the place. It started when I planted a few seeds and gradually, they’ve bloomed and spread. Because I’m impatient, I also helped them along by mowing the plants after they had gone to seed and spreading the clippings to other parts of the ranch.
Continue reading →It’s been a while since I reported on the Solar Powered Rainwater Project. Since that early-April post, I’ve been gathering the rest of the parts, and we took our annual trip to the Red Power Roundup — this year at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. The biggest part of the delay was waiting for the inverter/charge controller. I wasn’t thrilled with the delivery delay on the device, but it turned out well in the end.
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