POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Is Alternative Energy Right for You?
We all watched late-winter storms wreck parts of the Midwest and South this year, leaving many homeowners scrambling to heat their homes and find clean drinking water. This incident is sparking renewed interest in alternative energy and home energy storage — ways to get off the grid if you’re just the average consumer. But what’s affordable for you? Generators are a common alternative power source, and it’s one that many people who experienced the storms might be familiar with. A generator can run on different types of fuel, and for a short-term outage, it’s an affordable option to keep your electricity on. Generators range greatly in size and price, and you can find one that will power your house for as long as you put fuel in it. Consider, however, the availability of that fuel: Many places that got hit by extreme winter weather also saw gas and diesel shortages. Another popular alternative energy source is solar panels. Over the past 30 years, solar power has become more popular with homeowners, falling in price and rising in reliability. In addition, solar rental companies are happy to put panels on suburban roofs — although one should plan for these low-end panels to be toast by the time their “rental period” ends. One thing you may not know about solar panels is that they require a battery bank to store energy. A battery bank is a collection of batteries connected with wiring, which allows for more storage space than a single battery. This stored energy,
if collected in excess, can be sold back to the grid if you want. On top of that, modern battery banks are cheaper and more reliable than they were in the past, making them more accessible and useful for the average consumer. You can thank Tesla Motors for that research! You can also thank them for solar shingles, which are roof shingles that generate solar energy. Practical? Perhaps not right now, but it might be a sign of things to come. In the future, perhaps we’ll all be selling power back to the grid!
GRILLED CORN WITH PLANT-BASED AIOLI
TAKE A BREAK
Inspired by SimpleVeganBlog.com
Ingredients
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar • Sea salt, to taste • 1/2 cup raw spinach
• 4 ears corn, unhusked • 1 clove garlic • 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk • 1/2 cup sunflower oil
Directions
4. Drain corn and transfer to the grill for 10 minutes, rotating as necessary. 5. Taste aioli for consistency and flavor. Add more milk or oil to thicken it and add more salt to taste. 6. Top corn with aioli and serve.
1. In a large pot, boil corn for 30 minutes. 2. In a large blender or food processor, add garlic, soy milk, sunflower oil, vinegar, and salt. Combine until smooth by pulsing the blades. 3. Once the aioli mixture is blended, add raw spinach and blend again.
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