Copper Gulch Design

cgdesign@ris.net

Contact Us

The home of Copper Gulch Design is a remote self-powered site.  For energy we rely primarily on the wind and the sun to generate electricity, pump water and help heat our buildings. We have carried on this near self-sufficient practice for a little more than a decade and have learned much about the practical and philosophical benefits of producing one's own power.  

Below is a very brief description of the design of our water and energy systems.  For any of you that are curious, email us with any questions you might have as we would be happy to share some of our experiences and insights into living "off the grid.

While we enjoy the romance of a towering, spinning, turning, clanking and groaning whirligig of a machine, the reality of working on a windmill can be daunting.  Daisy's "head" rests on top of a 30' tower, which makes any required maintenance somewhat scary (if you don't happen to like heights) note to mention potentially hazardous.  In the rare instance that we've needed assistance, we've been able to rely on a bouncer in a local country and western bar for help.  He's used to taking risks...

   Daisy and the well head are higher in elevation than the studio.  this obvious placement allows water to easily flow into the building using the force of gravity (referred to as gravity flow") instead of using an electrical pumping system.  Since wind is not a predictable energy source, a reservoir is required to provide a constant supply of water - in other words, one does not need to turn the windmill on to obtain water.  The well-insulated reservoir sits next to the well and water is piped from it to the studio below through buried lines...simple and very low tech.

Electricity

   In contrast to the age-old mechanics of the water system, the electrical system relies very much on the latest in technology.  Photovoltaic (PV) technology is about as space-age as you can get - a sleek monolith of sparking blue crystals aimed at our solar system's heart.  To put it simply, the PV panels convert energy from the sun into DC electricity.  This electricity is stored in batteries.  When needed in our studio, the electricity is drawn from the batteries, through an " inverter" which changes the DC current into AC current which then powers whatever we need at the time.  The system works so incredibly smoothly that in overt en years we haven't had a glitch or even noticeably wear and tear on the equipment.   We are, however, very conscientious about power usage and maintenance.

   While plugging something in "off the grid" works essentially the same as plugging something in "on the grid", relying on the sun for power can change one's essential psychology in that one pays more attention to what normally goes almost completely unnoticed.  This awareness brings a different sensitivity to life in general.  You know, for instance, the exact place that the sun will make its appearance in the morning - the space between a tall ponderosa and the twisted juniper on the ridge to the south.  Every morning as the suns rays fall on the PV collectors, an accidental Stone Henge materializes - a druidic device of observation revealing the relationship between the cosmos, time the human experience of life and the energy behind it all.  When the dark blue crystals of the panels begin to absorb the new surge of power, within the building an electronic device clicks.  The sleeping system jumps to life, directing the new-=found energy to the batteries, whose nightly storehouse of electrons has been nibbled away by everyday human activates; the stereo, the TV, the lights, a curling iron, the computer...only a fraction of man/s creations requiring the magic of electricity.

Contact Us