Manotick man powers neighbourhood with 'microgrid' house post-storm
When Saturday's storm cut off his neighbours' power supply and disrupted access to their well and septic systems, Art Hunter stepped in to help.
Author of the article:Marco Vigliotti
Publishing date:May 24, 2022 • 20 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
The big white boxes on the left are three Tesla Powerwall batteries stacked up like playing cards in a deck in Art Hunter's home. The rest are computers and monitors.
The big white boxes on the left are three Tesla Powerwall batteries stacked up like playing cards in a deck in Art Hunter's home. The rest are computers and monitors. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED /Art Hunter
It pays to have a neighbour like Art Hunter.
The retired government scientist, whose resumé includes working on the Canadarm, is providing his rural Manotick neighbours with electricity to power their fridges, freezers, cellphones, electric kettles and much more.
It’s all thanks to his “microgrid” house that harnesses renewable energy from solar panels for electricity and geothermal energy to heat and cool the property.
When Saturday’s storm cut off his neighbours’ power supply and disrupted access to their well and septic systems, Hunter stepped in to help, offering up a place to refill on water and allowing people to run extension cords to his place to power their fridges and freezers.
Neighbours can also stop by to charge their cellphones.
“I’m half expecting a SWAT team to swoop in (and arrest me),” Hunter joked about the possible consequences for allowing several extension cords to run across a road to his property, located near Mahogany Harbour.
A geothermal heat exchanger is inserted into the ground on the property of Art Hunter.
A geothermal heat exchanger is inserted into the ground on the property of Art Hunter. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED /Art Hunter
Hunter said about three houses in the area are running extension cords to his house right now, while some neighbours are dropping by with household electronics to charge. He said neighbours using extension cords can swap out their fridges and freezes for other appliances provided they don’t exceed 16 amps.
The electricity produced from the solar panels are stored in batteries that power Hunter’s house and his electric vehicles. When the batteries are fully charged, power is then sent to Hydro One’s power grid.
The problem is the storm has disrupted access to the grid, meaning that when Hunter’s batteries are fully charged, any excess power is wasted, which he muses “isn’t very green”.
Since he started offering up power and water to his neighbours, Hunter said his place has become a “community gathering spot,” with those stopping in taking time to chat about the storm and the latest developments.
“It’s almost like a community centre.”
Some of the inverters for the solar system that are in the garage.
Some of the inverters for the solar system that are in the garage. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED /Art Hunter
On Monday, Hunter said he set up table outside his garage at 6 a.m. for people to leave their electronics while they charge, and around 30 minutes later neighbours were there to plug in.
He said he started working to make his house energy independent some five years ago, armed with his extensive knowledge of electronics and energy systems — he is, after all, a rocket scientist.
“I’m one of those people who like to plan to survive before the disaster,” he said of his inspiration.
A block diagram of the entire energy system.
A block diagram of the entire energy system. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED /Art Hunter
When Saturday's storm cut off his neighbours' power supply and disrupted access to their well and septic systems, Art Hunter stepped in to help.
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