Yeah- I know- long time no write (type). Still here in North Queensland living the tropical life. Time spent on two wheels has diminished considerably but the new year isn't far off and we all need a resolution or ten to peg to the new calendar.
We decided a few months back- actually over a year ago- to reduce (further) our domestic fossil fuel consumption. We have had solar hot water and a rooftop PV system since 2009 and 2013 respectively and have not had an electricity bill since early 2013.
Our kitchen cooktop has been a four burner gas setup since 2002. After reading articles on the particulates released via gas cooking, we decided to give induction cooking a try. A single element induction unit has been our Go To element for well over a year now. Having survived (indeed excelled) its somewhat extended trial period, we installed a four burner/hob induction cooktop just over a week ago.
The portable/temporary induction unit has made its way off the kitchen bench and into a storage cabinet but will remain an integral household item. It will act as our cooktop during power outages. And well might you ask how an electric kitchen gadget might work during a power outage? Well we'll just plug it into our car.
Our 2007 diesel VW van is being replaced with an EV which has V2L capability. V2L (vehicle to load) enables us to plug in a number of household appliances and provide AC supply from the vehicle's battery and inbuilt inverter. We can use our PV rootop system to provide charging to the car's battery and draw down supply during outages if required. This is not a full vehicle to grid transfer in that power from the car will not be fed back into the electricity distribution network. More like a portable generator without the fumes, noise and fuel requirements.
Now we just need to get the car transported the 1200km from Brisbane to Townsville- hopefully this week.
Cheers- ride safe!
