Yes, FPL has done a lot to prevent rooftop solar, but calling it "almost free" is not correct. Rooftop solar still comes with significant upfront costs. The weather of Florida degrades panels quicker with non-trivial odds of hurricane damage. Finally, Southwestern states receive much more solar irradiance.

If you are willing to be pragmatic and want solar in Florida, FPL's solar together program is your best option. Like it or not, utility grade solar is 1/3 the LCOE.

8mo ago

U.S. solar will pass wind in 2025 and leave coal in the dust soon after

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

Florida has some of the strictest building codes in the United States due to the hurricane and flooding risks.

May I ask the source of your comment?

8mo ago

Halloween is canceled this year

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

Confirmed. Same price on my Walmart app.

8mo ago

Inspiration towards a life more aligned with solarpunk values

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

I miss the cover design of 1Q84 and also keep some cookbooks around. The benefit was the same benefit as minimalism: less to move, less to dust and make dust, less to search for, less to put away, more space. You live in Europe so it's hard to convey how overflowing with goods the average American house is. My choices are a reaction to this and I still feel we own double what we should, but my spouse and kids feel differently influenced by the society they know (I am the only one raised abroad).

I own a Pi 3 and used to run a NAS, home assistant, and ad blocker but found Google Home and a Synology NAS to be easier. I also have privacy concerns, but balance it with time commitments.

One of those is commitments is cookiing Saturday mornings to save time during the week while maximizing health. Other than making a batch of whole wheat pasta, I don't cook during the week. Many of our calories come from nuts, dried and fresh fruit, and soy milk which we keep in ample supply. Is meal prep an answer to your convenience conundrum?

8mo ago

Inspiration towards a life more aligned with solarpunk values

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

Thinking about it, I believe you made my point in a more concise and articulate manner.

8mo ago

Inspiration towards a life more aligned with solarpunk values

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

My brief foray was during COVID and the froth was evident. I hope it works out for you.

8mo ago

US Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

Why do they have a banned words list?

8mo ago

Inspiration towards a life more aligned with solarpunk values

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

You have followed much of my own trajectory: highly educated -> higher income from somewhat dull, time-consuming job -> unfulfilling high consumption -> minimalism + FIRE + solar punk + secular Buddhist philosophy.

This final phase has been ongoing for five years and solar punk is the least certain part. I'm hoping it becomes a movement where I can find community with likeminded people who don't self-define by their consumption and want to live simply but well.

Congrats on sticking with the renewable field. I was there briefly but became disillusioned with the financing side.

8mo ago

Inspiration towards a life more aligned with solarpunk values

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

Books were my weakness, but I accepted I had to cull after two moves and the reality that liberty and sustainability require minimalism. Don't deprive yourself though. Finish your series. You'll pry my Calvin and Hobbes and Tintin from my cold dead hands. Whereas I didn't need a physical copy of 1Q84; there's no pictures.

I can recommend heavier weight selvedged jeans if you want pants that last, but they come at a price. Line drying and cutting washing frequency by airing between wears extends the life. For shoes, I am either in AllBirds which hold up well (wool uppers with longer lasting treads) or leather dress shoes with goodyear welts that I have resoled every three years. I haven't bought new footwear since 2023, though grabbed some jeans in Japan for cheap a few months ago.

I love your self-hosting softeare and one day when I have time, I want to build the same. I'm simply time-poor right now between job and kids. I miss RSS feeds.

Eating healthy makes you feel better and saves money. Kill your high interest debt as quickly as possible and the sodium and saturated fats in instant noodles are terrible. Oatmeal, rice, and pinto beans are cheap in bulk (seal the bags well with binder clips), easy, fast (you have to soak the beans for a day but your labor time is maybe five minutes with a pressure cooker like the InstantPot), and healthier. I target <50% of the daily recommended maximums for salt, sugar, cholesterol, and saturated fats, and my blood work shows it works.

8mo ago

What is an Earthship?

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

Old tires are carcinogenic and microplastic nightmares. One should be very cautious about living in structures made of them.

8mo ago

Inspiration towards a life more aligned with solarpunk values

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

We thought about an ebike, but we don't really have intermediate distance driving to substitute that would be safe. As our careers already require two cars, there was no reason to add a unnecessary device. For shorter distances, I'd rather get the exercise anyway and cycle.

8mo ago

Imperial Wastes So Much Time

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

Did you read the first words I wrote? I grew up and lived in a metric country. I didn't know imperial at all.

8mo ago

Inspiration towards a life more aligned with solarpunk values

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

The larger streets in my neighborhood have wide sidewalks/bike paths. I can safely cycle to two local grocery stores where I also drop off any plastic bags to be recycled, the post office, our Goodwill (used store), and a strip mall with various shops and restaurants. Florida has a horrendous pedestrian/cyclist fatality rate so bike paths are the true limiting factor. Naples is especially bad. It took time to find a safer neighborhood.

I also have an e-reader, but there's something about seeing physical books displayed and handling them that I love. Learn about all your library's onsite and digital services. Make it part if your weekly routine and get to know your librarians. Solarpunk is community. Here I love the free Consumers Reports when researching larger purchases and interlibrary loans for obscure books. As for the physical ownership, I donated over 1,250 books in 2021 that I could easily own digitally or borrow. I don't miss them. Minimalism is a healthier way to live and a tablet with a backup NAS is a much smaller footprint.

I would love an herb garden, so good for you, but I suck at maintaining plants. So I grow what is easy in the windowsill above my sink for now.

Consider used clothing as well. The quality of new has deteriorated to a point where used is often better. I would love strong consumer laws, but would still likely skew used for environmental reasons. I bought my eldest child a used laptop in 2020 with a chipped case for $250. One $40 new battery last year and a free swap to Linux Mint from Windows 10 and it's still going strong (glad your mom likes it too!). What do you run on your home server?

What helps in general is to think in cost per year owned. In the case if the used laptop, I'm at under $60/year. It both encourages wise buying, repairs, and using things longer. It also helps that I block all advertising I can and never read about new electronics. As a result, I'm satisfied with what I have.

I truly believe sustainability is key to a quality of life that maximizes health and happiness. You are taking great steps. I am a planner so I always make sure I have targets and timetables for the next phases to ensure I hit them. As a result, my life gets better every year.

8mo ago

Imperial Wastes So Much Time

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Global_Liberty @lemmy.ml 8mo ago

I grew up with metric and moved to an imperial country as an adult. I now have a different view of the systems and honestly prefer imperial. Hear me out.

Imperial organically evolved over centuries to better match the lived human experience. The major units used now are more useful to the average person. The fact they are not base 10 is due to the fact that the main uses for each aren't related in that way.

For temperature, 1 degree Fahrenheit is the minimum I can feel. 50 F is a middle temperature outdoors for many temperate climates: 0 F is very cold and 100 F is very hot. The temperature at which water boils or freezes at sea level is not as useful to my daily experience and the difference in a degree Celsius is too large.

I like inches, yards, and miles. I prefer ounces and pounds. Pints, quarts, and gallons now make more sense to me. I am not a scientist or engineer (who absolitely should use metric), but a guy trying to deal with weather, get places, and buy things to eat/drink.

Of course, if I learned an aircraft type was designed in imperial only, I wouldn't get on it. Metric has its purpose. It's just not as good for daily life.