Chile Forum

Out of interest how easy are such things as solar panels, log burners that provide hot water and in-wall heating, wind turbines, Super E technology etc to get hold of in Chile. Surely as people realise how volatile energy prices are and how even more expensive they will soon be such tools will only become more and more popular.

Also are the skills readily available to install such things.

Interesting question. I, too, would be interested in this. Particularly in the south.

This is something that always astonishes me...the Chileans are always complaining about the cost of gas, the problems of energy sources, the cost of water etc. The latest issue with power is the construction of dams in the South and the impact on the landscape and it appears that there is a lot of opposition to it yet it seems inevitable that the demand for energy will keep rising and the dams will be built. Water demand is another issue, especially in the metropolitan area...almost all the drinking water originates from the glaciers in the Andes and they are rapidly dissapearing!! The cost of water is absurdely high....much more that what I Pay in the U.K. However....I have to point out the blatantly obvious to the Chilean people... You can complain as much as you like about the rising costs of your household bills but ....DONT USE SO MUCH BLOODY POWER AND WATER!!!!. I have never seen a place where people are so wasteful! I regularly see people washing the pavement with a hose pipe using gallons of fresh water instead of just sweeping it and have you ever tried to buy a small energy saving fridge here...the type that fits under a worktop?..it seems that everyone has to have the massive larder type fridges and mostly they are half empty! Another thing about fridges...just have a look next time you go to a cafe ... do they really need a massive industrial refridgerator to display two or three cakes...dont they realise its just a total waste of energy...and money (profit). The most populated area of the country receives sun for the majority of the year, its free and its clean( yes I know you all know this discussion too well). But!!! My point is that if you look at Israel as an example which has similar amounts of yearly sunlight, every new apartment and house that has been built for the past 30 years or more has a very cheap and efficient solar water heating system installed on the roof....free hot water for most of the year. You can walk into any hardware store in Israel and buy them over the counter...dead cheap and easy to install! What with the building boom going on in Chile doesnt it make sense to set a standard for new properties and have certain building regulations governing energy use? Unfortunately it seems that that the big(foreign) energy companies are pushing ahead with investment despite the world economy crisis...they have the people of this country by the balls and the government is doing nothing about it... simply creaming off the profit. I would hate to see the Rio Baker and other beautiful rivers of the south desicrated with dams and power lines but if the country doesnt wake up then that's the inevitable future.

Phewww....just had to get that off my chest. Popping down to Easy on my bike now to buy some energy saving light bulbs...

One more thing in answer to your question. If you google 'energia solar' in google.cl there are already a few companies offering services and in the Santiago area and in the newspaper El mercurio you will find a few adverts for classes in solar energy systems. The DIY shop 'EASY' also sales solar panel systems but I am told they are quite pricey. Something of interest.... in the north of Chile in the Elqui Valley there is a restaurant which only cooks using solar ovens and mirrors....interesting idea! Another thing, you can make your own hot water solar heater quite simply....just google it. Good luck!

Thanks for the comments. Parryboy is completely right when he states that the first step in creating a more eco designed house or whole society at that is to reduce your usage in the first place. The current amount of wastage in all societies is currently at ridiculous levels - its as if we think these resources are limitless or something.

My ideal situation would be to create a passive house or as close to this as possible and not be connected to the mains in any way. Basically somewhere that is self sufficient in every way icluding food, water, energy, etc. To get to this, then certain tools are pretty necessary. I really dont want to have to import everything, and then have to import the skills also for someone to put such tools in place. I dont like the thought of ultimately being at the mercy of companies supplying my heating, water etc. Prices will soon enough go through the roof and we will have no alternative but to keep paying for what we can. I really dont have much confidence that governments will do much about it either. Just like us they largely dont have much power or dont want to exercise this power. This is the same the world over, only to slightly differing degrees.

We have more than a few clients that have gone completely off the grid or are building eco-houses or projects of some sort in Chile. A lot are in rural areas however where it is more a matter of necessity because of access issues. Some are real eco-warriors.

There is a program in the works to provide a subsidy to Chileans to put hot water heaters on their roofs.

The one that gets me, that is being developed to some extent in Chile, is geothermal electricity plants. Chile is loaded with easy to get to geo energy. Just have a look around at how many hot spring type resorts are around Chile.

bit by bit, i am learning more about how chileans think.....with respect to the idea of a hot water heater on the roof, or solar panels....there are two issues.....the first is the initial cost of purchasing and installing such a device....most chileans live on a thin knife edge financially and they simply cannot afford the initial investment....the second is the concern over theft....why spend a quarter million pesos to put something on the roof that someone will steal???

a third point, of course, is simply the lack of awareness of the problem and the available solutions, but this is hardly a problem specific to chile. there are lots of americans who don't recycle, who still want a big SUV, who still want a huge green lawn, who want the convenience of a 30 gallon water heater, etc, despite the personal cost and the environmental consequences...it's the way most humans are. convenience at any price. welcome to earth.

Hey, if I want it now, who cares whether animals suffer, whether the earth suffers, whether people in the future suffer? What is the future, anyway? If I can't see it now, it doesn't really exist.

Such, it often seems, is how many people think. It certainly is how they act.

RWS wrote:who cares whether animals suffer

Yes, I do care whether animals suffer. Therefore, I don't eat pork, beef or chicken. For these animals would suffer, before becoming my dinner. I never eat rice. To grow rice, one must destroy some animal's home.. What about tea or coffee? I forgot about these. Water? But.. I can't drink it without permission from the fish. Hey, fish? May I?..

Never.....

RuneTheChookcha wrote:

RWS wrote:who cares whether animals suffer

Yes, I do care whether animals suffer. .....

'Good for you! So do I (I think the full context of my words shows that). But I don't go so far as eschewing rice.

Hey cali.... lets just turn a blind eye and all live in a big pile of poo shall we? I dont think you really got the point of what I was saying about the wasteful society we live in. Everybody has a responsibility for our planet and people all over the world are gradually changing and becoming more aware. One small example: In my city in the Uk we are legally obliged to recycle plastics with the aim to save energy hence reduce pollution and cut down on filling big holes in the Earth with toxic materials ( which by the way your great grandchildren will have to eventually deal with). Im not saying that we are any better than the Chilleans but ten years ago we didnt have hardly any recycling in the Uk and everything went to landfill so the goverment got heavy and we had no choice but to change be more thoughtful and bare some of the responsibility for this planet we all share.... oh, by the way....thanks for the greeting 'welcome to earth' but no thanks mate.....your earth doesnt sound like the place I want to live.