On Sao Nicolao, the fifth largest island of Cape Verdes, there is a piece of land called Farinha de Pau. You will come from the West down the only road, with on the left hand the sea and on the right hand the savannah and desert land. When you see the volcanos before you, the road turns to the right and 3 minutes later you are there: Sergio and Simone’s Eco Rural Bed & Breakfast.
Sergio and Simone in their first built B&B room.
The big picture
Sergio and Simone started with just a rough piece of land. Since the 1950’s the islands here get less and less rain, so the water supply is crucial. Here they have a good start, because the water comes from the Faja project. Fresh rainwater is collected in the volcano, because of the vegetation they planted inside. The difference in temperatures makes the clouds over the volcano ‘empty’ the rain. It is a natural chain reaction, giving a permanent and reliable water supply. Sergio: “This gives sustainable future opportunities in this rural area; we just worked out a reforestation/revegetation plan and we are talking with investors now.”
Farinha de Pau before the B&B eco rural project.
The big picture of their small B&B is to stay sustainable. “When we started, the land was like a savannah. We planted 1,500 trees and made a wall around it to protect them from goats and animals. This is the base. Then we want to use only the local materials. Farinha de Pau offers us the sand and the tree branches to build with. And this island, Sao Nicolao, offers the rest. I will show you.”
Sun dried clay bricks
“We make a special mix from the clay leafs and sand that we found here. Then, we put them in moulds, and the Cape Verdean sun bakes the bricks for the walls. You like the colour?”
The main building material is sun dried bricks. Only a small concrete profile is necessary for the construction.
Indeed, I like this warm amber-sandstone colour of the long wall. But could it support the roof and more? Sergio answered: what you actually need for the construction, is just a small, well reinforced concrete profile. It is worked in the wall. This is a few percent of the total weight of the materials. And it is already strong enough to support a second storey.”
Sergio explains how the walls are plastered with a mixture of loam and sand.
Pallets and tires
Sergio is always busy☺ Three pallets sawn right, and the right thick matrass on top, make a good bed or couch.
The car tire is perhaps one of the least valuated, building materials. Sergio: “When I go surfing on the lee side of the island, I sometimes smell burnt tires. It stinks and the emissions are so bad for the environment. So, I decided to take them away and started using them. ” It proves to be a strong and durable building material.
You can use tires to reinforce unequal ground, so it stays on its place. A good alternative for concrete, because now the soil stays open to absorb water.
The tires are used to reinforce unequal soil and keep it easy to walk on..
..and tires are good to make stairs from; you can never fall hard!
Sergio also made a serial septic tank from it. “It is simple: you dig a big hole, put up a pile of tires, and a next pile and a next one. You connect the piles and close the top of the piles. Then, connect the sewer to this septic tank; the water’s solids rot away and the water slowly leaks into the ambient ground, fertilizing the plants.
Sergio shows the top tires marking the septic tank. All trees and vegetation on Farinha de Peau grow well!
Vegetation
The more vegetation, the cooler the place. At the very start they planted 150 trees. Sergio just made pergola’s everywhere, and let plants like the passion fruit tangle its way on it. It is creating extra shadow and regulates the temperature of the place.
With a variety of crops and the composting, Sergio and Simone are closing the food loop of production and consumption. This is why Sergio calls this an eco-rural project.
Energy: the house
In every room Sergio uses the light of the sun. “We have solar just for the extra things, such as the freezer and the expresso machine In this climate the water temperature for the shower is never a problem.
We have no battery bank for the night or for cooking. So, then we use the main power line. That is a pity, because the electricity on Sao Nicolao runs on fossil fuels. But on the other hand, this way our energy supply is simple and cheap”. Sergio is also planning to construct a solar cooker.
Three solar panels on the roof is sufficient to meet the regular day consumption
Energy: the body
Sergio, originally from Brazil, works ‘hands on’
So, the B&B is a very sustainable place to be. Even more so, because Sergio can also re-energize your body. He graduated in Hatha Yoga, Shiatsu and Japanese Seitai (Chiropractic). In São Nicolau, he discovered a traditional treatment with volcanic sand for rheumatism that was almost forgotten. This combines perfectly with Shiatsu and Seitai. And it is perfect for sailors who suffer from pain and muscle fatigue due to the long journey and rough sea.
The surroundings
These pictures speak for themselves. This eco-rural B&B, next to the volcanos, has found the perfect location!
One year ago we were anchored on the Guadiana river. We celebrated Christmas with 3 ‘watch skippers’. COVID restrictions were tough, you could invite only “one household”. But it is the gut feeling of solidarity among yachties that nobody should celebrate Christmas alone. So, we noted one companion in our logbook as crewmember. The other 2 formed the other “household”.
Christmas is for celebrating together and we followed the COVID regulations according to our solidarity.
Gambia solidarity
Last month we spent in Gambia. A poor country, with half the people living under the poverty limit of 2 Euro a day. There is no state’s social security. How did they survive the lock down? A miracle? No. It comes down to one word: solidarity.
We saw how this works in Lamin Lodge. There were not enough yachts for the service men living from it. But instead of hard competition, they distribute the work. Senna, a newcomer, was the lucky man to welcome Ya. He helped us greatly with cleaning Ya’s hull, advising us on where to shop, to eat, to find a laundry woman, to make better deals with taxi drivers and market sellers. He made sure we did not enter dangerous spots and he brought us fresh bread every morning.
After three days we asked what it costs, and he answers: “You just give from the heart.”
After he was paid, he cooked for the whole ‘gang’ of service men. The mobile solar power bank we gave him, he shares with his buddies. It is the solidarity that makes this community united, and therefore strong.
The whole ‘gang’ of service men on Lamin Lodge. One for all, all for one, especially in COVID times.
A call for global solidarity
Let is go back to 1987. After 4 years of work, a new report by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) came out. This UN Commission was presided by the Norwegian Mrs. Brundtland. She invited members of developed and developing countries of the world. Their final report was called ‘Our Common Future’, but many still call it the ‘Brundtland Report’. It stated that critical global environmental problems were mainly the result of the enormous poverty of the South and the non-sustainable patterns of consumption and production in the North. The Brundtland Committee called for a sustainable development. This means, a social and economic development for all, with respect for the environment. That way, it would not compromise the future environment for the next generations, especially in the poor countries. The Brundtland Commission simply said: we globalize our society, so let us globalize our solidarity. That was 1987. But two years later the Berlin Wall fell, and we all saw that as the victory competition . So, solidarity was set aside.
Now, sustainable development is the key principle in many countries policy documents. This means, social and economic development for all of us, and with respect for the environment and for our future generations.
COVID and solidarity
And now 2021. The world suffers from COVID. The cause lies in our globalized world, and the dense traffic gives viruses every opportunity to spread quickly. New Zealand, China, Korea and Taiwan could stop it. Democratic or totalitarian organisation did not seem to matter. But each of these countries acted relentlessly united; key was the solidarity in each country.
But solidarity within countries is not enough in our globalized world. In January this year the World Health Organization wrote an alarming report. Most countries took 90% of the necessary measurements, although a ‘leak’ of 1% is plenty for a virus to spread. In most countries, governments took action after procedures, which cost up to 10 days. In terms of virology, 24 hours is already long. So, the virus spread. The WHO created COVAX, the organization to distribute the vaccines to all countries. Did the countries of the world unite in solidarity to kill the virus? Well, the Western countries did promise support to COVAX, but then purchased 3.18 billion vaccines, each at their own account. Source
On the left you see the number of doses per country group based on its income. On the right you see the number of doses purchased per country per inhabitant. As you know, an inhabitant needs 2 (sometimes 3) doses.
These overdoses were driven by competition. The pandemic got worse. And yes, the Delta was a first mutant. Rich countries reacted defensively with ‘an extra booster’ for the population within their borders, and that was it. So, a second mutant came, the Omicron. And it is no rocket science to predict that this will continue endlessly.
Professor M. Koopmans, one of the international top virologists says: “Yes a country can beat down the next wave, but (…) then, new mutants will develop. They can be worse or less bad, we don’t know.” She says there is only one solution: “One health, on global level.” The journalists wrote down: “Whatever question we raised, it always came down to one word: solidarity.” Source Koopmans agreed from her virologist’s perspective: “Yes, solidarity, and on global scale.”
You know why solidarity is so important? Because it is at each individual’s best interest.
We wish you a 2022 and many more years with a daily and passionate solidarity.
From the vibrant and friendly Gambia, we wish you a warm and healthy Christmas. We hope you can enjoy your company; if you are alone, with family or with friends. And we wish you happiness and good health. Above all, we wish you good, fossilfree, spirits:)
The Ya sailed far up the Gambia river. Here you get a view into the life of a little fishers village and its children.
Impressed? So are we. If you want to donate to the school, then make a transfer to: Name: Stichting Schone Golf (Dutch for Clean Wave Foundation) Place: Rotterdam Country: Netherlands IBAN: NL03 TRIO 0788885464 SWIFT/BIC: TRIONL2UXXX The Clean Wave Foundation makes the effort and pays the collatoral costs to make 100% of your donation effective to the black boards, the wall between the classrooms, the bore hole, and/or the light.
After meeting with Wally Bahoum at Lamin Lodge, we wondered if the batiks from Indonesia have anything to do with the African batik. We found two intriguing stories. Find out which one you like most. And of course… check out Peter’s new outfit!
Left: A batik design by the Dutchman Piet Snel, produced in The Netherlands by the Dutch company Vlisco, founded in 1936 (Source). Right: Authentic Gambian Batik work (source)
African style Batik: is the origin Dutch?
Lots of the fabrics we see in West Africa nowadays are not made by African firms.
These Ghanese office workers are shocked to discover their ‘African’ prints might be Dutch. “It was designed in Europe? It’s sad to hear. We can easily design clothes, so why not do it?” (source: BBC)
Some African designers even refuse to use African wax prints, because they see them as a legacy of colonialism. What is the story behind this?
Are these designs African? We don’t know. (Source: BBC)
Indonesian origin, English recording, Dutch design and print, and a global trade of Batik
The English documented the batik making process in Indonesia in the 19th century. This was at the time that the British captured the island from the Dutch. Sir Raffles explained how the Indonesians passed hot wax through a tube to draw designs on fabric. After that they dyed, re-waxed and dyed the fabric again for up to 17 days.
West-Africans wear the colourful batik prints on all occasions (source: BBC)
When the Dutch ruled Java again, they used his book. They worked out how to mechanise the process so it would be cheaper than the expensive hand-made batiks. The Dutch continued exporting their wax prints to the region for the next 22 years.
Why did Dutch textile become popular in West Africa?
Well, the Dutch were expanding their colonies with the help of soldiers from West Africa. When these soldiers returned to West Africa, they took the Dutch-manufactured batiks with them. And from that moment, there was a growing demand for these wax prints in West Africa. The material was easier for sewing machines than the thicker locally woven material. They also had some similarities with the West African traditional local tie-dye.
Some prints are patented by Dutch companies. For example, the “skin” or “house marbles” design was created for a Dutch firm and its patent, registered in 1895, has been found in the records at the UK’s National Archives. (source: BBC)
So, some of the ‘West-African’ prints were actually designed in the North-West of Europa and most of them are now produced in the Far East, because production costs are lower there.
African style batik: The authentic Gambia’s Batik Art.
Ever since the Gambians coloured cloth with fermented mud, they have made special designs for their fabrics.
This documentary shows the traditional tie-dye process in the Gambia
Gambians carved inspiration of the land and the river in wood, or they painted it in mud, stamped with wax and dyed the fabric. Originally, they dyed the fabric with mud. Or with the colour from Kola nuts, which is a deep orange or reddish colour. Or with indigo, making a deep blue colour.
The Kola nuts are indigenous to Africa and grow on trees (source)The Indigo plant is a sub-tropical plant brought to Africa from India. It is still used quite frequently, transforming green plant extracts to blue cloth
The industrial dying products are now used more often because they are cheaper and more practical.
Batik can be simple using one colour. It becomes more difficult when you add a second or third colour, and you vary the pattern of stamps. A special technique is a form of dripping where you take a paint brush, dip it in the hot wax, then let the wax drip on the cloth to make a pattern of dots. You can dip the cloth in many different colours, creating a beautiful effect. And you can coat the entire cloth in wax and then roll and crack the wax, creating wavy lines throughout the fabric. At Lamin Lodge we saw a combination of these techniques, which makes it stand out from the products tourists can find at the coast. Wally learnt Batik from his father and now adds his own touch to the design.
Wally Bahoum takes orders for custom-made articles and ships them for his clients. This way he can sell his goods year-round instead of just in the tourist season (November-February)
The maker can use stamps or templates to be able to produce dozens and dozens of batiks for the short tourist season. Or he can make unique, custom-made articles. He decides, using his knowledge, skills and inspiration to make the most beautiful batiks. This is authentic craftmanship, sometimes even art.
Wally Bahoum launched his business in Lamin Lodge at the start of COVID-19. He began with nothing but a bananabox and is now making a living and expanding steadily.
We are quite sure the unique handmade quality of Gambia batik, like we found in Lamin Lodge, cannot be replaced by factory work. And last but not least: this kind of entrepreneurship helps to build resilient communities.
Inge is very happy with her tablecloth with napkins.
Peter looks very handsome in his unique tie-and-dye shirt
It must have been in the 80’s that Peter, a German sailor, sailed his way through the creeks and ended here. He bought a piece of land. He cut a way through the mangrove from the land to the creek. There, on a sandbank, he built his 3 floors Lamin Lodge. All constructed with the men from the Lamin community and with the wood from Gambia.
Lamin Lodge
He made moorings for the sailing yachts and a little dock to come with the dinghy. How is Lamin Lodge now?
Have a tour with us!
We hope you will like it.
Let us know at info@fossilfreearoundtheworld.org.
Also, if you want to know where we are now, you can follow us on the map.
We are keen river-sailors. One of the most beautiful rivers in Africa is the Gambia. What makes Gambia so worth visiting? For one, according to the World Economic Forum it’s one of the few countries in the world to meet the goals of the Paris agreement.
(Source: WEF)
Now this statement is a paradox. Gambia simply can’t meet these goals. Their export product is literally and in figuratively: peanuts. China invested in fish meal industry, but the economic and environmental impacts are controversial.[79]
Half of the 2.4 million people lives under the poverty limit of $1,25 per day. The chance a baby dies in its first year is 10 times higher than in Europe. Half the population is under 18 years. They suffer the consequences of climate change, even though they have not caused the problem.
What is the answer to get out?
The government and numerous private initiatives revert climate change, focus on small scale solar power, change the way to produce rice, and keeping cattle. And; Ecotourism.
Ecotourism
Gambia welcomes ecotourism. They want to avoid the mistakes of mass tourism, where a few big companies rule and take the profits home. During COVIV they have revised their strategies. They focus more on small scale tourism, more ecotourism, more African tourism. This will also reduce the ecological footprint of the tourism.
Attracting more regional tourists is important because they buy more local products and services than non-African visitors.
African tourists form a less seasonal so a steadier source of income. For example, during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, many tourists from outside Africa cancelled trips to The Gambia while Nigerians continued to visit. For Africa the regional travel share is just 40%. This is expected to increase thanks to strong economic growth on the continent and an expanding middle class. The Gambia hopes to catch the new African tourist’s eye. (Source: https://unctad.org/news/gambia-targets-african-tourists-more-sustainable-growth)
“What we need is fair trade and where it is a charity, it should be designed to make us self-reliant economies, not aid or charities that are designed to make us more dependent. Our people must be trained to have the required skills and also make it possible for them to have the markets to sell their products. Tourism, if managed properly, can make this possible. We should link-local production to the tourism market so that tourists will buy, eat and drink what is local”.
Well, this is very much in line with Ya’s way of life.
Gambia is what you could call a ‘river state’. It surrounds the river Gambia, and the state is surrounded by Senegal.
Climate awareness
Plastic and other pollution also hit the shores of Gambia. But Gambia strikes back. The Gambia Ocean Heroes clean up the beaches and actively use social media to raise awareness on pollution.
Young sub-Saharan Africans speak up for the climate, like Elizabeth Wathuti did at COP26 in Glasgow, on this video
Elizabeth Wathuti started reforesting Kenia. In Gambia, a reforestation group started in 2018: Green Up Gambia. Their main goal is to reforest the savannahs in Gambia and bring back the rainforest. This will also stop the continuing desertification of the region, from Morocco all the way south.
Planning on traveling?
Please don’t book an ‘all inclusive’ but book directly and spend your money directly on the locals. Access Gambia gave some useful advice for (future) travellers.
The first ones you can also try at home:
Avoid using an air-conditioner as much as possible and use a fan instead.
Never leave an A/C on when you are out.
Use a shower instead of a bath & avoid turning on or leaving on hot water heaters.
Take all rubbish with you & don’t litter. Buy only large bottles of drinking water & use it all up before buying another.
We visit El Hierro. The smallest of the Canary Islands with only 10.000 inhabitants. It is the most southern part of Spain. And it can be 100% self-sufficient with renewable energy.
Puerto de la Estaca, showing just a glimpse of the windmills in the valley behind the mountains
The island is so far away from the mainland, that no electricity cable was ever laid. The old diesel-fired power station is built near the main port.
The old diesel-station near the main port, Puerto de la Estaca
The most logical source of renewable energy on El Hierro is wind power. Even in the protected harbor the wind is blowing. For the island, a Nature 2000-reserve, it was also important to choose a source that does not interfere with the landscape. And although the trade wind is pretty reliable, the energy supply needs to be constant, not depending on when the wind blows, .
So, besides the five wind turbines with a total capacity of 11.5 MW, they built two water reservoirs. One at sea level and a second one at an altitude of 700 meters. All left over energy, generated by the wind mills, is used to pump water to the upper reservoir. When there is no wind, the water will flow from the upper reservoir to the lower one through the hydroelectric power station, where turbines generate the electricity needed on the island also when there is no wind.
Tucked away
When we approached the island, we hardly saw the windmills.
Can you find the tips of windmills between the mountains? They turbines are situated there where the wind usually accelerates.
The 5 windmills are set in a valley. They are catch all the wind accelerating along the mountain ridge, and can be low enough not to dominate the landscape. Also, the water reservoir has a cleverly and respectfully located. It lies in a natural basin. The pipelines lie out of sight in a valley. So, all installations fit in the natural environment.
The company is proud of this achievement and welcomes visitors. Even though the combination of wind- and hydropower seems very innovative, it’s all existing technology, like on Ya. The pumps are standard and you see the turbines in many other hydroelectric power stations around the world.
Since the plant operates from 2015, and delivers an increasing part of the island’s energy by this combination of wind and hydropower. Only if there is too little wind and the water level in the upper reservoir is too low, the company will fall back on the old diesel generators. The company is constantly improving the management of the installations. Interesting: the island’s energy mix is publicly accessible. It helps well in cutting down the usage.
Awareness
What we really like about this initiative, is that Gorona del Viento not only invests in generating energy. It also invests in awareness. On their website and in their talks on schools., they stress the importance of saving energy. Not only by distributing LED-light bulbs, but also by mentioning the bigger issue: water. Almost half of the fresh water on the island is produced in desalination plants. The production and distribution of water accounts for approximately 45% of annual electricity consumption. So logically, they also stress the importance of saving on water consumption.
The Council walks their talk and talks their walk by preaching about reduction and to use only what you need. Just as what Ya is showing.
For their efforts, in June 2021, Gorona del Viento El Hierro, has won the second place in the RESponsible Island Prize. The jury liked the energy generation, the commitment to clean transport, and the awareness-raising campaigns. It has demonstrated that a reliable power supply can be generated from renewable energy, even if it comes from intermittent sources, in order to give stability to the network. “This is a pioneering project that is now inspiring other territories”.
After 7 years our lead acid traction batteries were at their end. Their effective capacity was still 22.5 kWh, about 50% of their original 55 kWh. This is still enough to live comfortably, but this would quickly become less, so it was time for a renewal.
On the left a common size lead acid battery of 800Wh, right an LFP battery of 1200 Wh. Half this size would be sufficient to replace the 800Wh lead acid. So it is effectively 4 to 5 times lighter.
In our last article we checked the alternatives. We compared lead acid to Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LiFePo4 , or LFP) batteries. We had to conclude that:
The overall storage efficiency is 25% better
You can discharge them till 10% of their capacity.
They are 3X lighter, take 5X less space, are inherently safer, have near zero maintenance and the environmental impact appears to be lower.
The durability is roughly two times longer.
Always thought these LiFePO4 were way too expensive? We made a cold analysis and shaped it in a business case.
Business case Lead Acid versus LiFePO4
This business case about Lead Acid traction batteries versus Lithium Ferro Phospate batteries is based on:
Storage durability
Storage efficiency
Maintenance costs
Safety,
Sustainability and other future risks for our children
First, we pick the right LFP battery bank:
What we need is an electrical energy buffer of about 20-25 kWh. Say 22.5 kWh effectively.
It would be nice if the new batteries would last longer than 10 years.
Just like the lead acid batteries, the LFP must be A brand, delivered by a reliable company, with warranty and service after purchase.
In the years of usage, we saw the capacity of our Lead Acid batteries decreasing in a curve. In year 7 we had effectively 22.5 kWh. Still enough, but time for a change. LFP is much more durable; the capacity loss would make a same curve, but it stretches over more years. This is an estimate.
The LiFePO4 batteries will decrease to an estimated 70% after 12 years. So, if we still want to take 22.5 kWh, we need to start with new batteries of 100/70% X 22.5kWh = 32.1 kWh effectively. So far for the durability.
Storage efficiency
It costs energy to ‘push’ the electricity into the battery, and again to ‘pull’ it out. Check the last article for the full explanation. If we take the energy out of an LiFePO4 battery, it costs some 2% of the energy.
If you have an LFP battery containing 32.1 kWh, you lose 2% if you want to empty it. From a lead acid battery you would lose 10-15%. This is due to the different internal resistance.
So, if you have 32.1 kWh in your LFP battery, you can only get out of it: 98% X 32.1 kWh = 31.4 kWh. From a lead acid that would be 28 kWh.
The LiFePO4 and Lead Acid traction battery compared.
Effective storage
If you buy a battery, you find the Ah of kWh number on it, which is the nominal storage capacity. This is the total storage capacity, if you would empty the battery to 0%. This is theory! Never do it, you damage your battery! A good traction lead acid can go down to 20%, and an LFP to 10% of its nominal value. We call this the effective storage capacity. Because that is what we want to have.
Discharging a battery more than the specified percentage, damages the battery. A lead acid traction (“wet”) battery is especially made to allow a deep discharge, till 20%. But an LFP battery can be discharged till 10%. So, you have more storage.
Like we did with our lead acid (or at least till year 6), we like to stay on the safe side and intend never to discharge to the very minimum. So, we prefer to take an extra margin of 15%. So, we take 85% out of it as maximum.
So, if we want an effectivestorage of 31.4 kWh in our LiFePO4 battery, we need to buy one with a nominal value of: 100/85 X 31.4 kWh = 36.9 kWh
The results
We found a 42.5 kWh (nominal) battery bank for 16000 Euros, including transport within Europe. It still is about 15% too large, but that is what we found on the market. This extra is no wasted money. Check the ‘durability’ graph and it means the batteries will last an extra year before they reach the minimum of 22.5 kWh.
So, this battery bank will last an estimated 13 years.
We could get the batteries a lot cheaper in China, but our hard condition is an A-brand, with an effective warranty and a tailor-made service. We found that at EV Europe, www.eveurope.eu (generally working business to business).
There were many extra costs (see next paragraph: Starting from scratch….), but now we deal with just the comparison of the renewal of an LFP versus lead acid battery bank.
On maintenance, there is nothing really on costs. You just plug in the charger to the shore power every three months and the battery management system will do the so called ‘balancing’.
It is possible that you have a bad battery. Then, just like with A brand lead acid batteries, you can exchange it for a new one for free (pro rato per year).
Exchanging the lead acid batteries for new lead acid batteries would have cost 9500 Euro, including the transport. The carrying of the batteries is so heavy, that I presume you need to hire a lorry, a strong man, et cetera. This costs money. On the other hand, we could get 500 Euros for the old batteries. In our case this money evens out the carrying/handling costs.
There are some maintenance costs. In every harbor, we plugged in to shore power, because it was best for the batteries. We did a three months acid (density) check of al 24 2-volt batteries and added the demineralized water. This is just a dirty job, costs you a T-shirt sometimes due to the acid, and you need an annual 25 Euro for the demineralized water to top up. So, the maintenance costs are peanuts.
Costs per year to renew the batteries are then:
Lead acid batteries. 9500 Euro for 7 years, make 1357 Euros per year.
Lithium Ferro Phosphate. 16000 Euros for 13 years, is 1230 Euros per year.
So LFP costs 127 Euros less per year, so they are even a little bit cheaper than lead acid.
The extra advantages are: near zero maintenance, best safety (fire; toxics). And last but not least: a potential smaller environmental impact, which is good for the life of your children and grandchildren.
Leave your money on the bank, or put it in your bilge?
After so many years of low inflation, we have forgotten this economical phenomenon. But right now, as we speak, in 2021, the inflation has passed 4%. This means that people buying the lead acid batteries for 9500, will pay 9880 Euro a year later, and the year after again 4% extra on that, each year on. And you don’t get 4% interest from your bank. Given the growing demand on batteries, it is most probable that the battery prices will grow with an annual 4%.
So, you’d better buy your durable goods now, as much as you can and as durable as you can. This means, with LFP in your bilge you are better off.
In our case the LFP batteries last 13 years, the lead acid only 7 years. When there is inflation on batteries -which is to expect- it saves money to invest in the most durable ones, so the LFP.
Even if the LFP batteries would cost the same, or a little bit more, they are worth investing in it. Because the investment in a durable good, saves more and more money in the following years.
So, if you have a bit of money, ask yourself: shall I leave it on the bank devaluating, or put it in the form of batteries in my bilge, working for me?
Starting from scratch means: investing in LFP is safer
Up to this point, we discussed the costs of the renewal of a battery bank. But if you think of a complete, new installation and think that lead acid is ‘cheaper’, then check the difference between ‘cheap’ and ‘low initial costs’ first, and don’t cheat yourself. Here is our experience.
We had 5000 extra costs to change the bank from lead acid to LFP. These costs were:
Initial costs. A battery management system (BMS) for Lithium batteries, plus a lot of cables, connectors, et cetera. All together 3000 Euros. For lead acid this has cost us 1000 Euros. So, the initial extra costs for LFP are 2000 Euro.
Replacement costs. 1000 Euro on costs for assistance, to get the lead acid out, and the necessary engineering assistance you need to integrate it in the existing electricity system. These costs are a pity, because it was also spent to the engineering necessary when we installed the lead acid…
Replacement costs for Ya. 1000 kg of lead, to be replaced for the lead acid batteries as internal ballast for the ship’s stability. This costs 2000 Euros. But this is only in the case of Ya, with its center board (no keel).
So, the initial costs for LFP will be 2000 Euro more. Over the 13 years this is 2000 Euro : 13 yr = 153 Euros per year. Add this to the 1230 Euro for the renewal, makes: 1230 + 153 = 1373 Euros for a total replacement of LFP batteries and cables and BMS.
Also, for the lead acid batteries there is some money needed for assistance to get these heavy lead acid batteries in? Think of a lorry, and handling costs of the (in our case) 1.4 ton. Let us say this is 500 Euros, which is initially, and let us spread this over many decades, to be on the safe side. Let us only count 10-15 Euros per year for that, so that makes 1357 +16 Euros = 1373 Euros, just as much as the annual costs for the LFP.
Here under the total picture with the inflation incorporated.
If we count the initial costs and the renewal costs, the annual costs will be about the same. One thing: there is inflation, most probable on batteries. Then you save money to invest in the most durable ones, so the LFP.
Conclusion
LiFePO4 and lead acid batteries will cost annually the same. If we have inflation, the durable LFP will gain advantage.
Till so far the short term costs. On long term, for our children and grandchildren, we have to take into account all cleanup costs of environmentally dangerous goods we leave behind. Lead and sulfuric acid then, has no future at all, we even don’t have to count that out.
So even if you do prefer the more expensive lead acid batteries, then please take the sustainable development into account. Do you like children? Then, give them a better future and don’t produce more toxic waste than strictly necessary for your life.
Businesswise or sustainable, for both the recommendation is:
Rethink or refuse: do you need the batteries at all? If yes, then:
Reduce:
use only what you need and buy the smallest amount.
take LFP because it leaves the smallest environmental impact
