Mandy Launchbury-Rainey

[/What kind of solar/battery setup do you use?
Our system is an independent component system
Manufacturer is Victron - the go to for leisure craft and RVs
Pylontech for the batteries

- Roughly what did the system cost?
15k euros, but it would be considerably cheaper now

- How much battery storage do you have?
About 9kW but we could do with more to be honest - around double, as the price of batteries and panels has halved in the last 24 maths so we may add this year

- Do you happen to know roughly how many kWh your system produces during different months of the year? Especially winter vs summer. I’m trying to get a realistic understanding of what daily life and electricity usage actually looks like there long term.
We have 12 x 400 watt panels - how much we produce depends on how much we use and how clever we are at using it. We get around 5 hours of peak power in the summer, we have maxed at 35kW in the summer -
In the winter we might generate 10 - 12, but bad days and high use we resort to a generator, mainly in January, partly because there is an enormous tree which shades the panels when the sun is low.
Generally though, we turn stuff on (dishwasher, laundry, carcharger, dehumidifiers etc) when batteries are high, and turn stuff off if they are low.

- During bad winter weather, how often do you realistically need the generator?
Once a day for an hour keeps us going.  It is a 7kVa gen.

- What’s the longest period you’ve had with very poor solar production?
Probably only a week, which is why we have held off increasing the size of tbe system, as in the summer we can't  use all the power we could generate, even putting laundry on longest cycle etc.

- Have you had major repairs or failures yet?
We had a failure in one battery management system after 5 years, but we reported it to Pylontech and they replaced all 4 batteries free of charge.

- Is there anything you wish you had designed differently for easier maintenance or future repairs?
No - we spent a long time on research, only the increase in capacity that is limited by finance.
The Victron route facilitates add on capacity.

- Did you renovate an existing house or build something yourself?
We renovated an existing shell which means we have a modern setup, all by WiFi, in a 300 year old stone house.

- What type of house works best in Galicia’s wet climate in your opinion?
So long as you get a new roof, we'll maintained, and review drainage to the nth degree, anything works. It is best to look around the area you choose to live in, and look at the water table.

- Do you have issues with mould or humidity indoors?
Yes - we use dehumidifiers and BSK heat recovery ventilation system, underfloor heating and I do lengthy cooking stuff in our outdoor kitchen. After showers we use a Karcher to clean up, also used for cleaning condensation from windows in the mornings. It is controllable with a bit of common sense.
ALSO - we use a sports centre for swimming,gym, pilates ONLY 26 EUROS A MONTH FOR A RETIRED COUPLE - that means we shower there so no need for wet bathroom of constant hot water...

- Do you work remotely / have income online, or are you mostly self-sufficient now?
We live off pensions, but the cost of living here is sooooo low.

- How expensive does daily life realistically feel there?
It isn't.  You  can get a 3 course lunch with wine and coffee for 15 euros or less, not Michelin star but hey! A coffee is around 1.20, 0.50 for a tapa (3 of them and that's lunch or dinner after an evening activity), I think grid power is around 48 cents for a fast charge for the car, slow around 30 cents a kW

- When you say you grow around 50% of your food, what are the main things you still buy regularly?
Onions - can't grow them, celery, frozen peas and sweetcorn, nuts and dried fruit, peppers and tomatoes when none in the garden, but I do can a lot of ours, dried beans, because mine got bean weevils last year and I had to ditch the lot, fruit - birds nicked all our cherries.

- Do your chickens/pig mostly live off your land, or do you still buy a noticeable amount of feed?
I buy chicken feed but do add comfrey and peelings. I don't keep a pig as I have a friend who will give me a half and can also source a lamb for me.

- How much land do you personally think is enough for a comfortable low-stress setup?
We have 4000 m2 which is more than enough, only a 3rd is used for working - the rest is garden, a copse, and a field which we use for archery.

- How much water storage do you have, and how reliable has the well been over the years?
The well gets very low in long hot summers but we have survived. The next two years will tell as we are expecting very hot, dry summers. We have IBC totes which we get from local bodegas and they hold 1000 litres - we have 15 in all.

- How stable is internet access there?
We use starlink, which is 40 euros a month, fine for our needs

- What ended up being much more expensive than expected?
Nothing really - what we thought would cost, did. Maybe the floor, which was involved and pricey, as we live downstairs.  You should come and visit as it would be easier to show you. Come anyway!

- What has been the hardest part emotionally or practically about living there long term?
Language - Galego is spoken here and some people can be quite indignant if you can't speak it, despite lack of lessons or teachers in many areas.
Public transport in rural areas is aweful.
Planning permissions can take forever - get a good architect

- And what turned out much easier than expected?
The health system - once you're in everything is quite quick.
No traffic - delightful.

- What are the biggest beginner mistakes you see newcomers (if you’ve seen any others) make in Galicia?
They don't  visit in the winter to really check it out before committing.
People don't get an architect, then fall foul of the neighbours and the mayor when problems arise.
They think everything should be run like it does 'at home' rather than accepting the differences and going with the flow.
Not learning Spanish, which is probably one of the easiest languages to learn, even for idiots like us.

Also, your comment about nettles made me smile because I’ve actually heard they’re incredibly useful for compost, mulch and nitrogen-rich fertilizer teas 😄
Indeed they are, but I would defy anyone to use the amount we get here.

I’m trying to build a realistic picture of what daily life there actually looks like long term, not just the dream version of it.

Seriously - come and visit  - we have room for a tent (or 6) if our caravan is not being used by Workawayers!

We live in rural Galicia, completely offgrid and apart from very bad weather weeks in winter, when we might need the generator now and again, survive on Solar, including charging our car. With careful planning it can be done. We collect rainwater for irrigation and for the Berkey, and have a well which supplies the house. The soil does need amending with compost but seems to grow enough for 50% of our needs - it would probably do more if we spent more time and effort. Our region, Lugo province, is the cheapest and most rural, but we are not clubbers so not an issue. You will need wellies and hideous aprons to fit in though.
Grow grapes, plant potatoes and brassica, raise a pig and some chickens, and you're off.

And nettles - find uses for nettles.

Nettles
.
.
.dammit

We pollard chestnut on our land - we have more fruit than we know what to do with, produce a bunch of useful poles (want to make wattles along with our pollarded willows) and useful quantities of mulch. Thoroughly recommend. Him I doors also whittles walking poles for the many peregrinos who pass our house doing the Camino de Santiago.

I would be happy to record it for free. My accent is RP English, if that helps?

Always used them like this - never occurred to me to close of the bottom! Doh!

You won't see a lady in this area (yes - only women do this) who doesn't have 2 pinafores- 1 being worn ALWAYS, one in the wash. If you were wondering, the men all wear overalls and are invariably covered in all kinds of poo. I prefer the odd oil stain on my pinny.
The local markets all have pinny stalls and they are the ugliest looking things you can imagine, but they do the job. Prevention is better that cure.
P.s. on top you must wear the most hideous cardigan you can find. It's the law.

Barbara Kochan wrote:I am a bit confused: i've seen a couple references to water bath above. I thought pickling and fermenting were alternatives to canning. Is the water bath something different?

Although you are correct, US guidlines say that you should still waterbath jams and pickles.  In the UK at least, this is rarely done.  I never do unless I have not been able to sterilise jars first in the overn.

Please be carefull and remember that pH of 10 is 1000 times more alkaline than neutral.

The acidity is a quality of the acid itself. Weak acids may not need diluting, stronger acids probably should be. In UK we use a lot of malt vinegar which is hard to get here, so I use ACV and just check to pH. Look up the pH of the recipe you are following, check your acid for pH with universal litmus paper (from chemists) and dilute if necessary.  Remember that 1 point higher on the pH scale is x 10 dilution, 2 point is 100 times etc.