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Issue #218 September 2008
Something Old, Something New
by Steve Ciarcia
When I start talking to the average person about my photovoltaic (PV) power installation, most people (both technical and nontechnical) assume I’m talking about an off-grid, battery-backed system. These are people who know where I live and know I have utility lines to my house. Perhaps because they think I’m some kind of maverick, I’d be the one guy they know who would install a solar system simply to ditch the existing power utility/customer rat race. As much as I might like the idea, at my level of peak electric consumption, complete independence is still very cost-prohibitive, but not completely out of mind. ;-)
Although my house is surrounded by trees (yes, I’m still in the middle of a forest despite opening up the area for PV), I’ve had relatively few power interruptions from bad storms and the like. Fortunately, I don’t live too far from main roads, so even if power does fail, it is a fairly quick recovery time. Basically, Connecticut Light & Power is the primary backup to my less than 1-year-old solar PV system.
The “alternative” power backup system that remains unchanged is my 14-kW diesel generator. While I have reduced my power signature considerably to maximize PV energy use, I still have some serious peak power loads. There’s really no battery system out there (that I care to pay for and maintain) that would ensure uninterrupted service if the power utility went down. (The PV panels cannot operate without utility power in a grid-tied system.) Knock on wood, but I’ve bullet-proofed my system to where I am confident of a minimum level of comfort and security. As expensive as diesel may be right now, it’s a proven solution and there is no logical reason to dump it in the name of “progress.” This slow but continuous style of integrating the best of the old along with something new is my way of advancing my overall level of technology while avoiding the pitfalls from too many changes at once.
I see the tug of online influences (newsletters, blogs, etc.) and Circuit Cellar’s print magazine in the same light. You simply don’t mess with a proven system despite the apparent benefits of a complete metamorphosis. I’ve come to the conclusion that everyone is tired of seeing their favorite publications follow the cyber trail. In the minds of subscribers, this trail often means that their print magazines either go away altogether or become mere teaser material for less-inspired, ad-driven online editorial content.
Circuit Cellar magazine maintains a proven path and consistent stability. Still, we’re not oblivious to Internet reality and we are integrating new features. When Circuit Cellar launched its monthly News Notes e-mail newsletter in July, it was greeted with some initial fears. Is this the replacement for the print magazine that subscribers have supported for over 20 years? Some wondered just that, having experienced this type of “new and improved” online publication switch before. All I can say is, relax guys. Not on my watch.
It’s not that Circuit Cellar readers are in love with paper, but rather, you appreciate what is accomplished on that paper. You cherish the linear flow of the articles found in the paper magazine. You appreciate having large schematics right by your soldering iron. And you realize that it’s all too easy for publications to get sloppy with editorial quality when it can get quickly slapped on a web site with little or no technical editing and pulled down just as quickly. You want a print magazine because the success it takes to maintain that level of publishing expense is a measure of credibility by itself. Circuit Cellar has never altered from this path.
Electronic publishing at Circuit Cellar is meant to complement the print magazine. Our Electronic Edition is an exact replica of the print magazine in PDF format because we have readers who love the ease of reading paper along with those who like the benefits of electronic portability and searchable archives. Certainly, because we don’t have the cost and size limitations imposed by print, we could make the electronic version of the magazine be a larger revenue generator with considerably more advertiser input. But, changing Circuit Cellar’s basic recipe to emulate a trade magazine is suicidal in the long run. We could head down a slippery slope where articles become mere intros, details become generalities, and invitations to community blogs or advertiser ’Net seminars become the prime editorial generators.
Still, there is room for other Circuit Cellar editorial products that do live completely online. Circuit Cellar’s News Notes is a bit different from what people have come to expect from the impact of cyberspace on print magazine publishing. While the print magazine focuses on detailed application articles, the newsletter addresses items that are outside of that scope but still relevant to the Circuit Cellar community. It looks at how the industry interacts with Circuit Cellar, describes your impact on Silicon Valley, and presents messages from Circuit Cellar that don’t fit into the print magazine’s long lead times. The free newsletter is also an opportunity to include follow-up insight from authors and columnists. The size restrictions of the print magazine would normally prohibit the inclusion of such material, but News Notes specifically tackles it.
So, while our newsletter is still in its infancy and continues to evolve, rest assured its creation is not a harbinger of change to the print magazine. Think of News Notes as a conversation between Circuit Cellar and its readership, and I look forward to seeing you there. ;-)
Sign up: www.circuitcellar.com/newsletter
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