The team is researching in state-of-the-art alternative technology to find ecological ways for the power distribution at Now Here?.
We have set-up a mailing-list which helps us to communicate: 
http://lists.goingnowhere.org/mailman/listinfo/power
This is a copy of the page we were using to manage the power grid for all communal users: PowerGrid2008
Current Action Points (please feel free to refine or add your ideas):
1. find out what kind of funding we can get of sources like Public Funding, Nowhere Budget + Fund Raiser, people/companies which are just nice and help or cooperate with us
2. find good tech (low power users, power generators, converters and batteries)
2.1. that works for us (can be cheaper but effective for what we need it for – so it can be stored during the year or easily transported)
2.2. for some institution we want to support – which is also an institution the EU likes so they really want to get us the funds (this should be state of the art technology).
3. get everything together
4. install everything at Nowhere
5.1. put it in storage for next year or take it somewhere to use throughout the year
5.2. install it at the supported institution
6. Plan what we can do better next year :-)
Technical:
Some info:
12V equipment – what makes sense and how much it cost (in german)
http://www.oeko-energie.de/w2dtest/lieferprogramm/solarstrom/sparsamedcverbraucher/index.php
lighting is kind of expensive but there are solutions that make sense:
Solsum Energiesparlampen, 12 V, E27 oder BD22-Gewinde
5 (ca. 25W), 7 (ca. 40 W) oder 11 (ca. 60W) in weiß oder gelbton (bitte angeben) E 26,00
Phocos Energiesparlampen, 12 V, E27
15 (ca. W), E 29,00
30 (ca. W), E 58,00
Sundaya A-light
best price light efficiency
with pulling switch and night mode
101.589Alight 6W RSNL black 18,00
101.591Alight 10W RSNL black 19,00
Here's our freezer:
Steca PF 166 Solar-Kühl-/Gefriertruhe 12/ 24V
Most efficient freezer (or fridge) ever built...¢¢http://www.oeko-energie.de/w2dtest/downloads/stecapf166datenblattde.pdf ==
¯¯
710,00 Euro + 40,00 shipping (in germany I guess)
230V stuff
Good converters have a efficiency of up to 93- 96%.
SMA Sunny Boy Serie:
Type Output AC Input DC Price
SB 700 ............700 W ......... 119 – 250 V ... 873,00
SB 1100LV ... 1.000 W ........... 20 – 60 V . 1.337,00
SB 2800i ...... 2.600 W ..........224 – 600 V 1.686,00
SB 1100 ....... 1.100 W ........ 139 – 400 V ... 928,00
SB 1700 ....... 1.550 W ........ 139 – 400 V 1.201,00
SB 2100 TL ... 1.950 W ........ 125 – 600 V 1.446,00
SB 2500 ....... 2.300 W ........ 274 – 600 V 1.583,00
SB 3000 ....... 2.750 W ........ 268 – 600 V 1.719,00
SB 3300 ....... 3.300 W ........ 200 – 500 V 1.943,00
SB 3300 TLHC 3.000 W ........ 125 – 750 V 1.890,00
SB 3800 ........ 3.800 W ........ 200 – 500 V 1.999,00
SB 4200 TLHC 4.000 W ........ 125 – 750 V 2.765,00
SB 5000 TLHC 4.600 W ........ 125 – 750 V 2.999,00
They are ment to discharge into the normal power grid. High quality.
Thos guys here are cheap and have a efficiency of around 90% – max load I found is 800W
Technische Daten: 500 / 1000 W – 24V
Eingangsspannung: 22 – 28 V DC
Eingang: Schraubklemmen
Ausgangsspannung: 230 V AC / 50 Hz
Ausgang: 1-fach Euro, 1-fach Schuko
Dauer-/Spitzenausgangsleistung: 500 W / 1000 W
Wirkungsgrad: > 88 %
Anlaufstrom: < 100 mA
Abmessungen: 230 x 130 x 60 mm
Gewicht: 1100 g
Lieferumfang: Spannungswandler mit einer Euro- und einer Schukosteckdose inkl. 1m Anschlusskabel.