Solar and other alternative power

[Babagounj]

Quickest way to stop illegal immigration is to stop hiring them. Business wants the cheap labor more than they want the borders closed. Neither party really wants to solve this problem.

Then why is obama going to fly children of illegals currently in the country here for free ?
More cheap children labor ?

 

[sailfish]

My monthly electric bill averaged $26 per month before they went and lifted the rate cap a few years ago, then it jumped to over $40. I'd be willing to bet I could easily get all the power I need from a roof of solar panels.

 

[realbrown1]

My monthly electric bill averaged $26 per month before they went and lifted the rate cap a few years ago, then it jumped to over $40. I'd be willing to bet I could easily get all the power I need from a roof of solar panels.

My electric bill averaged over $255 a month for the last year.

That's why I have solar.

Just waiting for SCE to do their paper work so they can be turned on.

 

[oldngray]

I got Geothermal at my house. Largest electric bill this winter was 235 bux for a 3000 sq ft house, not bad at all. Electric bill is usually 120 bux normally maybe 160 during the summer.

My church has geothermal but recently the EPA noticed and stepped in. It uses its own well and now the EPA wants to regulate it like its own water treatment plant with weekly tests of the water quality. Considerable cost involved to pay for the testing. The electric bill there is higher then you would expect also to power the pumps to run the geothermal.

 

[jumpman23]

My church has geothermal but recently the EPA noticed and stepped in. It uses its own well and now the EPA wants to regulate it like its own water treatment plant with weekly tests of the water quality. Considerable cost involved to pay for the testing. The electric bill there is higher then you would expect also to power the pumps to run the geothermal.

Mine is always pretty consistent n I program my thermostat to pop on at a certain time of the day also

 

[oldngray]

Mine is always pretty consistent n I program my thermostat to pop on at a certain time of the day also

Maintenance is also an issue. This past winter one of the two pumps needed to be replaced and that was $4000 then last month a pressure tank went too and that was another $2000.

 

[jumpman23]

Maintenance is also an issue. This past winter one of the two pumps needed to be replaced and that was $4000 then last month a pressure tank went too and that was another $2000.

I think it came with a 10 year warranty on most of the unit. I have a home protect plan wrapped into my mortgage where if anything in house goes up like fridge, dishwasher, heating unit etc I pay a 75 dollar deductible and and that's it to replace or repair the unit that is damaged. I had a problem with my Rinnai tankless hot water heater a few months back and it would have cost 400 bux to get it fixed, all I paid was 75 bux and that was it to fix it out of pocket. Good deal well worth the extra 50 bux a month I pay for it within my mortgage.

 

[Babagounj]

How about that $8M the VA spent on solar panels and never turned them on .
I hear they are tearing some of them down to make way for a parking garage .

 

[wkmac]

Sad this thread was hijacked by the minimum wage issue. Some good and interesting comments on both solar and alternative energy (good stuff on geothermal) were posted and I wonder where that conversation might have gone if not for the course change?

Hope nobody minds my now OT comment but a point was made early on by one poster about going solar something to the effect of why we continue the need to pay ever rising electric bills and I agree. Alternative technology is growing that off grid is becoming a real potential for anyone. Solar is good even great in the right location but in others in may not produce the optimum result. Wind is an option that gets better and better but so to is micro hydro.

But another thought, what happens in our world when energy is not a commodity controlled by scarcity but is all but free for anyone who wants to pull it from nature?

I think it was RB who argued the point earlier about no need to pay an electric bill and the above question speaks right to his excellent point IMO. How does this begin to change our lives?

 

[brownmonster]

Sad this thread was hijacked by the minimum wage issue. Some good and interesting comments on both solar and alternative energy (good stuff on geothermal) were posted and I wonder where that conversation might have gone if not for the course change?

Hope nobody minds my now OT comment but a point was made early on by one poster about going solar something to the effect of why we continue the need to pay ever rising electric bills and I agree. Alternative technology is growing that off grid is becoming a real potential for anyone. Solar is good even great in the right location but in others in may not produce the optimum result. Wind is an option that gets better and better but so to is micro hydro.

But another thought, what happens in our world when energy is not a commodity controlled by scarcity but is all but free for anyone who wants to pull it from nature?

I think it was RB who argued the point earlier about no need to pay an electric bill and the above question speaks right to his excellent point IMO. How does this begin to change our lives?

I live on a hill and it's usually pretty windy. I could put a windmill on my roof.

 

[oldngray]

Wind is good as a supplemental source of power but not reliable enough to be the primary source.

 

[brownmonster]

Wind is good as a supplemental source of power but not reliable enough to be the primary source.

That's the main problem with wind and solar.

 

[wkmac]

I live on a hill and it's usually pretty windy. I could put a windmill on my roof.

Depending on the lay of the land and your access to the slopes, installing just below the peak might be best. If the lay of the land is just right, daytime heating and the warm air rise from the lower altitudes create a wind effect you might capture for energy. I'd also look at a wind map (this is only one of many) and determine from where you live if wind should be a primary or a small scale supplement.

Another valuable resource IMO is Home Power magazine. I've subscribed for years and some of the articles can get very technical while others not so much. But the magazine has stayed true to its purpose and it's packed with good info. Here's the link to the section on wind power that is pretty basic and you can decide where you want to go from there.

 

[brownmonster]

Depending on the lay of the land and your access to the slopes, installing just below the peak might be best. If the lay of the land is just right, daytime heating and the warm air rise from the lower altitudes create a wind effect you might capture for energy. I'd also look at a wind map (this is only one of many) and determine from where you live if wind should be a primary or a small scale supplement.

Another valuable resource IMO is Home Power magazine. I've subscribed for years and some of the articles can get very technical while others not so much. But the magazine has stayed true to its purpose and it's packed with good info. Here's the link to the section on wind power that is pretty basic and you can decide where you want to go from there.

About a 20 foot hill, not a mountain. Lol.

 

[wkmac]

Wind is good as a supplemental source of power but not reliable enough to be the primary source.

Depends on location.

The problem when discussing alternative power is too often we think in the context of a big grid and I'm not convince any alternative technology exists to do that but on a micro generation scale, far too many people have proven that is easily achievable. IMO you have to look at alternative energy purely in an individual or very small scale context. Even powering a large city much less beyond that goes to a whole other level and I'm not sold we are there yet. But I do think people are working towards those ends and in time we may likely get there.

Like Tesla, I'd like to see energy all but free to anyone. Game changer IMO.

 

[wkmac]

About a 20 foot hill, not a mountain. Lol.

Sun hits it just right, there may be something there. Put up a wind station and data log the info and see what you come up with.

 

[wkmac]

About a 20 foot hill, not a mountain. Lol.

A little something to peak your wind interest. Google Mike Reynolds to learn who he is. He's also called the "Garbage Warrior" and you'll see why if you google him.

 

[wkmac]

IBM Solar Collector Magnifies Sun By 2000X – These Could Provide Power To The Entire Planet

 

[FrigidAdCorrector]

There's so much wind at my house, that if I could, I'd drop a windmill on the corner of my property in a heartbeat.

They make smaller ones you can put on the roof of your house. It doesn't generate a ton of power, but it's probably more than enough to power your home. Plus it runs constantly unlike solar which means you're pumping power in the grid all night and making some $$.

it does put less emissions into the environment, which can only be considered a good thing

The problem is when it is time to get a new battery. Ever see one of the plants that melt down the batteries? Talk about a nasty place.

Solar is not a bad alternative. But it's tough. Usually by the time you get your plan together and have them installed the panel is obsolete. My stepdad sells chemicals to the manufacturers and he said it's amazing how fast the customers have to keep up with changes. He had a customer that was selling them like crazy in January. By December of the same year they filed for bankruptcy because their panels were obsolete and they didn't develop a new one in time. It makes tech look slow.

 

[wkmac]

One of the big hurdles with alternative power is the issue of heating and cooling. Here is one example with an idea that could help to overcome that issue.

The Umbrella Home: Super Efficiency