Anotherpower.com Forum
Renewable Energy Questions/Discussion => Renewable Energy Q&A => Topic started by: WooferHound on February 21, 2012, 11:35:57 pm
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Why do You want Renewable Energy?
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And because I like tinkering...
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Tinkering is my main reason too...
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it creates an extra topic in the local pub.....(mainly around closing time )
you,r powering your house with that...right ?
of course i am .....:)...who,s round is it now
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My RE is pedal power.
You quickly learn (education) what a Kilowatt hr.
really is.....it's pedaling about an hour and a half
a day for about 20 days.
A year's worth of pedaling to make about 18 KWH....
Norm.
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-- I like to make the magic happen !----------- And I like to see the blades go around !!
" That's my story and I'm stickin to it"
Bill
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Although my house is grid tied, I made a pact with myself, that anything outside the house would be powered by RE. This started out just because I didn't want to run the wires to the grid to power stuff.. rather have it self sustaining.
As a hobbyist the system has grown and grown... cost effective, not hardly... not even close, fun and learning YES!.
Rover
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Yeah , I have spent lots more to make the power than I have saved.
I just wish the grid would go down more often, thals when it's the funnest.
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Yep, the fun part is having my neighbor (after a power outage) .... ask me why my lights were still on
I explain... watch the eyes roll .... grin makes me happy
Rover
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I started with wind-gennies and a solar panels 15 years back --just as a mechanical hobby .
Still fiddling ,, and why not , my power bill is $1.85 per day ,, so ,for me it's not a big issue.
As far as saving the world ,My view is forget it ,it just won't happen . Those clouds ,rain,sun,and our surrounding countryside will decide that -IMHO..
Bruce
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This started for me growing up near my grandfather, who had a fascination with *anything* wind
I remember making all sorts of different blade types and mostly water pumpers.
Everything back then was information found in *very* old books or his friends, much of was just BS..
My own adventures with RE started with plain getting SICK of power outages that I remembered growing up.
As I was now obtaining my grandfathers estate, I figured I was going to do something about that.
So one day I rigged a UPS with some deep cycle boat batteries for the lights.. seemed to work.
The next day I was getting all kinds of dire warnings I was going to burn the house down from various people.
So that night I started searching the net while getting bored waiting for an app to compile.
Next thing I know I am stuck with the likes of the #otherpower room in the IRC, with all those nutty fellas.
Well.. now many hours spent on various projects, and countless hours online learning..
A guess I can say I am hooked..
This took on a new life this year as we planned for making this the real deal..
We are getting jerked around by the power company on a regular basis, and just sick and tired of it..
So here I am today impatiently waiting for the PV panels I ordered yesterday.
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This article appeared in the January 2009 publication my electric co sends out monthly.
They the electric co are working hard to make it happen.
We have the new smart meters , but this month we get a estimated bill?
They wanted to control the air cond. and hot water heater also.
Glad I didnt give them control of that.
Its a great feeling when the grid goes down and we just turn on different lights.
At this time I have two systems in the house. Mine & Theirs
SEE below
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http://countryline.s.com/
Amid the growing economic and energy crises, electricity could become a pricey luxury instead of an affordable staple.
Electricity powers us through every day, from when our alarm clock wakes us up in the morning to when we turn off lights at night. While it’s easy to take electric power for granted, that may not always be the case. Today’s economic crisis makes it all the more critical that work begin soon to address growing issues in the energy industry. Otherwise, electricity could quickly become less of an affordable staple and more of a pricey luxury.
Cleaner coal plants, such as the one proposed for Rogers City by Wolverine Power Cooprative, can help future energy needs and protect the environment.In recent years, the collision of several factors–increasing demand for electricity, rising fuel and construction costs, and climate change–has created what’s been called the energy industry’s “perfect storm.” The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that the need for electricity will climb by 30 percent between now and 2030.
To meet this growth, the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that electric co-ops must double generation capacity over the next 11 years. Yet building new power plants will be expensive, so electric co-ops must turn to both cutting-edge and time-tested solutions to “keeping the lights on”—from advanced power generation technology still under development to proven energy efficiency programs.
“Without advancing technology, our options are limited,” says Glenn English, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Arlington, VA-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned electric co-ops. “But whatever solutions we come to in addressing this energy crisis must keep consumers in mind. With many electric co-op members already working hard to make ends meet, this is no time to enact hasty energy policy that will push electric bills higher.”
Relatively high costs for construction materials and uncertainty about climate change goals, which could place strict limits on carbon dioxide emitted by power plants, have stalled development of new base-load generation, the large, efficient stations that provide dependable and affordable electric power year-round.
New nuclear power plants—sources of clean base-load generation—are stymied by high costs and local political resistance in many areas. As a result, the last new reactor to become operational was a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant in 1996, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute. Since then, only one other, older reactor was refurbished, also by TVA in 2007.
Unless new, thoughtful public policy streamlines the process, that trend could continue, English warns.
In years past, the burden of meeting electric demand would typically fall to coal-fired plants, which provide about one-half of the nation’s electricity. But with plans for new coal plants hitting snags, utilities are being forced to turn to a more expensive fuel: natural gas. In 2007, generation and transmission co-ops planned on using natural gas for one-quarter of their new power plants; in just one year that number has climbed to 53 percent.
“The main challenge we’re facing now is that it’s hard to build new base-load generation in general, but even tougher for units that don’t burn natural gas,” remarks Paul McCurley, NRECA chief engineer. “The lower up-front costs but higher operating costs of natural gas generation traditionally made it a good fuel source for peaking power—used when demand for electricity is at its highest—but not for base-load power plants that generate electricity around the clock.”
“There’s no doubt it is going to be difficult to build new coal-fired and nuclear power plants in coming years, two key sources of base-load generation,” English says. “The resulting reliance on natural gas increases the risk of higher electric bills to consumers and lowers overall reliability due to decreasing fuel diversity. Unfortunately, the question no longer is whether electric bills will increase, but just how high they will go.”
In an effort to broaden limited options and make bills more affordable, electric co-ops have come to embrace the concept of a multi-pronged solution spelled out by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), a nonprofit, utility-sponsored consortium whose members include electric co-ops. With heavy focus on research and development, an array of yet-to-be-developed and existing technologies could keep affordable electricity flowing between now and 2030 while significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Steps to achieving that diverse solution include investing in renewable energy, building advanced, clean-coal-fired power plants, expanding nuclear power capacity, stringing new transmission lines, and improving energy efficiency across the board.
Fortunately, electric co-ops have a long tradition of promoting energy efficiency. “The vast majority of electric co-ops, a full 92 percent, already sponsor energy efficiency education programs, and 77 percent offer residential energy audits to their consumers,” explains Ed Torrero, executive director of NRECA’s Cooperative Research Network. “Just under half provide financial incentives for residential energy efficiency upgrades.”
Electric co-ops are also pioneers in load management programs, which allow them to reduce power consumption by managing when and how electricity gets used. Consumers, who volunteer for the programs, typically don’t even notice when “load control” happens.
Between energy efficiency and load management efforts, electric co-ops reduced demand by 2,200 megawatts in 2006—roughly the equivalent of three large coal-fired power plants, according to EIA. That added up to $50 million in fuel cost savings and offset more than 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equal to what 700 cars put out in a year.
That kind of proactive planning has partially reduced pressure on the electric utility industry as a whole, but more work remains. As soon as next year, some parts of the country could experience a very real shortage of power unless more power plants are built, according to a late 2008 report by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a Princeton, NJ-based nonprofit organization charged with monitoring America’s power system reliability.
As the “perfect storm’s” thunderheads continue to build, electric cooperatives are working hard to keep electricity safe, reliable, and affordable.
English points to the electric co-op grassroots awareness campaign “Our Energy, Our Future,™” as an important part of solving the nation’s energy crisis, and encourages consumers to visit ourenergy.coop to continue the effort.
“By creating a dialogue between consumers and elected officials about our collective energy future, we build the foundation for a working partnership in which government understands and can help meet the needs of cooperative members,” English explains. “Though co-ops are taking steps to deal with this impending crisis through energy efficiency and demand-response programs, serious policy decisions are ahead of us—the root problems are certainly not going away.”
Scott Gates writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
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My home built system came on line 80 days ago.... and I'm 249kwh hours in front.... be 260kwh at the end of today ....it looks like it may be another good sun hour day.
Volvo ( if your there) it's 12 months or more now from when the first ones were built. There is no sign of demise in any way. It hit 4300watts yesterday when a cloud went past.... then settled back to a steady 3600w.... 25.4kwh for the day.
So yes they do work, and I know it is generally not the case with home built panels. ( they need galvanic isolation for the grid ).
Yes.... selfishly grinning here.
...................oztules
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because renewable energy activities grow and require more funding, the tendency in many countries is to move away from methods that let taxpayers carry the burden of promoting renewables, towards economic and regulatory methods that let energy consumers carry the burden so
you need more knowledge by this link
[MOD EDIT - Link removed. Please, no external links by new users. See the rules (http://www.anotherpower.com/board/index.php/topic,64.0.html) for more information.]
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If I ever figure out why I wan't to lose money like I do, I will tell you. I am not sure that it isn't like a drug or gambling problim.
Cheers
gww
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Yeah no doubt, yet they will STILL want to regulate and tax us.
Mostly because its not funding some big conglomerate that lines the gov coffers and pockets.
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I am in my fourth semester of studying Sustainability Technologies. I was always interested in renewable energy but now I have career interests.
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Hi Jethro, and welcome to AP.
Steve
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As Steve said, Welcome Jethro. You will find a fair amount of diverse knowledge here,
and some very helpful people.
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Thank you folks!
I'm already having a great time lurking around and reading various threads. :)
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RE for me is a way of life and a necessity, no grid power here, not that I want it since RE IMHO is equal in cost with mains power with far greater reliability if one knows what one is doing.
Allan
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when i was building my holiday house the local electricity provider the hydroelectric commission condemned my power poll in error and cut off the electricity, it was the best thing they ever did. After starting with 2 x 12vtelco batteries and a couple of solar panels we have gradually graduated to a 1600w 600amp 24v system, and as we had warning we took into account the need for some 24v power circuits, ie to run the fridge full time with no inverter involved, and Led lighting etc.
we love our off grid house and fully intend to live there full time, still on solar.
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I worked in (small) wind when I was young. That's when I got hooked. I carved my first blade on a picnic table for fun one day. Put it up on a mast on the peak of our barn and watched it spin. It was there for years.
I used to read Popular Mechanics/Science, and one day I read this article about the NASA program, and how they were using these new, space-age solar panels to convert light to electricity. They had a picture of one. It was about 20 watts and cost $1,800 IIRC. I thought...this is going to change the world. I was right...it just has taken a little longer than I'd expected.
I started experimenting with RE more and more. We started seeing/selling some rotary inverters at work. My first inverter was a hoot. It was 12V and used about 20amps just to light the damn thing up. It also cropped the screen of a small TV. Still, I was proud because cobbled up a latching circuit to turn it on from multiple sources.
As crazy as it all seems, I now work for a small, rural Coop. I'm still off-grid. And guess what, solar has taken off, we're looking seriously at distributed storage, and new 'electro-technologies' (like cold-climate heat pumps, induction evaporators - for sugar-makers, EV charging...and I thought I was just out there. Well, okay I am, but so are you if you're reading ;>]
~ks
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LOL kitestrings... I can vouch for the very last part...
Why I started and why I'm still in it are almost two different things... but the common element is that magically pulling power out of the sky was just too irresistible to ever ignore. It all started with that little solar motor kit that radio shack had, along with those little radiometers found in novelty shops.
From there, my first "real" panel was an 8W jobbie scavenged from a solar sunroof vent that I got for dirt cheap while working at a tint shop... that thing sat atop more experiments than I can even count nevermind remember... and then one day I was given a couple of 30W 12V nominal panels... and that was the beginning of the end... I nearly completed a "solar theater" (power control/management for a tiny laptop and a small amplifier).
Somewhere along the lines, they needed to be repurposed to keep a cell phone charged (well, one actually... the other didn't make it.. a sad sad story). This grew over time into what it is today... 800W sitting on top of a uhaul that's been converted into a life raft, and as of this writing, has a week under it's belt completely out of testing and running in "fly or die" mode. It's a rough ride but also a lot of fun. Sure have learned a lot about not just what's necessary but myself as well... and there's no end of any of that in sight ;)
Steve
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I know, old thread but I'm bored.
My addiction started with the desire to not pay the grid when I retire to the PI.
Small pension from the VA makes for careful budgeting. Many threads here have fueled my
New passion for RE and automating my installation.
😊
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That is pretty much our reason here as well now.
Energy independence given the cost has been creeping up so much is pretty much vital for our plans when we get older.
Maintenance may become an issue, but one problem at a time.
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Nice for people to be able to admit it's cost without having the green, save the planet BS rammed down their throats as some places as mandated by the powers that be require you to think.
I'm the same.
Recently moved into large new digs with the associated running costs.
I calculated just this morning that based on the last weeks power consumption, our power bill will be in excess of $900 per quarter. It could be a LOT more than that because this area is very warm and once summer comes, the AC will be a necessity not a luxury. My brother in law up the road pays over $1600 for his power per quarter.
I have set up a solar system in the yard I'm testing atm. The last week has shown that will save around $270 per quarter in what it generates/ offsets.
The plan is to put at least 3 times more panels on the roof to get the power bill down as much as possible. I have the space to do it and using second hand panels, I should be able to recoup the cost in 6-9 months tops.
I don't much care for the green part of RE. All that despite the flavour of the month hype is a crock. I'm also going to set up my lister engine to drive a generator running on used oil to make power to offset my bill. Solar is a lot easier in the long run and requires next to no maintenance and has no wear and tar to speak of. Might need to replace the inverter in a few years but that will be a justifiable purchase as well.
Like when I got into running my vehicle on veg oil, I'm interested in solar RE for the savings. If it does the planet good in the process, bonus. If Not, meh. I can't change the world and am not interested in trying.
I have to say I really get fed up with the over hyping of RE. Like anything else it has it's limitations but the greenwashed/ lefties blow it out of all proportion and tout it as the savior of the world which it is not. Here they have been literally blowing up coal fired power stations. That's caused the states that have made much hoo haa about being all renewable loose power completely and widespread rolling blackouts.
Lots of excuses but the truth everyone can see is the greenwashed wanted to push the agenda too hard, too fast and fell on their green arses.
I read yesterday where an energy company that is pushing the green line wants to close a coal power station it owns. The Gubbermint has done a complete backflip and is imploring them and offering incentives to keep it open. Same Gubbermint that only months ago was denouncing coal and pushing the green line. Guess they must have worked out how severe the voter backlash was when the lights went out and are not trying to save face and their backsides.
Renewable is all good and well but it has to be kept realistic in it's application, implementation and limitations rather than just touted as the perfect. flawless solution the proponents like to push it as. It's NOT the solution to the worlds energy problems, never will be and need to be looked at honestly and factually so it can in fact be applied to besnt and most beneficial use.