Time to switch to sustainable energy, even locally.

[lindab]

Our water heater is a separate panel. This is photovoltaic generating almost 5kw in full sun.

[lindab]

all it takes is money.
Actually, I recommend the solar hot water first. JEA has a great rebate program and returns about half the cost to the owner. http://www.jea.com/community/conservcenter/programs/solar.asp

PV is pretty high priced right now and the federal rebate has dried up. We are on a waiting list when it is reauthorized (fingers crossed)

[Ocklawaha]

Jason, my bad on the terms... Still living in 1930? I am speaking of COKE that is from coal and is cooked in ovens in places like West Virginia then sent by rail to the steel industry (or what's left of it). The rail rate
bureau still calls this COKE and the Petro from the light oil and tar by-products. It is used for extreme heat as it doesn't have the impuritys in it. Thus it makes the worlds best steel.

You are speaking of a by-product of the oil fields themselves, correct?

For certain, if we could bottle the BS that is coming out of JTA's BRT and City Hall offices, we could probably power the world on the methane.

Ocklawaha

[Ocklawaha]

Cool Stephen, but "STREETCAR MONSTER" thinks it's all about alternate energy. No diesel buses cranking down the BRT asphalt deathway. Methane gas plants at a local landfill supplys the energy, or perhaps we call it "Get Stellar, RIDE THE SUN"... The Carbon credits are then sold back to dirty industry to back the O&M of the system. We go green with downtown Trolley Bus shuttles, and damn if we don't lead the nation. Yes, I have a one-track mind, but there are branchlines in my network of rails.

Ocklawaha

[Ocklawaha]

Backgrounder: Ride the Wind!TM
education resource site

The C-Train
The C-train is Calgary's light rail transit system. Every day, thousands of commuters hop on board to go to school, to work, shopping, and more. The C-Train runs on electricity, which is carried above the tracks by overhead wires. Powerful electric motors propel the C-train down polished steel tracks, giving the train a quiet, smooth ride. Electric motors are far more efficient than automotive engines, and produce no harmful exhaust emissions.


The Calgary light rail transit system is powered by electricity.
Source: City of Calgary

By giving commuters a fast, reliable transportation alternative, the C-Train helps to solve traffic problems. Each day, riders board the C-Train 189,000 times. If each commuter had traveled alone in his or her car instead of on the C-Train, the daily mileage would have amounted to 1.2 million kilometres. These car commuters would have used 107,000 litres of fuel, and produced some 270,000 kg of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants. The C-train is not only a convenient form of alternative transportation, it is an environmentally friendly one too!

Alberta's Electrical Supply
The C-Train system uses 21,000 MWh of electricity each year, enough to wash over nine million loads of laundry! In Alberta, most of that electricity is produced at coal-fired generating stations. Coal is used because it is cheap and plentiful in Alberta. The downside of using coal for making electricity is that it cannot be used as efficiently as other fuels, and it produces far more air pollution than natural gas or hydroelectricity, the other two main sources of electrical power in Alberta.


The vast majority of Alberta's electricity comes from burning coal. 


Wind is a good source of energy in Southern Alberta.
Photo courtesy of Vision Quest Wind Electric.

Wind Energy in Alberta
Southern Alberta is a windy place, ideal for setting up electricity-generating wind turbines. To take advantage of the strong, steady winds, commercial-scale wind turbines are being installed south of Calgary in ever-greater numbers. The turbines are located on the tops of hills facing the Rockies, where strong westerly winds pour through mountain passes.

The newest turbines installed in southern Alberta have impressive statistics. Each is mounted on a tubular steel tower 40 metres tall, and is equipped with three propeller-like blades sweeping a circle 44 metres across. Each turbine can produce more than 600 kilowatts of electricity, or 1.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually - enough to meet the total yearly needs of nearly 250 average Alberta homes. Each turbine blade is built like a high-performance aircraft wing. Air blowing past the blades generates an aerodynamic force called "lift," which turns the entire turbine. A generator inside the head of the turbine uses this turning motion to produce electricity. This electricity is sent through the power lines and added to Alberta's electrical grid.


The internal workings of a commercial wind turbine. 

Wind energy is an excellent source of electricity. Unlike fossil fuels, wind energy is pollution free, and virtually limitless. As well, wind turbines have become incredibly efficient and reliable. Nonetheless, there are times when winds are too light to produce electricity. For this reason, it is not possible to rely on wind power alone to meet all our electricity needs. Imagine your frustration if your computer game turned off every time the wind stopped blowing! Fortunately, other energy sources, like hydropower and fossil fuels are available for producing electricity when winds are calm.

Despite occasional periods when winds are too light for making electricity, it is reasonable to expect that as much as 20% of our electricity can come from wind turbines like those in southern Alberta. However, less than 0.3% of Alberta's total electrical supply presently comes from wind power.

Ride the Wind!!TM
In September 2001 the City of Calgary announced its decision to use commercial wind energy as the primary source of the C-train's electricity. The program is called Ride the Wind!TM because people using the C-Train would actually be traveling with the help of energy captured from the wind.


Calgary's C-Trains now run on wind-generated electricity.
Photo courtesy of the City of Calgary.

Before the switch to wind power, the C-Train's energy supply accounted for about 20,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases and other air pollution every year, less than 1/10 of the pollution that would have resulted if all C-Train passengers had driven in their own cars. Under the Ride the Wind!TM program, these emissions are reduced to practically zero. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from this change is like taking another 4,000 cars off the road for a year. This makes the C-train one of the most environmentally friendly forms of transportation you can use.

Wind energy is rapidly gaining popularity in Alberta. For the City of Calgary, wind energy is helping the city reduce air pollution and the emissions of climate-altering greenhouse gases. Recent changes in the regulations that govern the sale of electricity in Alberta allow anyone to buy electricity from companies producing wind power. As more and more customers buy wind power, wind electric companies will be able to slowly increase the share of Alberta's electricity produced from this clean and endless energy source.

Ocklawaha
Transit Mundo Gloria

[Ocklawaha]

Well for all the rest who are CERTAIN I really am the "Streetcar Monster". Just a littleFYI at this late hour, Here's a look at what I was REALLY doing and where I really came from after I left the coast of Chili and headed up to Colombia... Well the whole damn story is here:

http://www.aniboom.com/Player.aspx?v=46787

Ocklawaha

[Jason]

It sounds like a great thread.

But Im still trying to figure out how to convert a house over to solar!

I'm not sure of the total costs of a solar system but I have heard of numbers between $10-$20 thousand for a 5KW system.  By comparison, a 10KW (twice the power) deisel or bi-fuel generator in a sound attenuated enclusure with transfer switch runs about $6-$7 thousand at Home Depot.  Add another grand or so for installation.  I know that having a generator to run your home on an average day is rediculous but in an emergency situation they are life savers.  Solar systems have the built in benefit of being an emergency system when the utility is down due to storms or other reasons.

The Renu system I mentioned earlier was genious in that it was essentially a rented system that was designed specifically for your home and installed by the company.  All that was required was a $500 deposit and a contract of 1, 5, or 25 years.  The perk of that contract was that the "rent" was calculated by determining the average power consumption (your average power bill) and applying that rate to the liftime of your contract essentially locking in your rate despite potential rate increases by the utility.

[Jason]

No, not at all.  10KW could run many smaller households minus only one or two of the larger loads (AC, range, water heater).  But to fully power the average household you're probably looking at a 15-20KW system.  If you trim off the water heater by going solar you'll save a bit.  Energy effecient appliances and fluorescent lighting will help as well.  The homes that are power hungry, such as those with pools, whirlpool tubs, extensive landscape lighting, etc will easily require solar systems that may not fit on the existing roof.

[Jason]

Of course it can be done locally.  There are plenty of contractors around that can install solar systems.  It would be best for the average homeowner to have the system professionally installed, unless your an electrician.  There is also permitting required as well as interaction with Utility owned equipment.  Let the pros handle it.

[Lunican]

Homeowner of solar-hydrogen house has $0.00 utility bill

by Conrad Quilty-Harper, posted Mar 17th 2007 at 3:08PM
Mike Strizki, a civil engineer living in New Jersey has converted his home into a completely energy self-sufficient abode that runs exclusively on a combination of solar and hydrogen power. Using solar panels, a hydrogen fuel cell, storage tanks, an electrolyzer to split water into Hydrogen and Oxygen, plus a custom made fuel-cell car, Mike benefits from a utility bill of zero dollars, and the comforting feeling that his activities don't produce any pollution. Currently the solution isn't in any way practical for mass adoption -- the initial cost was $500,000, with half paid by New Jersey state grants -- but Mike thinks that he could reduce this cost tenfold with more research and mass market production lines. There is also some concern amongst experts like Joseph Romm, a former Department of Energy official who thinks that the current relatively inefficient technology and the high cost means that this isn't a viable system for mass adoption just yet. Despite this criticism, Mike says "we have to start somewhere," even if early adopters (in this case rich Hollywood types with a conscience) are required to pay out up to $250,000 dollars to get in on the clean energy action.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/17/homeowner-of-solar-hydrogen-house-has-0-00-utility-bill/

[Jason]

After researching, it looks like the average home could get away with a 2-5KW system.  My figures were considering the National Electric Code estimations for a typical household, but the actual power consumption of a typical household is much lower.

Here is a great site I found with real applications, power production, cost data, and pictures....

http://akeena.net/cm/Residential_Solar_Power/Connecticut_Case_Studies/New_Hartford-CT.html

so maybe 30-40k to go mostly solar?

over a 10 year period, this would break down to about 250-335 monthly.  Thats not including any maintenance and repairs.

Which is about an average household bill now?  Maybe slightly lower, but you would never have power outages, and its completely green, and regular electric bills are only going to increase?

Solar systems aren't to the point where there a money saver.  You'll probably spend a bit more in Florida because we don't have the rebates and tax incentives that California has.  People there are actually saving a little bit of money over the long run by switching.

[lindab]

I think Jason is right. The first thing is to take a look at how much you are using right now. What does your bill say about how many watts you are using each month? How can you reduce that number?

Check out the R-values in your walls, ceiling, windows. Are your appliances the most energy efficient you can get? What about energy efficient landscaping - do you have shade trees shading the house walls?  Lots of electronic gear is what is called energy vampires - sucking up energy in the dead of nite while supposedly turned off.

Last month our Sierra Club meeting was about calculating your household carbon footprint. Our chairman had charted his electric usage over a year's time and watched it decline as he did different things. An amazing demonstration. Good ideas listed here:  http://florida.sierraclub.org/Northeast/issues/energy_globalwarming.html

My husband and I reduced our usage to about 600w/mo during the fall, winter and spring and 1100/mo. during AC months. I know we can do better and I'm working on it.