The Briefing Room
General Category => Editorial/Opinion/Blogs => Topic started by: Elderberry on November 28, 2020, 12:12:39 pm
-
The Post & Email by Dr. Jay Lehr & Tom Harris 11/27/2020
"HEATING OR EATING"
The power disaster unfolding in California will soon occur across the country if Joe Biden gets his way. Just as the former Vice-President plans for America as a whole (https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/), the Golden State is sweeping away the forms of energy that have been reliable for decades. Power outages are now commonplace in California. Last summer, the state suffered its first rolling blackouts in nearly 20 years. Imagine if this happened in Chicago in the middle of winter.
California’s trouble is explained by officials who now openly admit to an over-reliance on wind and solar power. The governor said there was not enough wind to keep the turbines going with cloud cover and nightfall restricting solar power. The Los Angeles Times reported (https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-10-06/california-rolling-blackouts-climate-change-poor-planning):
All this is happening while California continues its intent to transition to 60% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% “climate-friendly energy†by 2045, as required by state law. Indeed, in their October 6th open letter to Newsom, the heads of the California’s Energy Commission, Independent System Operator and Public Utilities Commission wrote: “We are unwavering in our commitment to meeting California’s clean energy and climate goals.†And, Biden plans to go even further, committing to making the nation 100% renewable within 15 years.
California’s shift toward so-called green energy, which is actually anything but, is being echoed by politicians across the nation. The result, especially in states that don’t enjoy California’s mostly benign weather, is going to be that those in the poorest neighborhoods and those on fixed incomes may be forced to choose between heating or eating.
More: https://www.thepostemail.com/2020/11/27/get-ready-for-nationwide-blackouts-under-biden/ (https://www.thepostemail.com/2020/11/27/get-ready-for-nationwide-blackouts-under-biden/)
-
This is my last real nut to crack in the way of off-grid Independence. If I get things going up in the holler, that place will be water turbine driven for power with solar being a backup. But as it is now, even where I am I'm moving forward, with the solar system that will be back up up there, functioning down here as the primary power source, using the place here as a testing bed while I am still close to town. I will still have access to electric power from the grid, but I will not need it anymore.
Right now I still do need it. But if it becomes tenuous, even now I would be all right, providing that I had fuel enough to run the generators. I'm working on that too, converting one of my generators over the natural gas for a proper fallback generator. As for the rest, I already heat primarily with wood, and I can make light with fuel oil lanterns. So really all I need generators for now is for the freezing and refrigeration.
This is something I think everyone should consider, providing they live where they have the space to implement it. It isn't just because of biden, or just because of anything. but rather, to be as independent as possible in the face of any catastrophe that maybe looming on the horizon.
It doesn't have to be that complicated. But one of the primary thought processes that go into survival is the idea of usable alternatives, and that always being a useful consideration.
-
This will also bring poverty, job losses and reduced tax income to feed the bloated govt.
It will not be a pretty time for this country as the economy is stifled by believing fairy tales about renewables and horror stories about hydrocarbons.
-
This is my last real nut to crack in the way of off-grid Independence. If I get things going up in the holler, that place will be water turbine driven for power with solar being a backup. But as it is now, even where I am I'm moving forward, with the solar system that will be back up up there, functioning down here as the primary power source, using the place here as a testing bed while I am still close to town. I will still have access to electric power from the grid, but I will not need it anymore.
Right now I still do need it. But if it becomes tenuous, even now I would be all right, providing that I had fuel enough to run the generators. I'm working on that too, converting one of my generators over the natural gas for a proper fallback generator. As for the rest, I already heat primarily with wood, and I can make light with fuel oil lanterns. So really all I need generators for now is for the freezing and refrigeration.
This is something I think everyone should consider, providing they live where they have the space to implement it. It isn't just because of biden, or just because of anything. but rather, to be as independent as possible in the face of any catastrophe that maybe looming on the horizon.
It doesn't have to be that complicated. But one of the primary thought processes that go into survival is the idea of usable alternatives, and that always being a useful consideration.
You have an advantage: You are completely in control of the demand...
-
You have an advantage: You are completely in control of the demand...
That is not quite true - but I am willing to sacrifice and to walk in a different way from everyone else.... In that I must also govern myself - There is no reasonable or affordable way to get me 220v for instance. I must do without my big air compressor, my welder, my dryer and my electric stove.
I CAN have 220, just not without firing up the big jenny. So by and large, I will have to live within the means provided by what I am willing to shell out in a system.
That governance of self and willingness to do without should be the emphasis of 'complete control', and not the control itself.
And that is no small thing, by the way.... One could argue that to be the missing piece in American capitalism.
-
This is my last real nut to crack in the way of off-grid Independence. If I get things going up in the holler, that place will be water turbine driven for power with solar being a backup. But as it is now, even where I am I'm moving forward, with the solar system that will be back up up there, functioning down here as the primary power source, using the place here as a testing bed while I am still close to town. I will still have access to electric power from the grid, but I will not need it anymore.
Right now I still do need it. But if it becomes tenuous, even now I would be all right, providing that I had fuel enough to run the generators. I'm working on that too, converting one of my generators over the natural gas for a proper fallback generator. As for the rest, I already heat primarily with wood, and I can make light with fuel oil lanterns. So really all I need generators for now is for the freezing and refrigeration.
This is something I think everyone should consider, providing they live where they have the space to implement it. It isn't just because of biden, or just because of anything. but rather, to be as independent as possible in the face of any catastrophe that maybe looming on the horizon.
It doesn't have to be that complicated. But one of the primary thought processes that go into survival is the idea of usable alternatives, and that always being a useful consideration.
Fuel for the generators .... they will be limiting how much fuel you can buy as well.
-
Fuel for the generators .... they will be limiting how much fuel you can buy as well.
The farm has 500 gallons of Premium non-ethanol gasoline on hand, and around 800 gallons of diesel (if I have the tank sizes right... something like that). There are 2 55's of kerosene out back here, not to mention several cases of white gas. If everything went to hell in a handbasket right now we'd be fine for a long, long time. Our major problem right now is being too close to town. I do not believe we can DEFEND what we have assembled for very long at all.
That is what the Holler is for... It's off the pavement, off the gravel, and at the very end of a hard to find two-track... Smack dab in the middle of hillbilly country, where every man-jack of them will rise to defend their mountains... Given the nature of catastrophe, gas will be gone in days, and thereafter, anything outside of a 10 mile radius is fairly immune to raiders. Too far to go, raid, and come back quickly... And after that, as abandonment begins, raiders will be moving with the herd basing from the highways up into the hills, as the herds move along toward bigger cities.
I am WELL out of the way of both of those scenarios, and can stay buttoned down with the family easy for a year, certainly for two, and maybe for three. Plenty of time.
But that is a distraction from what I meant - One should be as close to self governance, and autonomous independence as possible as a way of life, as that way of life assures, or at least, best guarantees survival of any catastrophe - Not just a zombie apocalypse. happy77
-
The farm has 500 gallons of Premium non-ethanol gasoline on hand, and around 800 gallons of diesel (if I have the tank sizes right... something like that). There are 2 55's of kerosene out back here, not to mention several cases of while gas. If everything went to hell in a handbasket right now we'd be fine for a long, long time. Our major problem right now is being too close to town. I do not believe we can DEFEND what we have assembled for very long at all.
That is what the Holler is for... It's off the pavement, off the gravel, and at the very end of a hard to find two-track... Smack dab in the middle of hillbilly country, where every man-jack of them will rise to defend their mountains... Given the nature of catastrophe, gas will be gone in days, and thereafter, anything outside of a 10 mile radius is fairly immune to raiders. Too far to go, raid, and come back quickly... And after that, as abandonment begins, raiders will be moving with the herd basing from the highways up into the hills, as the herds move along toward bigger cities.
I am WELL out of the way of both of those scenarios, and can stay buttoned down with the family easy for a year, certainly for two, and maybe for three. Plenty of time.
But that is a distraction from what I meant - One should be as close to self governance, and autonomous independence as possible as a way of life, as that way of life assures, or at lest, best guarantees survival of any catastrophe - Not just zombie apocalypse. happy77
You and yours will be among the survivors @roamer_1 I don't anticipate we'll make it for very long. Kicking myself again for not moving into the mountains while we had the chance. We'll be extinguished or put into a FEMA camp along with hundreds of thousands of others.
Still saying U.N. troops are waiting in the wings to ensure the fall of our country. Millions of us have lots of weapons and firepower, but not enough to win the battle that's coming.
-
I sailed wrote (accurately):
"It will not be a pretty time for this country as the economy is stifled by believing fairy tales about renewables and horror stories about hydrocarbons."
I'm guessing that it's gonna take two or three decades for the infatuation with "green-ness" to burn its way through society before folks begin to realize "this ain't workin'", and that the "old, polluting ways" were actually better. For everyone.
Even then, the communist powers-that-be who will be in full control by then won't care or heed the public's clamor to "make the infrastructure work again". After all, THEY'LL be warm in winter and cool in summer in their elite areas, while the rest of the "American comrades" suffer in the cold and sweat in the heat.
-
You and yours will be among the survivors @roamer_1 I don't anticipate we'll make it for very long. Kicking myself again for not moving into the mountains while we had the chance. We'll be extinguished or put into a FEMA camp along with hundreds of thousands of others.
I don't know that we'll survive - It ain't in place just yet, and me being bunged up again is pushing it off even further... But while there are no guarantees, I definitely will hedge my bets... And you should too, any which way you can... Maybe that's a summer home in the Appalachians, or down in the Ozarks, or out here in the Rockies... Or knowing someone in one of those places where you can light and set a spell... Plenty of things for older folks to do, especially women folks with vast knowledge of gardening, putting up, sewing and patching, and knowledge of herbs and medicines... Such folks find themselves of great value, and them hillbillies respect and care for them...
So just being elder is no reason to throw in the towel... Even an acre of land and a trailer house somewhere is better than the alternative... And is a provision your whole family will flock to when the chips come raining down. :beer:
Still saying U.N. troops are waiting in the wings to ensure the fall of our country. Millions of us have lots of weapons and firepower, but not enough to win the battle that's coming.
I am far more optimistic than you are. Remember, behind every blade of grass...
-
The governor said there was not enough wind to keep the turbines going with cloud cover and nightfall restricting solar power.
Nightfall restricts solar power? They just now figured that out?
-
Nightfall restricts solar power? They just now figured that out?
Nothing can get by them.
-
The farm has 500 gallons of Premium non-ethanol gasoline on hand, and around 800 gallons of diesel (if I have the tank sizes right... something like that). There are 2 55's of kerosene out back here, not to mention several cases of white gas. If everything went to hell in a handbasket right now we'd be fine for a long, long time. Our major problem right now is being too close to town. I do not believe we can DEFEND what we have assembled for very long at all.
That is what the Holler is for... It's off the pavement, off the gravel, and at the very end of a hard to find two-track... Smack dab in the middle of hillbilly country, where every man-jack of them will rise to defend their mountains... Given the nature of catastrophe, gas will be gone in days, and thereafter, anything outside of a 10 mile radius is fairly immune to raiders. Too far to go, raid, and come back quickly... And after that, as abandonment begins, raiders will be moving with the herd basing from the highways up into the hills, as the herds move along toward bigger cities.
I am WELL out of the way of both of those scenarios, and can stay buttoned down with the family easy for a year, certainly for two, and maybe for three. Plenty of time.
But that is a distraction from what I meant - One should be as close to self governance, and autonomous independence as possible as a way of life, as that way of life assures, or at least, best guarantees survival of any catastrophe - Not just a zombie apocalypse. happy77
:thumbsup:
I do that in small ways. Knowing how to make one's own yeast from the air. Vinegar, homemade yogurt from dried milk supply. Hard tack making. Beef jerky. Little things.
-
I sailed wrote (accurately):
"It will not be a pretty time for this country as the economy is stifled by believing fairy tales about renewables and horror stories about hydrocarbons."
I'm guessing that it's gonna take two or three decades for the infatuation with "green-ness" to burn its way through society before folks begin to realize "this ain't workin'", and that the "old, polluting ways" were actually better. For everyone.
Even then, the communist powers-that-be who will be in full control by then won't care or heed the public's clamor to "make the infrastructure work again". After all, THEY'LL be warm in winter and cool in summer in their elite areas, while the rest of the "American comrades" suffer in the cold and sweat in the heat.
LEFTS..aren't happy unless they can ruin something in the same of 'health" or "climate'. They are nuts.
:thumbsup:
-
Its never gonna happen, especially after what transpired in Japan, but im a lone(ish) voice calling for ma lot of new nuclear power plants.
-
Its never gonna happen, especially after what transpired in Japan, but im a lone(ish) voice calling for ma lot of new nuclear power plants.
Nope. Not going with you on that... Make more mess than they are worth. Figure out a way to counteract the radioactive results for inert disposal, and how to clean up a meltdown in less than a decade and I could be sold on it. But not till then.
-
I do that in small ways. Knowing how to make one's own yeast from the air. Vinegar, homemade yogurt from dried milk supply. Hard tack making. Beef jerky. Little things.
If you're doing the best you can, I have no trouble with that. Folks that live in inner cities cannot do much... But folks have forgotten how much can be grown on an average 1/2 acre yard. Our garden was less than half an acre for many many years, and my mother fed a family of 6 from that plot...
-
Nope. Not going with you on that... Make more mess than they are worth. Figure out a way to counteract the radioactive results for inert disposal, and how to clean up a meltdown in less than a decade and I could be sold on it. But not till then.
Everyone is a NIMBY about it, I get it. I wouldn't be all that comfortable with one next door, too. But the advantages are so alluring.
-
Everyone is a NIMBY about it, I get it. I wouldn't be all that comfortable with one next door, too. But the advantages are so alluring.
Yeah... So are hookers... :laugh:
Gotta figure a little longer than the face of the thing. Wait till chernobyl gets in there deep enough to hit the aquifer... See how that works out.
It ain't 'my back yard'.... when one of them puppies goes off, you're talking hundreds of square miles destroyed for generations.
That ain't the sort of thing we should be messin with.
-
Yeah... So are hookers... :laugh:
Gotta figure a little longer than the face of the thing. Wait till chernobyl gets in there deep enough to hit the aquifer... See how that works out.
It ain't 'my back yard'.... when one of them puppies goes off, you're talking hundreds of square miles destroyed for generations.
That ain't the sort of thing we should be messin with.
First off, I miss Thailand...
And the chernobyl thing is not on the table as a possibility. Fukushima, well, im sure they had assured everyone it was safe so I have no good counterpoint. What can I say....maybe the best I can hope for is some lightly populated, geologically inactive places with easy egress...
-
First off, I miss Thailand...
:silly:
You don't know me that well, so I'll lay off the lady-boy joke that immediately came to mind...
And the chernobyl thing is not on the table as a possibility. Fukushima, well, im sure they had assured everyone it was safe so I have no good counterpoint. What can I say....maybe the best I can hope for is some lightly populated, geologically inactive places with easy egress...
Sure just plant it out there for the rednecks to deal with... That's the ticket...
Nope. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. If you can't fix it when it messes up, then better not to mess with it at all.
After all, what could possibly go wrong, right?
-
:silly:
You don't know me that well, so I'll lay off the lady-boy joke that immediately came to mind...
You don't know *me* that well wink777
-
You don't know *me* that well wink777
:bigsilly: :bigsilly: :bigsilly:
NICE. :beer:
-
Nationwide blackout??? Lol, Texas has its own power grid.
-
Nationwide blackout??? Lol, Texas has its own power grid.
North Dakota is a net exporter, too.
Just as the Ukraine was of grain. (yep, we export a lot of that, too)
That didn't stop the Lysenkoists under Stalin from perpetrating the Holdomor, either. Unfortunately, that's what I see for the future, "for the greater good" those who produce will be stripped of that production and left to scratch for themselves.
-
North Dakota is a net exporter, too.
Just as the Ukraine was of grain. (yep, we export a lot of that, too)
That didn't stop the Lysenkoists under Stalin from perpetrating the Holdomor, either. Unfortunately, that's what I see for the future, "for the greater good" those who produce will be stripped of that production and left to scratch for themselves.
Funny how that is the end of a nation that fails to follow Yah. I have come to see that as being quite mechanical... By not defending the things of Yahweh, the good things, it eventually winds up in support of the things of chaos... and someone else eating the bounty off your table that you worked so hard for... It ends in a people groaning under slavery, and that is the road we are on, without repentance.
-
Funny how that is the end of a nation that fails to follow Yah. I have come to see that as being quite mechanical... By not defending the things of Yahweh, the good things, it eventually winds up in support of the things of chaos... and someone else eating the bounty off your table that you worked so hard for... It ends in a people groaning under slavery, and that is the road we are on, without repentance.
Slaves revolt.
And the wheel turns again.
-
Slaves revolt.
And the wheel turns again.
Only with the blessing of heaven... Yahweh is the author of Liberty... There is only one way to have it and keep it.
-
Only with the blessing of heaven... Yahweh is the author of Liberty... There is only one way to have it and keep it.
:beer:
-
Nightfall restricts solar power? They just now figured that out?
They must have been watching famous weather forecaster Al Sleet reporting on just that fact.
-
:silly:
You don't know me that well, so I'll lay off the lady-boy joke that immediately came to mind...
Sure just plant it out there for the rednecks to deal with... That's the ticket...
Nope. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. If you can't fix it when it messes up, then better not to mess with it at all.
After all, what could possibly go wrong, right?
This conversation about nuclear waste would be different had Harry Reid not cancelled the Yucca Mountain project before it was completed. :shrug:
-
Nationwide blackout??? Lol, Texas has its own power grid.
But not pipelines.
I remember way back in the 70s when FERC forced Texas to supply natural gas at unrealistically low prices through those pipelines to the northeast, while us Texans were forced to pay several times that amount for our own gas fuel.
And it was even worse for oil.
-
This conversation about nuclear waste would be different had Harry Reid not cancelled the Yucca Mountain project before it was completed. :shrug:
That may or may not be... But the lady-boy part of this conversation would remain the same.
-
That may or may not be... But the lady-boy part of this conversation would remain the same.
Something are not influenced by politics
-
That may or may not be... But the lady-boy part of this conversation would remain the same.
I think it would have changed the paradigms. They weren't going to just bury the waste in a granite cavern to fob off on the rednecks of Nevada.
The plan was to first process the waste material by blending it into molten glass ingots to lock the radioactive particles far enough away from each other to inhibit reaching critical mass, and only then were they to go down the shaft for permanent storage. Even if there's is an unexpected earthquake, the broken ingots would still be considered "safe."
The volume of waste is not that great, but as long as we store it concentrated in drums at each nuclear plant, the alarmists will claim we're all going to die from radiation.
-
I think it would have changed the paradigms. They weren't going to just bury the waste in a granite cavern to fob off on the rednecks of Nevada.
The plan was to first process the waste material by blending it into molten glass ingots to lock the radioactive particles far enough away from each other to inhibit reaching critical mass, and only then were they to go down the shaft for permanent storage. Even if there's is an unexpected earthquake, the broken ingots would still be considered "safe."
The volume of waste is not that great, but as long as we store it concentrated in drums at each nuclear plant, the alarmists will claim we're all going to die from radiation.
Well then I am an alarmist. I see no sense at all in supporting something with that sort of volatility and longevity in it's waste.
I propose we revisit big dams. The only real problem in them is damaged fisheries, which can easily be repaired. I am also a proponent of smaller stream-side dams for a more distributed system... It is literally free power with no waste... Perfectly suited for grid-distribution.
-
Slaves revolt.
And the wheel turns again.
Yes ... slaves revolt. The locations of FEMA camps for imprisoning U.S. citizens was taken down years ago that circulated on on the internet. Whether or not that information was accurate is debatable, but many of those camps were in the locations of old military facilities that "W" decided to shutdown because they weren't being used. Rumor at that time also speculated that, that is where the U.N. troops are being housed in order to assist with the collapse of our Republic and to put those revolting into the FEMA camps that were constructed.
Keep in mind, that Obammy was very vocal that he wanted a U.N. hub located in D.C. to assist in help with immigration. Whether or not that hub actually exists, I have yet to find any answers.
So .... revolting and a revolution is possible. Successful I'm not so sure. It depends on how our current military, national guard and ex-military respond. The British are coming?
-
Knox wrote:
"Its never gonna happen, especially after what transpired in Japan, but im a lone(ish) voice calling for ma lot of new nuclear power plants."
The "nuclear power generation" age is over, at least for the lifetimes of anyone reading this post.
It's "fossil fuels or bust" from here on in.
And with the democrat-communists "green new deal", sounds like "bust" to me.
-
"Its never gonna happen, especially after what transpired in Japan, but im a lone(ish) voice calling for ma lot of new nuclear power plants."
More nukes, less kooks.
-
Knox wrote:
"Its never gonna happen, especially after what transpired in Japan, but im a lone(ish) voice calling for ma lot of new nuclear power plants."
The "nuclear power generation" age is over, at least for the lifetimes of anyone reading this post.
It's "fossil fuels or bust" from here on in.
And with the democrat-communists "green new deal", sounds like "bust" to me.
You're likely right about nuclear power for my lifetime. But even with biden, oil isn't going away any time soon. Coal is dead, but no one could save coal anyway. No one wants to outside west Virginia at any rate. But the green new deal is all talk from the left wing of the party and I think can be ignored.
Havibg said that, for me personally I live in florida. FPL had quite a racket going but its now cost effective to get solar and start seeing a profit in 7 or so years. The question is how much longer can I stay here and put off my fantasy of living in tahiti running a small bar?
-
You're likely right about nuclear power for my lifetime. But even with biden, oil isn't going away any time soon. Coal is dead, but no one could save coal anyway. No one wants to outside west Virginia at any rate. But the green new deal is all talk from the left wing of the party and I think can be ignored.
Havibg said that, for me personally I live in florida. FPL had quite a racket going but its now cost effective to get solar and start seeing a profit in 7 or so years. The question is how much longer can I stay here and put off my fantasy of living in tahiti running a small bar?
I live in FL as well and I know a couple that has a home completely run on solar and FPL is now paying them back for power.
I don't know if it still holds true, but I believe you get a tax credit for installing solar.
We moved into a pretty energy efficient home (so far only been in our home 2 years) and our highest electric bill has been about $145.00. So, I don't think we'd recoup the cost of solar for quite awhile.
Water is what is expensive around here --- you have to hook up to city water and sewer which is running now around $25,000 per lot and our water bill, just for the two of us if over $80.00/mo. The water tastes horrible; better with a filter and that's what I cook with, but I wind up buying bottled water to drink. Definitely one thing I miss about being up north; cold well water.
-
I live in FL as well and I know a couple that has a home completely run on solar and FPL is now paying them back for power.
I don't know if it still holds true, but I believe you get a tax credit for installing solar.
We moved into a pretty energy efficient home (so far only been in our home 2 years) and our highest electric bill has been about $145.00. So, I don't think we'd recoup the cost of solar for quite awhile.
Water is what is expensive around here --- you have to hook up to city water and sewer which is running now around $25,000 per lot and our water bill, just for the two of us if over $80.00/mo. The water tastes horrible; better with a filter and that's what I cook with, but I wind up buying bottled water to drink. Definitely one thing I miss about being up north; cold well water.
I'm in miami beach and honestly the water is pretty good!
-
I'm in miami beach and honestly the water is pretty good!
You are very fortunate.
-
You are very fortunate.
Coming to south beach was 100 percent the best thing I've ever done!
-
But not pipelines.
I remember way back in the 70s when FERC forced Texas to supply natural gas at unrealistically low prices through those pipelines to the northeast, while us Texans were forced to pay several times that amount for our own gas fuel.
And it was even worse for oil.
Like Stalin seizing the grain from the Ukrainians...
-
I think it would have changed the paradigms. They weren't going to just bury the waste in a granite cavern to fob off on the rednecks of Nevada.
The plan was to first process the waste material by blending it into molten glass ingots to lock the radioactive particles far enough away from each other to inhibit reaching critical mass, and only then were they to go down the shaft for permanent storage. Even if there's is an unexpected earthquake, the broken ingots would still be considered "safe."
The volume of waste is not that great, but as long as we store it concentrated in drums at each nuclear plant, the alarmists will claim we're all going to die from radiation.
Cores a colleague examined from that project contained severely fractured rock. The site is questionable, geologically, and only 'liked' because so much is so far away from it. As far as storing material for 10,000 years, meh. Climates change (a fact, or where I sit would be under a considerable slab of ice), and a wet climate would percolate rainwater through that site like bourbon through crushed ice.
IIRC, they sure spent a lot of money designing warning signs on promotions and stuff, though. (I wonder if that still smells like laundry soap).
-
I'm in miami beach and honestly the water is pretty good!
You are very fortunate.
We live in a free state.
-
I live in FL as well and I know a couple that has a home completely run on solar and FPL is now paying them back for power.
I don't know if it still holds true, but I believe you get a tax credit for installing solar.
We moved into a pretty energy efficient home (so far only been in our home 2 years) and our highest electric bill has been about $145.00. So, I don't think we'd recoup the cost of solar for quite awhile.
I am paying around $50 per month for electricity... So you think it would take YOU a while to pay it off? I don't think mine will pay off... It would be cheaper for me to stay on the grid.
But where I am going, electric grid just ain't an option. The cost of getting a wire up to the property dwarfs the cost invested in solar and water turbine...
In the end, I will be between 15 and 20k invested, Though I don't really know where that winds up exactly, because I am only buying 1/3rd of my actual system now - the other 2/3rds being kinda crappy. The good part, I intend to get 15 years out of, trouble free. This is top of the line. Another third is midrange stuff I want 10 years out of... And the last third is crap that only needs to run for 5 years...
That saves me off the bat, but it is designed to stretch out the warrantable time frame of the system at large, and make replacement less shocking... In five years I will have a six-grand hit... and five years later the same... much easier to handle that than have the whole thing starting to fail in 15 to 20 years, and I have to shell out the whole thing again.
What is tough off the get-go is the fabrication to support the solar - I have chosen three 'flower' formations that will retract into the 'single leaf' under snow load or during storms or high wind. And the whole thing on an axial rotor that must not only deploy and retract, but also follow the sun across the sky, both vertically and horizontally, providing best exposure when I do have sun. Right now, that fabrication is the heartache and the headache... and the prototype is costing me way more than I'd hoped.
Just wait till I get my wind project going... That one is another whole thing altogether.
Water is what is expensive around here --- you have to hook up to city water and sewer which is running now around $25,000 per lot and our water bill, just for the two of us if over $80.00/mo. The water tastes horrible; better with a filter and that's what I cook with, but I wind up buying bottled water to drink. Definitely one thing I miss about being up north; cold well water.
Free, crystal clear artesian water... from less than a quarter mile away... And so cold it hurts your throat to drink it from the tap... :beer: Of course it's got a high mineral content, so you'd have to be alright with water spots. :laugh:
You can take the gal out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the gal. :seeya:
-
But the green new deal is all talk from the left wing of the party and I think can be ignored.
^This
-
I am paying around $50 per month for electricity... So you think it would take YOU a while to pay it off? I don't think mine will pay off... It would be cheaper for me to stay on the grid.
But where I am going, electric grid just ain't an option. The cost of getting a wire up to the property dwarfs the cost invested in solar and water turbine...
In the end, I will be between 15 and 20k invested, Though I don't really know where that winds up exactly, because I am only buying 1/3rd of my actual system now - the other 2/3rds being kinda crappy. The good part, I intend to get 15 years out of, trouble free. This is top of the line. Another third is midrange stuff I want 10 years out of... And the last third is crap that only needs to run for 5 years...
That saves me off the bat, but it is designed to stretch out the warrantable time frame of the system at large, and make replacement less shocking... In five years I will have a six-grand hit... and five years later the same... much easier to handle that than have the whole thing starting to fail in 15 to 20 years, and I have to shell out the whole thing again.
What is tough off the get-go is the fabrication to support the solar - I have chosen three 'flower' formations that will retract into the 'single leaf' under snow load or during storms or high wind. And the whole thing on an axial rotor that must not only deploy and retract, but also follow the sun across the sky, both vertically and horizontally, providing best exposure when I do have sun. Right now, that fabrication is the heartache and the headache... and the prototype is costing me way more than I'd hoped.
Just wait till I get my wind project going... That one is another whole thing altogether.
Free, crystal clear artesian water... from less than a quarter mile away... And so cold it hurts your throat to drink it from the tap... :beer: Of course it's got a high mineral content, so you'd have to be alright with water spots. :laugh:
You can take the gal out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the gal. :seeya:
Solar is a non-starter at this latitude, with the lowest sunlight period of 8 hours during the dead of winter, when energy is needed most. Considering the angle the sunlight hits the array is important as well, with the sun low on the horizon in winter, that means near vertical arrays (otherwise known in nautical terms as "sails"). A 'breezy' day here has 15 mph, a windy one upwards of 35 with gusts at 50+. just keeping that setup together would require sacrifice of efficiency or seriously strong and expensive mounts.
Wind has possibilities here, but again, there is sometimes too much of a 'good' thing. One turbine 'melting down' could start off a prairie fire that would burn off thousands of acres of prairie with the wrong conditions (dry, high biomass) and a strong wind. But we have oil, gas, and coal in abundance.
-
Solar is a non-starter at this latitude, with the lowest sunlight period of 8 hours during the dead of winter, when energy is needed most. Considering the angle the sunlight hits the array is important as well, with the sun low on the horizon in winter, that means near vertical arrays (otherwise known in nautical terms as "sails"). A 'breezy' day here has 15 mph, a windy one upwards of 35 with gusts at 50+. just keeping that setup together would require sacrifice of efficiency or seriously strong and expensive mounts.
Wind has possibilities here, but again, there is sometimes too much of a 'good' thing. One turbine 'melting down' could start off a prairie fire that would burn off thousands of acres of prairie with the wrong conditions (dry, high biomass) and a strong wind. But we have oil, gas, and coal in abundance.
Most off-grid up in here are on generator supplementation though December and January... That is why I am increasing normal panels and batteries by a full third over what my neighbors here have. In theory, I could stow a full third of my system through most of the year, it being there mainly for winter alone. I am building it FOR those two months, having a massive overage most of the year.
Likewise the investment in batteries too - Though only a third of those are set to be LIRON off the get go...
Where I am being an idiot is in the 'flower' style array... And I know it. But if I am right, and if I can make it work, it will not only be self adjusting for optimal service, it will also be self protecting - I don't have to be there to have it fold itself up in windy conditions. nor will I have to keep it clear of snow, as it will fold up and deploy according to conditions... And each of the flowers is self contained, so once I get this figured out (IF I get it figured out) I can easily add or subtract units as needed.
As to it being able to deploy in wind, the whole thing is well casing and 1 1/2 square steel tubing... Al on bearings, so I can move it easily with my hand. So it can certainly take a breeze. And actuators are not going to have a problem.
But that's the tinker in me... Perhaps I can't make it work, and I have to go back to a rigid system that is susceptible to rain and snow, and fire and debris... one that I will have to go shovel off every time it snows. Forgive me the attempt and the eccentricity. I am a lazy bastard in the end. :laugh:
-
Most off-grid up in here are on generator supplementation though December and January... That is why I am increasing normal panels and batteries by a full third over what my neighbors here have. In theory, I could stow a full third of my system through most of the year, it being there mainly for winter alone. I am building it FOR those two months, having a massive overage most of the year.
Likewise the investment in batteries too - Though only a third of those are set to be LIRON off the get go...
Where I am being an idiot is in the 'flower' style array... And I know it. But if I am right, and if I can make it work, it will not only be self adjusting for optimal service, it will also be self protecting - I don't have to be there to have it fold itself up in windy conditions. nor will I have to keep it clear of snow, as it will fold up and deploy according to conditions... And each of the flowers is self contained, so once I get this figured out (IF I get it figured out) I can easily add or subtract units as needed.
As to it being able to deploy in wind, the whole thing is well casing and 1 1/2 square steel tubing... Al on bearings, so I can move it easily with my hand. So it can certainly take a breeze. And actuators are not going to have a problem.
But that's the tinker in me... Perhaps I can't make it work, and I have to go back to a rigid system that is susceptible to rain and snow, and fire and debris... one that I will have to go shovel off every time it snows. Forgive me the attempt and the eccentricity. I am a lazy bastard in the end. :laugh:
If necessity is the mother of invention, Laziness is it's sire. I get you in making a system that is self protecting and robust. That isn't your average rooftop Chinese array, either. (My roof is oriented wrong to do that).
I have been thinking on tinkering with wind, but have to have a few more pizza dreams before I can concoct that one.
-
If necessity is the mother of invention, Laziness is it's sire. I get you in making a system that is self protecting and robust. That isn't your average rooftop Chinese array, either. (My roof is oriented wrong to do that).
I have been thinking on tinkering with wind, but have to have a few more pizza dreams before I can concoct that one.
The whole thing is monkey-farting really as I already know the water turbine is going to be my main... There is easy 20 ft of drop in that waterfall, And I am sure I could fill a 10" casing with the flow without it even mattering to the falls... So I KNOW I can run one or even two turbines without any problem at all. And that is 24/7/365 all by itself. I could easy make do with the water turbines and a jenny in reserve.
I'm just messin with it.
As for wind, I have a weirdo thing in my head for that too... A substantial cylinder... say a foot and a half by ten feet with controllable spiral vanes... The more it blows, the lower the vanes get... til at some point they are flat... Set that inside of another fixed cylinder, open to the wind in a long open slot, with an exhaust manifold in the back... A wing on top to keep it facing into the wind... A brake that stops it if rpm goes crazy... I dunno. It's still on a bar napkin. But it would tend to work in the slightest breeze, and would tend to heal itself by nature in too much wind...
-
The whole thing is monkey-farting really as I already know the water turbine is going to be my main... There is easy 20 ft of drop in that waterfall, And I am sure I could fill a 10" casing with the flow without it even mattering to the falls... So I KNOW I can run one or even two turbines without any problem at all. And that is 24/7/365 all by itself. I could easy make do with the water turbines and a jenny in reserve.
I'm just messin with it.
As for wind, I have a weirdo thing in my head for that too... A substantial cylinder... say a foot and a half by ten feet with controllable spiral vanes... The more it blows, the lower the vanes get... til at some point they are flat... Set that inside of another fixed cylinder, open to the wind in a long open slot, with an exhaust manifold in the back... A wing on top to keep it facing into the wind... A brake that stops it if rpm goes crazy... I dunno. It's still on a bar napkin. But it would tend to work in the slightest breeze, and would tend to heal itself by nature in too much wind...
I like that bar napkin idea, and am somewhere in that vein. Weights which move with the increase in centrifugal force could serve as a governor for the system by reducing the angle of attack of the vanes, and the added weight would only have a flywheel effect dampening gusts to prevent surges. Hmmmm...
-
I like that bar napkin idea, and am somewhere in that vein. Weights which move with the increase in centrifugal force could serve as a governor for the system by reducing the angle of attack of the vanes, and the added weight would only have a flywheel effect dampening gusts to prevent surges. Hmmmm...
YEP... happy77 :beer: