Re: Re[2]: Kombucha in the Bay Area, California - Do I need a Heating P anel in Winter?

[Guest guest]

All it takes is some startup capital to invest in a system and it

will easily pay for itself in little time.. My friends Grandma had an

efficient inter-tie system and often got money back for actually

adding power to the grid.. She had a full solar-panel system..

There is a whole house catalog (miffed that I can't remember the name,

but I'll re-post when I do) that sells all sorts of DC utilities,

battery banks, turbine generators and lots of other " green " engineered

devices.

One of the greatest things in regards to these DC systems is the

invention of the LED(Light Emitting Diode)..These last for years upon

years are very bright and they use such a small amount of electricity

that it's rediculous.(LED Flashlights have already pretty much

replaced incandescent ones.) They have configurations of LED's in

screw-in format that will provide an equal amount of quality light (as

incandescents) for a long time at extremely high efficiency.

Neat conversation... it's cool to perk some ears with this info.

Take Care,

Beau

> Thats really something, I have heard of solar power but never really

> understood how it worked or what it could do. The wave of the future here.

> Thanks for sharing the info.

>

>

> Sunday, October 1, 2006, 5:59:29 PM, you wrote:

>

> >> > What do you mean by " off the grid "

> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------

> >> " off the grid " is slang for not living where there are electricity lines.

> >>They don't have electric lights or plug ins. They live like lots of folks

> >>wish they could, until they do. Then it's not quite so much fun. It is a

> >>lot of work, but in some ways satisfying.

> >>Pat in CA

>

> > That's not quite the case. All the term " off-the-grid " really means is

> > that you are not plugged into the electricity grid where your house is

> > wired to the electricity system and you get a bill every month. While

> some

> > people off the grid live entirely without electricity, the vast majority

> do

> > not. Most people off-the-grid have some combination of alternative

> > electricity-- if I didn't I couldn't be on the computer right now, nor do

> > the freelance work in publishing that I do to make a living.

>

> > We live in a house out in the country that has solar panels on the roof

> and

> > during our California winter rains, the seasonal creek has a hydroelectric

> > turbine that generates a lot of electricity. We also have a backup

> > generator which we try to minimize use of. Some people are using small

> wind

> > turbines if they have constant wind (the Midwest USA is a good place for

> > these). We have a battery bank that stores the power, and an inverter

> that

> > converts the electricity we generate into household current for things

> like

> > the computer and the stereo. So the entire house is wired for both

> > regular AC current and DC current, because using the DC current is more

> > efficient that converting it, so our lights are mostly all DC current (you

> > use special lightbulbs in a regular fixture). People who have RVs or

> > travel trailers are familiar with this AC/DC difference. (Btw, wind and

> > water generation of electricity are the cheapest per watt to generate, the

> > cheapest initial investment, so if people have running water on their

> > property or good wind potential, that's a good place to start their

> > investigations.)

>

> > So, we conserve, but we've always conserved. We also maintain our own

> > water system from springs on the property. We actually rent this house,

> > but are far more hands-on than most tenants ever are in a grid-house.

>

> > In the 1970s people's off-the-grid electrical systems usually were a

> couple

> > of lightbulbs that they ran off their car battery. The technology grew

> > from there. We happen to live in an area that has been in the vanguard of

> > the development of this technology, and my partner works for an

> > alternative-energy firm that sells equipment and helps design systems,

> > which was established in 1979.

>

> > A number of US states have implemented rebate programs wherein people

> > within-the-grid can install what are called " intertie systems " and get up

> > to 50% of the cost back from the state. These systems collect solar

> energy

> > at the house, and the electricity generated is used by the house, and any

> > extra energy generated is fed back into the electrical grid. These

> > homeowners' electrical meters then run backward, and they are given either

> > credit or actual money back from the utility company. California now has

> a

> > huge program in place to get millions of homes fitted with these, which

> > will have a real effect on the amount of electricity generated.

>

> > A good source of information on this stuff is: www.realgoods.com and the

> > local company is: www.aee-solar.com People looking to conserve or

> minimize

> > their use of electrical energy might be interested in the following

> > supplier site, which is in Amish/Mennonite country in Pennsylvania, a

> > company called Lehman's and their " non-electric

> > catalog " : www.lehmans.com They have been providing supplies for more

> than

> > 50 years.

>

> > --V

>

>

>

> > ~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

> > --A.J. Muste

>

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

> All it takes is some startup capital to invest in a system and it

>will easily pay for itself in little time.. My friends Grandma had an

>efficient inter-tie system and often got money back for actually

>adding power to the grid.. She had a full solar-panel system..

Yes, it is a good investment for many people and does pay for itself within

a few years, even moreso if people find out what rebate programs their

state is offering. btw, a good solar/alternative energy outfitter will be

able to help individuals find out what programs their local governments may

have for assistance.

>There is a whole house catalog (miffed that I can't remember the name,

>but I'll re-post when I do) that sells all sorts of DC utilities,

>battery banks, turbine generators and lots of other " green " engineered

>devices.

The www.realgoods.com site I posted carries all these things and you can

ask for their print catalog, but there are quite a few catalogs out there

now. I just really like Real Goods as an educational site because they

have a 12-acre demonstration site where their big store is, and they too

were one of the pioneering firms from the 1970s. They give workshops all

year round, their store is a giant straw-bale construction building, and

they have an annual SolFest with all kinds of entertainment and education.

> One of the greatest things in regards to these DC systems is the

>invention of the LED(Light Emitting Diode)..These last for years upon

>years are very bright and they use such a small amount of electricity

>that it's rediculous.(LED Flashlights have already pretty much

>replaced incandescent ones.) They have configurations of LED's in

>screw-in format that will provide an equal amount of quality light (as

>incandescents) for a long time at extremely high efficiency.

Absolutely. Anyone looking for a flashlight these days really, should get

an LED one. I have just ordered new bedside reading lamps for us that

are LEDs in a gooseneck-style lamp. It's bright enough to read by easily,

but uses 3 watts of electricity. Yes, 3 watts. It's in the Real Goods

catalog/site.

>Neat conversation... it's cool to perk some ears with this info.

As you can tell, I love this subject. It's so important.

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste