info@truenorthpower.com
A Publication of the FREE Wind Press - May be re-printed for personal use only
Copyright (C) 2007 TRUE-NORTH Power Systems
For commercial or non-profit publication contact TRUE-NORTH Power Systems
Lion's Head ON N0H 1W0 - (519) 793-3290
A Publication of the FREE Wind Press - May be re-printed for personal use only
Copyright (C) 2007 TRUE-NORTH Power Systems
For commercial or non-profit publication contact TRUE-NORTH Power Systems
Lion's Head ON N0H 1W0 - (519) 793-3290
Issue 1:1 Headlines: January 2003
FREE Wind Test Centre Installs it's First Lakota S
Saturday 25 January 2003
The first Lakota S Turbine slated for the Ferndale Renewable Energy Evaluation Wind Test Centre was installed just north of Lion's Head Ontario on the beautiful Bruce Peninsula today even before the test centre becomes operational. In order to begin data collection under winter conditions the tower and turbine were erected at a private residence that will host the machine until the March when the centre will break ground on the installation of three turbines.
A Davis Instruments weather station that has been collecting data since December 2002 was re-installed on the tower to acquire data to be directly associated with the turbine's performance. This wireless weather station collects wind direction, speed, wind run, humidity, temperature, dewpoint, wind chill, barometric pressure and other parameters. It too will move to the new facility at Ferndale in March. Many thanks to those who participated only some of which are shown below.
Move mouse over pictures to read captions.
[missing images x6]
Saturday 25 January 2003
The first Lakota S Turbine slated for the Ferndale Renewable Energy Evaluation Wind Test Centre was installed just north of Lion's Head Ontario on the beautiful Bruce Peninsula today even before the test centre becomes operational. In order to begin data collection under winter conditions the tower and turbine were erected at a private residence that will host the machine until the March when the centre will break ground on the installation of three turbines.
A Davis Instruments weather station that has been collecting data since December 2002 was re-installed on the tower to acquire data to be directly associated with the turbine's performance. This wireless weather station collects wind direction, speed, wind run, humidity, temperature, dewpoint, wind chill, barometric pressure and other parameters. It too will move to the new facility at Ferndale in March. Many thanks to those who participated only some of which are shown below.
Move mouse over pictures to read captions.
[missing images x6]
TRUE-NORTH's First Press Release, 5 Feb 03
Net Metering Policy and Incentives Progress in Ontario
30 January 2003
Net Metering is when your electrical utility allows you to hook up your wind or solar generator to the power coming into your house and "spin the meter backwards" to receive credit for the energy you provide back to the utility. This mode of operation effectively sends power that you generate back into the grid so it can be sold to others. The grid distributes it automatically. Ontario's power legislation, like some other provinces, allows the utilities to offer Net Metering but most utilities do not have any standards or methods for regulating this practice. As a result there are many road blocks preventing the average homeowner from achieving Net Metering, legally. I say legally, because many pioneers in personal renewable energy have found the utilities unsupportive because they do not make it easy to comply with clear requirements. Some people find it too much trouble since the actual wiring connection is easy to do and have simply gone ahead and connected. This is a problem for the utilities because they don't have the resources or time to monitor everyone's connection.
NOTE: This practice is illegal and can be dangerous to linemen working to correct a power outage while your generator is connected to the grid. Hence the utility's reluctance. If your connection is done properly (in accordance with a standard) with a proper grid-tie interface that includes an "Anti-Islanding" feature the practice is perfectly safe.
As a result, provincial legislators are working to establish new standards for Net Metering for people with a personal power generator connected to the grid. Some US State legislation already defines Net Metering requirements.
In Oct 01, the Ontario Energy Board clarified that there was nothing in it's Retail Settlement Code (RSC) that prohibited net metering and more importantly the RSC should not be used to discourage it. In April 2002 Ontario Energy Board Act was changed to note that electrical generators that use the electrical distribution system for Net Metering do not require a generator's license. Recently, in December 2002 it was announced by the Energy Minister that the province plans to to pass new legislation (Bill 210) that would "require" utilities to approve Net Metering for its customers. On Dec 9th legislation was passed authorizing the Ontario government to develop regulations which include province-wide standards for Net Metering. This is good progress but it will take time to implement because every utility provider must have time to comply and inspect customers who apply for it and every province governs it's energy policy differently so it may be a while before there is a Canadian standard.
When the DRAFT Net Metering regulation has been written it will likely be posted on the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Internet Registry for the Environmental Bill of Rights. www.ene.gov.ca
Meanwhile here is what Ontario is planning around General Energy Incentives.
Note: Like a lot of government programs, most of this was aimed at commercial producers not individuals. TRUE-NORTH Power Systems is working with Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and others to ensure individuals who are interested in alternate energy are also supported and encouraged to install and operate renewable energy systems.
30 January 2003
Net Metering is when your electrical utility allows you to hook up your wind or solar generator to the power coming into your house and "spin the meter backwards" to receive credit for the energy you provide back to the utility. This mode of operation effectively sends power that you generate back into the grid so it can be sold to others. The grid distributes it automatically. Ontario's power legislation, like some other provinces, allows the utilities to offer Net Metering but most utilities do not have any standards or methods for regulating this practice. As a result there are many road blocks preventing the average homeowner from achieving Net Metering, legally. I say legally, because many pioneers in personal renewable energy have found the utilities unsupportive because they do not make it easy to comply with clear requirements. Some people find it too much trouble since the actual wiring connection is easy to do and have simply gone ahead and connected. This is a problem for the utilities because they don't have the resources or time to monitor everyone's connection.
NOTE: This practice is illegal and can be dangerous to linemen working to correct a power outage while your generator is connected to the grid. Hence the utility's reluctance. If your connection is done properly (in accordance with a standard) with a proper grid-tie interface that includes an "Anti-Islanding" feature the practice is perfectly safe.
As a result, provincial legislators are working to establish new standards for Net Metering for people with a personal power generator connected to the grid. Some US State legislation already defines Net Metering requirements.
In Oct 01, the Ontario Energy Board clarified that there was nothing in it's Retail Settlement Code (RSC) that prohibited net metering and more importantly the RSC should not be used to discourage it. In April 2002 Ontario Energy Board Act was changed to note that electrical generators that use the electrical distribution system for Net Metering do not require a generator's license. Recently, in December 2002 it was announced by the Energy Minister that the province plans to to pass new legislation (Bill 210) that would "require" utilities to approve Net Metering for its customers. On Dec 9th legislation was passed authorizing the Ontario government to develop regulations which include province-wide standards for Net Metering. This is good progress but it will take time to implement because every utility provider must have time to comply and inspect customers who apply for it and every province governs it's energy policy differently so it may be a while before there is a Canadian standard.
When the DRAFT Net Metering regulation has been written it will likely be posted on the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Internet Registry for the Environmental Bill of Rights. www.ene.gov.ca
Meanwhile here is what Ontario is planning around General Energy Incentives.
Note: Like a lot of government programs, most of this was aimed at commercial producers not individuals. TRUE-NORTH Power Systems is working with Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and others to ensure individuals who are interested in alternate energy are also supported and encouraged to install and operate renewable energy systems.
November 25, 2002
TAX INCENTIVES FOR GREEN ENERGY, CONSERVATION
Increased supply of energy, especially green energy. As part of a comprehensive, long-term plan to promote environmentally friendly energy, Ontario is proposing to implement the following tax measures:
- A 10-year corporate income tax holiday for new electricity generation from clean, alternative and renewable energy sources, including natural gas, hydro-electric, solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen fuel cell, and co-generation. The corporate income tax holiday would be available once the project has been completed and the corporation has begun selling the new electricity supply;
- A 10-year property tax holiday for newly created assets that generate electricity from clean, alternative or renewable sources, with compensation to municipalities for lost property tax revenues. The tax exemption would begin on the date that the eligible facility commences generation of electricity;
- One hundred-per-cent corporate tax write-offs in the year of acquisition for the cost of newly acquired assets used to generate electricity from clean, alternative or renewable sources, to be incorporated in planned regulation. The write-off would be available for corporations that purchase eligible assets after November 25, 2002 and before January 1, 2008;
- A capital tax exemption for newly acquired assets used to generate electricity from clean, alternative or renewable sources. Corporations that purchase eligible assets after November 25, 2002 and before January 1, 2008 would qualify; and
- A full retail sales tax rebate for building materials purchased and incorporated into clean, alternative or renewable electricity generation facilities. The rebate would be in effect for purchases of building materials made after November 25, 2002 and prior to January 1, 2008.
Energy conservation
The government is promoting energy conservation through the following proposed measures:
- Regulations to provide a 100-per-cent corporate income tax write-off in the year of acquisition for new investments in qualifying electrical energy efficient equipment. The write-off would be available for corporations that purchase eligible assets after November 25, 2002 and before January 1, 2008;
- Tax rebates to support conservation of energy by individuals, including retail sales tax rebates on the cost of solar panels and systems; and
- A retail sales tax rebate for consumers who buy certain high-efficiency refrigerators, clothes washers and dishwashers after November 25, 2002 and before November 26, 2003.
Contact:
Sue Craig
Ministry of Finance
(416) 325-0338
Disponible en français For more information visit www.gov.on.ca/fin
TAX INCENTIVES FOR GREEN ENERGY, CONSERVATION
Increased supply of energy, especially green energy. As part of a comprehensive, long-term plan to promote environmentally friendly energy, Ontario is proposing to implement the following tax measures:
- A 10-year corporate income tax holiday for new electricity generation from clean, alternative and renewable energy sources, including natural gas, hydro-electric, solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen fuel cell, and co-generation. The corporate income tax holiday would be available once the project has been completed and the corporation has begun selling the new electricity supply;
- A 10-year property tax holiday for newly created assets that generate electricity from clean, alternative or renewable sources, with compensation to municipalities for lost property tax revenues. The tax exemption would begin on the date that the eligible facility commences generation of electricity;
- One hundred-per-cent corporate tax write-offs in the year of acquisition for the cost of newly acquired assets used to generate electricity from clean, alternative or renewable sources, to be incorporated in planned regulation. The write-off would be available for corporations that purchase eligible assets after November 25, 2002 and before January 1, 2008;
- A capital tax exemption for newly acquired assets used to generate electricity from clean, alternative or renewable sources. Corporations that purchase eligible assets after November 25, 2002 and before January 1, 2008 would qualify; and
- A full retail sales tax rebate for building materials purchased and incorporated into clean, alternative or renewable electricity generation facilities. The rebate would be in effect for purchases of building materials made after November 25, 2002 and prior to January 1, 2008.
Energy conservation
The government is promoting energy conservation through the following proposed measures:
- Regulations to provide a 100-per-cent corporate income tax write-off in the year of acquisition for new investments in qualifying electrical energy efficient equipment. The write-off would be available for corporations that purchase eligible assets after November 25, 2002 and before January 1, 2008;
- Tax rebates to support conservation of energy by individuals, including retail sales tax rebates on the cost of solar panels and systems; and
- A retail sales tax rebate for consumers who buy certain high-efficiency refrigerators, clothes washers and dishwashers after November 25, 2002 and before November 26, 2003.
Contact:
Sue Craig
Ministry of Finance
(416) 325-0338
Disponible en français For more information visit www.gov.on.ca/fin
Before you ask an expert what it costs
It's easier to ask the question than answer because it depends on many factors. If the expert you are asking seems to be avoiding the answer they are not really stalling or trying to be difficult. It's just that choosing a personal power source is like buying a vehicle. If you really just want to get from A to B then any vehicle will do, but you may be more comfortable in a Mercedes than a Yugo. On the other hand you may not want to spend $3500 just for the GPS navigation system in the Mercedes.
It's the same with personal energy systems, but you've probably never "driven" one or even seen one under the hood so it's hard to to have a sales person answer your questions easily. If you have already gathered some key facts and thought about how you want to use it, then you can get to the real answers much more quickly. So, here are some key considerations and facts to have thought about before you ask the questions, "What do I need?" and "How much does it cost?"
Personal Energy Systems can be used for backup power or for all your energy needs. They can be tied to the utility grid or completely separate. You can combine solar, wind or hydro, even geothermal and hydrogen generators as a "hybrid system" and they can be remotely monitored or operated. So think first about why you want one. Skim through the following question/answers and you'll get a sense of what you need to think about before you go shopping for one.
How much do they cost and how much can I save?
Ans: How much do you want to spend? Kind of like the Mercedes-Yugo question, wind or solar power systems can cost anywhere from $2,000-$3,000 for a simple low energy charging system for a boat or a cottage/home system that is still tied to the grid to $30,000-$50,000 for one that might power a small business completely off the grid. First decide why you you need or want one. If you are like most people recently, you finally just got fed up with rising high hydro bills you've are getting lately and are looking for ways to save money. Or perhaps you are planning a new house and want to be as independent as possible and use clean renewable energy. When it gets down to it, the "savings" from installing a system must be realized over the life of the system including maintenance and repairs, inflation, the cost of money (borrowing), the resale value and other factors. By the time you do the analysis, let alone understand it, you've come to realize the answer is not as simple as buying a car. The results over the years however, can be much more satisfying. Just watching the meter turn backwards for a while, even if not very fast, can sometimes make it all worthwhile.
For you folks in Ontario, your hydro price has been fixed at 4.2 cents per kWhr., so 800kWhrs should cost you about $33/month. Why then is the bill over $150/month. That's because 4.2 cents is not the REAL cost of energy. It's the "spot price". The other charges added amount to nearly 4 times that or at least $120 per month so the REAL cost is around 14.5 cents per kWhr. Basically you'll save 14.5 cents for every kWhr you produce and if you only produce 6000kWhrs per year, over 15 years, you'll save over $12,000 in avoided costs.
Keep in mind that does not account for inflation or the cost of borrowing. Remember though, did you account for depeciation and repairs as well as inflation, insurance, gas, and accessories like the trailor hitch as well as that $200 ski rack and the real cost of the lease buy back when you bought your last car for $30,000. And did your financial plan for it include keeping it for 15-20 years? What I'm saying is, don't let the someone discourage you from owning a personal energy system just because you can't show them a simple chart that shows the savings. It's just like a major purchase of an essential piece or equipment. If everyone analysed your car purchases the same way they would never have bought the one they did. Sure you needed the car to get to work but you also need energy just to keep warm and live comfortably. It's just as essential. We're only talking about balancing the costs of installation with the pride of owning clean renewable energy you make for yourself.
What do I need? and How much will it cost?
Ans: Again it depends on the use. If you want to run all your electric appliances like washer, dryer, stove and dishwasher you can count on needing about 9,000-10,000 kWhrs anually for a single family home with gas furnace and hot water. That's about 25 to 30 kWhrs per day. Take a look at your last month's electricity bill. Your monthly bill should show about 700-800 kWhrs and cost around $120-$150/month. If you're heating your home and hot water with electricity, you can expect those numbers to double or even triple especially north of 45 degrees latitude.
A small business or a working farm can use 10,000kWhrs in a month and even with high volume commercial pricing they'll have a monthly bill of $1,100 or $1,200. Generating enough energy to support that kind of consumption without the grid can mean a hybrid system of $40,000 to $60,000 or more and an ongoing maintenance contract to keep the system running smoothly.
Let's look at three examples:
42 Ft Sailboat or Remote Cottage:
With a small gas fridge it runs a stove and heats hot water with propane, so it needs electrical power to operate running light, cabin lights and radios and a small TV/VCR, maybe a curling iron, and an portable drill charger. Peak power might be 1200-1500W and daily usage around 3-5kWhrs. If it's used every day in the summer or sailing not just tied up at the dock that can be around 1000-1500 kWhrs annually. A single 900-1000watt turbine run regularly or for the boat when they are underway, can charge that amount of energy and store it in a small battery bank of 6 12v deep cycle marine batteries that may hold about 500-800 AmpHrs. A simple 1500w continuous inverter and a 15-30 amp charge controller with some DC circuit breakers and wiring will complete the system. The cottage will need a 25-40 ft tower and the boat may need a special tipod off the stern to mount the turbine. System cost about $5,000-6,000 or more depending on installation labour cost.
3Bdr Single Family Dwelling:
This house is well sealed and insulated, energy efficient and uses those new low energy flourescent lighting. Hot water and and heat may come from gas, wood stove or solar thermal panels and they use a gas cooking stove and gas fireplace, just because they like the flames. You see, not everything you buy is justified by a cost/benefit analysis. They do need 240v AC to run the well pump and dryer (propane or natural gas would have been cheaper) so that means they'll need to stack two inverter to get the 240V AC. Their consumption is about 25kWhrs per day with all the rest of their modern conveniences like microwave, TV/VCR, computers, exercise equipment and a small workshop.
Note: Such a configuration would not likely make this home self-sufficient ie run "Off-the-grid", but it's monthly production, in a good wind regime with reasonable solar production should conservatively provide more than half of their needed power, and a day or two of backup should the utility fail (assuming they don't heat with electricity).
The equipment list might look like this for a 2800 Watt hybrid Generation System:
Produces 8 kVA Inverted Continuous Output 120 VAC.
2 Lakota Wind Generators; 1800 watts total power; (48 Volt)
2 47 Foot Tilt Up Towers (Tow47), 2 Trace Inverters (VAC) (SW4048)
8 Solar Panels (123 Watt PV each), 2 Cables
1 250amp DC Disconnect, 3 Lightning Arrests
1 Photovoltaic (PV) Combiner Box, 24 Interconnects
1 Charge Controller
8 6v deep cycle batteries (approx 800+ Amp hrs, more wiring and connectors
(System cost around $15,000-$20,000 or more) but less without the need for 240V AC and cheaper still using lower capacity batteries. Also, without the solar panels the cost could be as low as $12,000 to $15,000). They could also do their clothes drying with gas. Remember you don't need to buy the GPS AND the 4ltr engine. The 300 series Mercedes can be just as compfortable as the 500.
Small Dairy Farm: With the need for 10,000 kWhrs monthly we'll need two 5kW-10kW turbines perhaps augmented by thermal solar or geothermal heat pump for heating. They are located out west where the sun shines more and have only an average Class II wind resource so a photovoltaic PV array may also be advisable. If their personal home heating and hot water can come from solar or geothermal then their electricity needs might be limited to the house plus farm feeders, milking equipment, other farm equipment and a workshop.
This is a much bigger project thank can be explained here simply. Likely the farm can have some tax relief, especially in Ontario, if Bill 210 passes in 2003, so with a total budget of say $50,000 they might expect a substantial protion of their power can be self-generated. As a result they will have great insurance against outages and a cashflow need to finance only a portion of the installation costs. Their annual maintenance costs can also offset their taxable business income, so if they offset only 50% of their hydro bill each month they may expect to pay off the system in 10-12 years and from then on add around $6,000 per year to the bottom line.
Note for consideration: Turbines are like aircraft engines. It's better to fly a twin than a single engine, so if one goes down you are not out of airspeed, altitude and ideas all at the same time. In addition, smaller turbines are less complex and easier to maintain if you're not going into this as a commercial venture. Also, they are cheaper to purchase, install and operate if you plan on doing that yourself.
It's easier to ask the question than answer because it depends on many factors. If the expert you are asking seems to be avoiding the answer they are not really stalling or trying to be difficult. It's just that choosing a personal power source is like buying a vehicle. If you really just want to get from A to B then any vehicle will do, but you may be more comfortable in a Mercedes than a Yugo. On the other hand you may not want to spend $3500 just for the GPS navigation system in the Mercedes.
It's the same with personal energy systems, but you've probably never "driven" one or even seen one under the hood so it's hard to to have a sales person answer your questions easily. If you have already gathered some key facts and thought about how you want to use it, then you can get to the real answers much more quickly. So, here are some key considerations and facts to have thought about before you ask the questions, "What do I need?" and "How much does it cost?"
Personal Energy Systems can be used for backup power or for all your energy needs. They can be tied to the utility grid or completely separate. You can combine solar, wind or hydro, even geothermal and hydrogen generators as a "hybrid system" and they can be remotely monitored or operated. So think first about why you want one. Skim through the following question/answers and you'll get a sense of what you need to think about before you go shopping for one.
How much do they cost and how much can I save?
Ans: How much do you want to spend? Kind of like the Mercedes-Yugo question, wind or solar power systems can cost anywhere from $2,000-$3,000 for a simple low energy charging system for a boat or a cottage/home system that is still tied to the grid to $30,000-$50,000 for one that might power a small business completely off the grid. First decide why you you need or want one. If you are like most people recently, you finally just got fed up with rising high hydro bills you've are getting lately and are looking for ways to save money. Or perhaps you are planning a new house and want to be as independent as possible and use clean renewable energy. When it gets down to it, the "savings" from installing a system must be realized over the life of the system including maintenance and repairs, inflation, the cost of money (borrowing), the resale value and other factors. By the time you do the analysis, let alone understand it, you've come to realize the answer is not as simple as buying a car. The results over the years however, can be much more satisfying. Just watching the meter turn backwards for a while, even if not very fast, can sometimes make it all worthwhile.
For you folks in Ontario, your hydro price has been fixed at 4.2 cents per kWhr., so 800kWhrs should cost you about $33/month. Why then is the bill over $150/month. That's because 4.2 cents is not the REAL cost of energy. It's the "spot price". The other charges added amount to nearly 4 times that or at least $120 per month so the REAL cost is around 14.5 cents per kWhr. Basically you'll save 14.5 cents for every kWhr you produce and if you only produce 6000kWhrs per year, over 15 years, you'll save over $12,000 in avoided costs.
Keep in mind that does not account for inflation or the cost of borrowing. Remember though, did you account for depeciation and repairs as well as inflation, insurance, gas, and accessories like the trailor hitch as well as that $200 ski rack and the real cost of the lease buy back when you bought your last car for $30,000. And did your financial plan for it include keeping it for 15-20 years? What I'm saying is, don't let the someone discourage you from owning a personal energy system just because you can't show them a simple chart that shows the savings. It's just like a major purchase of an essential piece or equipment. If everyone analysed your car purchases the same way they would never have bought the one they did. Sure you needed the car to get to work but you also need energy just to keep warm and live comfortably. It's just as essential. We're only talking about balancing the costs of installation with the pride of owning clean renewable energy you make for yourself.
What do I need? and How much will it cost?
Ans: Again it depends on the use. If you want to run all your electric appliances like washer, dryer, stove and dishwasher you can count on needing about 9,000-10,000 kWhrs anually for a single family home with gas furnace and hot water. That's about 25 to 30 kWhrs per day. Take a look at your last month's electricity bill. Your monthly bill should show about 700-800 kWhrs and cost around $120-$150/month. If you're heating your home and hot water with electricity, you can expect those numbers to double or even triple especially north of 45 degrees latitude.
A small business or a working farm can use 10,000kWhrs in a month and even with high volume commercial pricing they'll have a monthly bill of $1,100 or $1,200. Generating enough energy to support that kind of consumption without the grid can mean a hybrid system of $40,000 to $60,000 or more and an ongoing maintenance contract to keep the system running smoothly.
Let's look at three examples:
42 Ft Sailboat or Remote Cottage:
With a small gas fridge it runs a stove and heats hot water with propane, so it needs electrical power to operate running light, cabin lights and radios and a small TV/VCR, maybe a curling iron, and an portable drill charger. Peak power might be 1200-1500W and daily usage around 3-5kWhrs. If it's used every day in the summer or sailing not just tied up at the dock that can be around 1000-1500 kWhrs annually. A single 900-1000watt turbine run regularly or for the boat when they are underway, can charge that amount of energy and store it in a small battery bank of 6 12v deep cycle marine batteries that may hold about 500-800 AmpHrs. A simple 1500w continuous inverter and a 15-30 amp charge controller with some DC circuit breakers and wiring will complete the system. The cottage will need a 25-40 ft tower and the boat may need a special tipod off the stern to mount the turbine. System cost about $5,000-6,000 or more depending on installation labour cost.
3Bdr Single Family Dwelling:
This house is well sealed and insulated, energy efficient and uses those new low energy flourescent lighting. Hot water and and heat may come from gas, wood stove or solar thermal panels and they use a gas cooking stove and gas fireplace, just because they like the flames. You see, not everything you buy is justified by a cost/benefit analysis. They do need 240v AC to run the well pump and dryer (propane or natural gas would have been cheaper) so that means they'll need to stack two inverter to get the 240V AC. Their consumption is about 25kWhrs per day with all the rest of their modern conveniences like microwave, TV/VCR, computers, exercise equipment and a small workshop.
Note: Such a configuration would not likely make this home self-sufficient ie run "Off-the-grid", but it's monthly production, in a good wind regime with reasonable solar production should conservatively provide more than half of their needed power, and a day or two of backup should the utility fail (assuming they don't heat with electricity).
The equipment list might look like this for a 2800 Watt hybrid Generation System:
Produces 8 kVA Inverted Continuous Output 120 VAC.
2 Lakota Wind Generators; 1800 watts total power; (48 Volt)
2 47 Foot Tilt Up Towers (Tow47), 2 Trace Inverters (VAC) (SW4048)
8 Solar Panels (123 Watt PV each), 2 Cables
1 250amp DC Disconnect, 3 Lightning Arrests
1 Photovoltaic (PV) Combiner Box, 24 Interconnects
1 Charge Controller
8 6v deep cycle batteries (approx 800+ Amp hrs, more wiring and connectors
(System cost around $15,000-$20,000 or more) but less without the need for 240V AC and cheaper still using lower capacity batteries. Also, without the solar panels the cost could be as low as $12,000 to $15,000). They could also do their clothes drying with gas. Remember you don't need to buy the GPS AND the 4ltr engine. The 300 series Mercedes can be just as compfortable as the 500.
Small Dairy Farm: With the need for 10,000 kWhrs monthly we'll need two 5kW-10kW turbines perhaps augmented by thermal solar or geothermal heat pump for heating. They are located out west where the sun shines more and have only an average Class II wind resource so a photovoltaic PV array may also be advisable. If their personal home heating and hot water can come from solar or geothermal then their electricity needs might be limited to the house plus farm feeders, milking equipment, other farm equipment and a workshop.
This is a much bigger project thank can be explained here simply. Likely the farm can have some tax relief, especially in Ontario, if Bill 210 passes in 2003, so with a total budget of say $50,000 they might expect a substantial protion of their power can be self-generated. As a result they will have great insurance against outages and a cashflow need to finance only a portion of the installation costs. Their annual maintenance costs can also offset their taxable business income, so if they offset only 50% of their hydro bill each month they may expect to pay off the system in 10-12 years and from then on add around $6,000 per year to the bottom line.
Note for consideration: Turbines are like aircraft engines. It's better to fly a twin than a single engine, so if one goes down you are not out of airspeed, altitude and ideas all at the same time. In addition, smaller turbines are less complex and easier to maintain if you're not going into this as a commercial venture. Also, they are cheaper to purchase, install and operate if you plan on doing that yourself.