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 1:4 Headlines: April 2003
To Meter or NET to Metering?
Many people who visited us at the National Home Show last week wanted to get a wind turbine so they could "sell" power back to the utility and generate cash as well as electricity. The dream of an oil well in everyone's back yard seems to be on their mind since Ontario's deregulation reveiled the true cost of electricity. Trying not to burst their bubble, I would explain that the power utilities aren't really ready for a few forward thinking consumers who want to generate their own power. Over two years ago, the Ontario legislature passed a bill that authorized all Ontario utilities to allow "Net Metering", that is, the two-way flow of electricity at a home or business. If you are producing more than you are using at the tme, the energy is "banked" back into the hydro grid. When you are using more than you are producing then you take energy back from the grid and effecively only pay for the "Net difference" in Kilowatt Hours. This simple process credits the consumer with contributing to the total energy pool and allows them to effectively "store the energy" for later use.
The truth is, while the process is electrically simple to do, the accounting and certification of such a process is anything but simple. Utility companies are afraid of losing revenue. They can see a lot of new costs for them to administer such programs and little obvious benefit for them. They site safety issues that have not been solved and they fear loss of dependency. Most utilites are looking into the issues, but none have actually put a program in place yet, in any province or territory I spoke with. To their credit, several I talked to expressed an interest in meeting soon to discuss, and a couple said they were working on a program that should be announced within a few weeks or months.
Meanwhile, what should I do if I want to hook up to the grid as a consumer/producer? The answer really is nothing. I know how these people felt. I felt the same way when I first looked into generating my own electricity, and what I found was, I was thinking about it all wrong. Unless I want to get into the commercial production of electricity and buy a generating license, I really don't care about the grid and don't need to connect to it. There is no real benefit except as a storage medium. If I have a personal power generator that will supply my own needs, why do I care. I can still connect it to my home electrical circuits without "feeding the grid". It just needs to pass electrical and local zoning codes. If I don't connect, the worst that can happen is I might waste a little of my free energy if I can't use it or store it at the time. If I don't connect my system to the grid then it doesn't matter what the utility does with their net metering program.
If you still want to Net Meter, then here are some questions to ask the utility you deal with. If they are actaully planning for Net Metering, then they are more than likely working on how to make money from it. Ask them how they plan to do that. Are you going to require me to purchase a new meter? How much is that meter and what are the installation costs. Do I need to buy or do anything else besides that? Are they planning to charge a Net Metering fee or increase any other connection fees that you already pay?
Net metering may turn out to be a good, distributed source of clean renewable energy, for everyone on the grid, or it may turn out to be just a bun fight over who gets to charge who for what. On behalf of the renewable energy markets in Canada, we are pressing ahead with our plans to help utilities and governments see the benefit of distributed power production and Net Metering, but for now, it remains an area that is really of little interest to those who own a personal power generator. As a consumer, I'd leave it till there are clear programs that can benefit me. Meanwhile, my own energy source is producing what I need and unless they try to tax the wind or sun on my property, I really don't care.
Many people who visited us at the National Home Show last week wanted to get a wind turbine so they could "sell" power back to the utility and generate cash as well as electricity. The dream of an oil well in everyone's back yard seems to be on their mind since Ontario's deregulation reveiled the true cost of electricity. Trying not to burst their bubble, I would explain that the power utilities aren't really ready for a few forward thinking consumers who want to generate their own power. Over two years ago, the Ontario legislature passed a bill that authorized all Ontario utilities to allow "Net Metering", that is, the two-way flow of electricity at a home or business. If you are producing more than you are using at the tme, the energy is "banked" back into the hydro grid. When you are using more than you are producing then you take energy back from the grid and effecively only pay for the "Net difference" in Kilowatt Hours. This simple process credits the consumer with contributing to the total energy pool and allows them to effectively "store the energy" for later use.
The truth is, while the process is electrically simple to do, the accounting and certification of such a process is anything but simple. Utility companies are afraid of losing revenue. They can see a lot of new costs for them to administer such programs and little obvious benefit for them. They site safety issues that have not been solved and they fear loss of dependency. Most utilites are looking into the issues, but none have actually put a program in place yet, in any province or territory I spoke with. To their credit, several I talked to expressed an interest in meeting soon to discuss, and a couple said they were working on a program that should be announced within a few weeks or months.
Meanwhile, what should I do if I want to hook up to the grid as a consumer/producer? The answer really is nothing. I know how these people felt. I felt the same way when I first looked into generating my own electricity, and what I found was, I was thinking about it all wrong. Unless I want to get into the commercial production of electricity and buy a generating license, I really don't care about the grid and don't need to connect to it. There is no real benefit except as a storage medium. If I have a personal power generator that will supply my own needs, why do I care. I can still connect it to my home electrical circuits without "feeding the grid". It just needs to pass electrical and local zoning codes. If I don't connect, the worst that can happen is I might waste a little of my free energy if I can't use it or store it at the time. If I don't connect my system to the grid then it doesn't matter what the utility does with their net metering program.
If you still want to Net Meter, then here are some questions to ask the utility you deal with. If they are actaully planning for Net Metering, then they are more than likely working on how to make money from it. Ask them how they plan to do that. Are you going to require me to purchase a new meter? How much is that meter and what are the installation costs. Do I need to buy or do anything else besides that? Are they planning to charge a Net Metering fee or increase any other connection fees that you already pay?
Net metering may turn out to be a good, distributed source of clean renewable energy, for everyone on the grid, or it may turn out to be just a bun fight over who gets to charge who for what. On behalf of the renewable energy markets in Canada, we are pressing ahead with our plans to help utilities and governments see the benefit of distributed power production and Net Metering, but for now, it remains an area that is really of little interest to those who own a personal power generator. As a consumer, I'd leave it till there are clear programs that can benefit me. Meanwhile, my own energy source is producing what I need and unless they try to tax the wind or sun on my property, I really don't care.
Speaking of Taxes
By this time of year we are all knee-deep in paying our fair share of the government's spending and wondering if there will ever be any government incentives for individuals who personally contribute to achieving the Kyoto accord goals by installing clean, renewable energy systems. there are many incentives for energy producers of fossil and nuclear fuel burnign producers but little, if any, that support individual initiative.
I've heard many people ask, Do I have to pay Provicial Sales Tax (PST) or GST on wind generators or solar panels? Can I get a tax credit for the $20,000 I just spent on my thermal solar heating system? I often hear of this or that government program that gives you tax rebates or credits for installing renewable energy systems. There are a number of tax relief programs and even true subsidies in the US, and even Renewable energy program in Quebec. You can get some help if you build an R2000 home that is well insulated. Unfortunately there are few construction cost benefits for average Canadian consumers who install renewable energy systems. Most government tax relief seems to be focused on "Stimulating Renewable Energy Production" on a commercial scale, subsidizing commercial initiative or giving large industrial consumers a break on volume usage. I have yet to see any real tax benefits for individuals who use their own after tax dollars to generate clean renewable energy. Speaking with the Ontario tax office last week, they confirmed that PST applies to all sales of solar or wind energy systems for personal or business use. If you've heard differently in your province, please click here and let the rest of us know.
The new Ontario legislation Bill 210 is supposed to change that, hopefully before we change governments. The bill may remove PST from renewable energy systems and the Onario government has said they will lobby the Federal governement to do the same with GST. Unfortunately, both levels of governement have been a bit preoccupied with war, SARS and their failing popularity to have any visible new tax initiative in energy. If they do ever get serious about subsidizing the individual producer the way they subsidize the nuclear or fossil fuels generators, then we can only hope they at least make it retroactive a few years so the pioneers like you and I aren't left out in the cold. Actually, we'll never be out in the cold. We planned ahead and acquired our own energy sources to be independent of their action or non-actions.
Note: In Ontario and Nova Scotia at least, you can get a portion of your GST back from building a new home, but that has nothing to do with energy. It applies to the cost of all building materials and construction.
By this time of year we are all knee-deep in paying our fair share of the government's spending and wondering if there will ever be any government incentives for individuals who personally contribute to achieving the Kyoto accord goals by installing clean, renewable energy systems. there are many incentives for energy producers of fossil and nuclear fuel burnign producers but little, if any, that support individual initiative.
I've heard many people ask, Do I have to pay Provicial Sales Tax (PST) or GST on wind generators or solar panels? Can I get a tax credit for the $20,000 I just spent on my thermal solar heating system? I often hear of this or that government program that gives you tax rebates or credits for installing renewable energy systems. There are a number of tax relief programs and even true subsidies in the US, and even Renewable energy program in Quebec. You can get some help if you build an R2000 home that is well insulated. Unfortunately there are few construction cost benefits for average Canadian consumers who install renewable energy systems. Most government tax relief seems to be focused on "Stimulating Renewable Energy Production" on a commercial scale, subsidizing commercial initiative or giving large industrial consumers a break on volume usage. I have yet to see any real tax benefits for individuals who use their own after tax dollars to generate clean renewable energy. Speaking with the Ontario tax office last week, they confirmed that PST applies to all sales of solar or wind energy systems for personal or business use. If you've heard differently in your province, please click here and let the rest of us know.
The new Ontario legislation Bill 210 is supposed to change that, hopefully before we change governments. The bill may remove PST from renewable energy systems and the Onario government has said they will lobby the Federal governement to do the same with GST. Unfortunately, both levels of governement have been a bit preoccupied with war, SARS and their failing popularity to have any visible new tax initiative in energy. If they do ever get serious about subsidizing the individual producer the way they subsidize the nuclear or fossil fuels generators, then we can only hope they at least make it retroactive a few years so the pioneers like you and I aren't left out in the cold. Actually, we'll never be out in the cold. We planned ahead and acquired our own energy sources to be independent of their action or non-actions.
Note: In Ontario and Nova Scotia at least, you can get a portion of your GST back from building a new home, but that has nothing to do with energy. It applies to the cost of all building materials and construction.
OutBack Inverters are Here
Last week we received our first shipment of OutBack power management equipment; a complete PS2 1/2 half size power suite,(shown below), consisting of a 120v AC power panel and 175amp DC Disconnect with two 2kW inverters. They come in 24 or 48v versions. A larger full size system with 8kW continuous power is also available with battery enclosures and remote monitoring software too. These rugged systems are proven in use on the harsh Australian outback and come with many standard features that other systems only include as options. The OutBack name is new to the market this year but they are old hands at power management. When Trace inverters were bought by Xantrex a couple of years ago, several of their top engineers left and formed OutBack just down the street in Arlington, WA out on the west coast of the US. Their new inverter series has all the features and functions that the Trace products have and more including some that Trace only wish they had, like a fully sealed unit where no dirt, moisture or bugs can get in and degrade or damage the unit. Great for cottages, and northern communities but powerful enough for up to 16kW continuous power needs. Check them out at our Inverters web page and click on the Outback Link. I'll have more to say once we get this machine installed.
There's even an ability to get 110 or 220 voltaqe from a single 2kW inverter. Here's what they look like. A sophisticated five (5) stage charge control is built into every 2kW inverter (that's the 2 black boxes below) but the optional Solar Charge Controller on the right is the Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) that can actually charge a 24v battery bank from a 48v
Last week we received our first shipment of OutBack power management equipment; a complete PS2 1/2 half size power suite,(shown below), consisting of a 120v AC power panel and 175amp DC Disconnect with two 2kW inverters. They come in 24 or 48v versions. A larger full size system with 8kW continuous power is also available with battery enclosures and remote monitoring software too. These rugged systems are proven in use on the harsh Australian outback and come with many standard features that other systems only include as options. The OutBack name is new to the market this year but they are old hands at power management. When Trace inverters were bought by Xantrex a couple of years ago, several of their top engineers left and formed OutBack just down the street in Arlington, WA out on the west coast of the US. Their new inverter series has all the features and functions that the Trace products have and more including some that Trace only wish they had, like a fully sealed unit where no dirt, moisture or bugs can get in and degrade or damage the unit. Great for cottages, and northern communities but powerful enough for up to 16kW continuous power needs. Check them out at our Inverters web page and click on the Outback Link. I'll have more to say once we get this machine installed.
There's even an ability to get 110 or 220 voltaqe from a single 2kW inverter. Here's what they look like. A sophisticated five (5) stage charge control is built into every 2kW inverter (that's the 2 black boxes below) but the optional Solar Charge Controller on the right is the Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) that can actually charge a 24v battery bank from a 48v
Solar array. Neat!
Watts up with Kilowatts
The National Home Show really taught me a lot about what people want to know about wind turbines and I thought I'd pass on this conversation I had with someone who was put off getting a turbine because of their cost and size. He thought he needed a turbine to match his maximum kilowatts. It went something like this. "So how much power does this Lakota produce?" . . "About 8 or 900 watts above 25-28 mph" . . . "Gee that's not enough. Do you have anything bigger? I need one about 5 or 10 kilowatts. Do you have one that size?" . . . "No, our next size up is the OB1KW, about 2 and a half kilowatts, which is ready to go into production soon, but why do you need all that power. Are you running a business or heating your house with electricity?" . . "No just me 'n the wife, but we got lots of wind and I thought maybe I could sell the excess electricity back to the power company and help pay for it. If I'm going to invest $40-$50,000 in setting up a turbine then there's gotta be a payback, right." (at this point we had a short conversation similar to the Net Metering story above) . . I said, "So how many electrical appliances do you have?" . . "Well, fridge, stove, washer, dryer the usual. The stove itself is probably 4-5kW. We heat with oil but the furnace needs electricity and the dryer is about 7kw if I multiply 220volts times 30amps, isn't that right?"
"Actually, you're right" I said. "Running your dryer for an hour would use 7kWhrs of electricity, but if the wind runs this 900 watt turbine for half a day it will generate over 10kWhrs of electricity." He and I both began to realize we not on the same page. I began to realize too that a lot of people think the turbine size has to be the same size as their biggest appliance. In fact, the size and cost of your Personal Energy System has as much to do with the inverter size and battery storage capacity as it does the generator power rating. Granted you need to have a machine large enough in size, or efficient enough, to extract the desired amount of energy, and you need enough wind at your site. But, sizing your power management and storage system is a more important decision in both time and money if you are going to have an affordable system, that matches your overall energy needs, not just your power profile.
If we ever get to a point where power utilities allow individuals to freely use the grid as a storage medium, then having a turbine larger than our needs may provide a useful payback over the years. In the meantime, the size of your turbine should be dictated by the kilowatt hours of energy it can produce per day or per month, not the peak demand of any particular appliance. Peak demand will help determine the size of your inverter or storage system.
In summary, even a small turbine can generate a lot of energy over a few hours or days. This energy can be stored and then used quickly over a short period of time. If you have a good wind resource, one or two smaller wind turbines, capable of 1-2 kW, can produce most of the electricity average home, if the rest of the system is sized properly. Look at the complete system performance and not just turbine's rated power. You may be able to satify your initial needs for under $10,000. Also, consult a qualified systems designer or installer who will help you choose a system that meets, not exceeds your needs.
The National Home Show really taught me a lot about what people want to know about wind turbines and I thought I'd pass on this conversation I had with someone who was put off getting a turbine because of their cost and size. He thought he needed a turbine to match his maximum kilowatts. It went something like this. "So how much power does this Lakota produce?" . . "About 8 or 900 watts above 25-28 mph" . . . "Gee that's not enough. Do you have anything bigger? I need one about 5 or 10 kilowatts. Do you have one that size?" . . . "No, our next size up is the OB1KW, about 2 and a half kilowatts, which is ready to go into production soon, but why do you need all that power. Are you running a business or heating your house with electricity?" . . "No just me 'n the wife, but we got lots of wind and I thought maybe I could sell the excess electricity back to the power company and help pay for it. If I'm going to invest $40-$50,000 in setting up a turbine then there's gotta be a payback, right." (at this point we had a short conversation similar to the Net Metering story above) . . I said, "So how many electrical appliances do you have?" . . "Well, fridge, stove, washer, dryer the usual. The stove itself is probably 4-5kW. We heat with oil but the furnace needs electricity and the dryer is about 7kw if I multiply 220volts times 30amps, isn't that right?"
"Actually, you're right" I said. "Running your dryer for an hour would use 7kWhrs of electricity, but if the wind runs this 900 watt turbine for half a day it will generate over 10kWhrs of electricity." He and I both began to realize we not on the same page. I began to realize too that a lot of people think the turbine size has to be the same size as their biggest appliance. In fact, the size and cost of your Personal Energy System has as much to do with the inverter size and battery storage capacity as it does the generator power rating. Granted you need to have a machine large enough in size, or efficient enough, to extract the desired amount of energy, and you need enough wind at your site. But, sizing your power management and storage system is a more important decision in both time and money if you are going to have an affordable system, that matches your overall energy needs, not just your power profile.
If we ever get to a point where power utilities allow individuals to freely use the grid as a storage medium, then having a turbine larger than our needs may provide a useful payback over the years. In the meantime, the size of your turbine should be dictated by the kilowatt hours of energy it can produce per day or per month, not the peak demand of any particular appliance. Peak demand will help determine the size of your inverter or storage system.
In summary, even a small turbine can generate a lot of energy over a few hours or days. This energy can be stored and then used quickly over a short period of time. If you have a good wind resource, one or two smaller wind turbines, capable of 1-2 kW, can produce most of the electricity average home, if the rest of the system is sized properly. Look at the complete system performance and not just turbine's rated power. You may be able to satify your initial needs for under $10,000. Also, consult a qualified systems designer or installer who will help you choose a system that meets, not exceeds your needs.
Batteries - What's the Difference?
Here's some good information from the Surrette battery people.
What's the difference between an "automotive" battery and a "deep cycle" battery.
People who have Recreational Vehicles (RVs) and boats are familiar with deep cycle batteries. These batteries are also common in golf carts and large solar power systems (the sun produces power during the day and the batteries store some of the power for use at night). If you have read the HSW article entitled How Emergency Power Systems Work, then you also know that an alternative to gasoline powered generators is an inverter powered by one or more deep cycle batteries.
Both car batteries and deep cycle batteries are lead-acid batteries that use exactly the same chemistry for their operation (see How Batteries Work for more information). The difference is the way that the batteries optimize their design:
A car's automotive battery is designed to provide a very large amount of current for a short period of time. This surge of current is needed to turn the engine over during starting. Once the engine starts, the alternator provides all the power that the car needs, so a car battery may go through its entire life without ever being drained more than 20% of its total capacity. Used in this way a car battery can last a number of years.
To achieve a large amount of current, a car battery uses thin plates in order to increase its surface area.
A deep cycle battery is instead designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period of time.
A deep cycle battery can provide a surge when needed, but nothing like the surge a car battery can. A deep cycle battery is also designed to be deeply discharged over and over again (something that would ruin a car battery very quickly).
Here's a great link for some frequently asked questions on batteries from Trojan Batteries.
Here's some good information from the Surrette battery people.
What's the difference between an "automotive" battery and a "deep cycle" battery.
People who have Recreational Vehicles (RVs) and boats are familiar with deep cycle batteries. These batteries are also common in golf carts and large solar power systems (the sun produces power during the day and the batteries store some of the power for use at night). If you have read the HSW article entitled How Emergency Power Systems Work, then you also know that an alternative to gasoline powered generators is an inverter powered by one or more deep cycle batteries.
Both car batteries and deep cycle batteries are lead-acid batteries that use exactly the same chemistry for their operation (see How Batteries Work for more information). The difference is the way that the batteries optimize their design:
A car's automotive battery is designed to provide a very large amount of current for a short period of time. This surge of current is needed to turn the engine over during starting. Once the engine starts, the alternator provides all the power that the car needs, so a car battery may go through its entire life without ever being drained more than 20% of its total capacity. Used in this way a car battery can last a number of years.
To achieve a large amount of current, a car battery uses thin plates in order to increase its surface area.
A deep cycle battery is instead designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period of time.
A deep cycle battery can provide a surge when needed, but nothing like the surge a car battery can. A deep cycle battery is also designed to be deeply discharged over and over again (something that would ruin a car battery very quickly).
Here's a great link for some frequently asked questions on batteries from Trojan Batteries.
Designing a Hybrid System with the WS ROMulator
The questions on everyone's mind at the Home Show seemed to be - What do I need for a personal power system? What are all the pieces? and How much do I need to spend? . . . The answer is never simple because everyone's needs and situation is different. No different than deciding what vehicle to buy as I've often pointed out. It's hard to know what to ask for though, especially when there are no "off the shelf" systems that would satisfy everyone's needs. So TRUE-NORTH Power Systems has been working with a software vendor on a new web based tool that will give everyone a way of examining various configurations, costs and benefits based on their personal preferences and geographical location . . . virtually anywhere in the world.
The Wind and Solar, Rough Order of Magnitude Calculator - (WS ROMulator for short) will ask you to input your location and monthly power useage from your electricity bill and then allow you to select various combinations of PV solar, wind turbines, inverters and batteries. From your selections then, it will give you a rough cost of the system including labour and all those other little parts and pieces you don't know you need until you try to purchase a system.
It will graph the monthly power outputof your selected system as a percentage of total demand, then amortize annual and monthly costs, estimate a maintenance budget, and even tell you how many tons of CO2 based pollution you are replacing every year by using such a system. To top it off, it will give you a rough payback period if you were to install this configuration, based on average inflation and typical energy prices or an energy price you pick.
While all this sounds way too easy, well it's not. It's taken months of development for a team of specialists in several areas. It's only an approximation, and that's why it's called a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM). But, armed with this information, you can gauge how useful or valuable a Renewable Energy System might be. Even a detailed cost breakdown by a professionl systems designer or installer can only "estimate" the future value of the system. The proof can only be there for those who actually use a personal energy system over several years . . . . but it's a starting place and should go a long way to helping people understand what they are getting when they operate their own power plant. Remember, we are talking about owning something that will generate energy for 10-20 years at least. It's not like buying a $28,000 vehicle that only consumes energy throughout its useful life of 5 or 10 years.
Final software testing is in process and should be completed in the next week or so. All FREE Wind News subscribers will be the first to know when it is ready for use. We'll e-mail you the moment it's up. If you've been hearing about this for some time now, thanks for your patience. We are nearly there.
The questions on everyone's mind at the Home Show seemed to be - What do I need for a personal power system? What are all the pieces? and How much do I need to spend? . . . The answer is never simple because everyone's needs and situation is different. No different than deciding what vehicle to buy as I've often pointed out. It's hard to know what to ask for though, especially when there are no "off the shelf" systems that would satisfy everyone's needs. So TRUE-NORTH Power Systems has been working with a software vendor on a new web based tool that will give everyone a way of examining various configurations, costs and benefits based on their personal preferences and geographical location . . . virtually anywhere in the world.
The Wind and Solar, Rough Order of Magnitude Calculator - (WS ROMulator for short) will ask you to input your location and monthly power useage from your electricity bill and then allow you to select various combinations of PV solar, wind turbines, inverters and batteries. From your selections then, it will give you a rough cost of the system including labour and all those other little parts and pieces you don't know you need until you try to purchase a system.
It will graph the monthly power outputof your selected system as a percentage of total demand, then amortize annual and monthly costs, estimate a maintenance budget, and even tell you how many tons of CO2 based pollution you are replacing every year by using such a system. To top it off, it will give you a rough payback period if you were to install this configuration, based on average inflation and typical energy prices or an energy price you pick.
While all this sounds way too easy, well it's not. It's taken months of development for a team of specialists in several areas. It's only an approximation, and that's why it's called a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM). But, armed with this information, you can gauge how useful or valuable a Renewable Energy System might be. Even a detailed cost breakdown by a professionl systems designer or installer can only "estimate" the future value of the system. The proof can only be there for those who actually use a personal energy system over several years . . . . but it's a starting place and should go a long way to helping people understand what they are getting when they operate their own power plant. Remember, we are talking about owning something that will generate energy for 10-20 years at least. It's not like buying a $28,000 vehicle that only consumes energy throughout its useful life of 5 or 10 years.
Final software testing is in process and should be completed in the next week or so. All FREE Wind News subscribers will be the first to know when it is ready for use. We'll e-mail you the moment it's up. If you've been hearing about this for some time now, thanks for your patience. We are nearly there.