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 1:5 Headlines: May 2003
NET-Metering - Getting the Utilities Attention?
Many people who visited us at the National Home Show last month wanted to get a wind turbine so they could "sell" power back to the utility and get a cheque at the end of the month instead of a bill. That's a dream of most people but still pretty impractical based on what I've learned. The 8 or 9 utilities I spoke with in the past 3 months all had different plans and ideas about how they were implementing Net-Metering. Virtually all seemed to be aimed at figuring our how they were going to make money doing it. An extra meter, more inspections, and approval certificates and safety, safety, safety! We'll who can argue with "safety". Apparently Jerry Horak could. Jerry's home draws power form the Burlington Hydro utility near Hamilton, Ontario and since Mar 2002 he's been jumping through hoops to get the utility to approve his ability to shove a few electrons the other way once in a while. His applications for a "Certificate of Registration" and meetings and inspections went on and on for more than a year.
He spent months trying to get their attention and they wanted him to purchase a $4000 meter and pay the $500 independent generator license fee that you would need if you wanted to dam Niagara Fall and produce hydro. More and more delays and failed meetings led him, like many others, to just install a system, safely according to the electrical code and get on with it.
It wasn't until a year later, when he spoke publicly about it in London ON, at the Wind World Seminar 2003, that they seemed to take any notice. Oddly enough he got a call the very next day with demands to disconnect because it was unsafe and he not an approved generator. They wanted permits and Energy Safety Authority (ESA) approval, more meetings, more approvals and more inspections. Amazingly Jerry's determination and persistence paid off and he is now the first officially sanctioned "Net-Metering" guy I've ever heard about in Canada. If you know about anyone elese who's accomplished that feat, please let me know. CLICK HERE and I'll get some more tips from them for the next issue.
You can read all about Jerry's year long experience in the FIRST issue of Private Power Magazine, a new Canadian publication, with Canadian stories about how people have succeeded in generating their own renewable energy. The bi-monthly magazine was just released last week as an alternative to the American "Home Power Magazine". Call 1 (800) 668-7788 for a copy or send them an e-mail at info@privatepower.ca and ask how to get a copy or a subscription. Also, Ellen Horak has an article in the first issue called "Life on the Grid - Renewable Energy in Suburban Burlington". It's a solar story, but hey, solar is good too. It's not just about wind you know.
Many people who visited us at the National Home Show last month wanted to get a wind turbine so they could "sell" power back to the utility and get a cheque at the end of the month instead of a bill. That's a dream of most people but still pretty impractical based on what I've learned. The 8 or 9 utilities I spoke with in the past 3 months all had different plans and ideas about how they were implementing Net-Metering. Virtually all seemed to be aimed at figuring our how they were going to make money doing it. An extra meter, more inspections, and approval certificates and safety, safety, safety! We'll who can argue with "safety". Apparently Jerry Horak could. Jerry's home draws power form the Burlington Hydro utility near Hamilton, Ontario and since Mar 2002 he's been jumping through hoops to get the utility to approve his ability to shove a few electrons the other way once in a while. His applications for a "Certificate of Registration" and meetings and inspections went on and on for more than a year.
He spent months trying to get their attention and they wanted him to purchase a $4000 meter and pay the $500 independent generator license fee that you would need if you wanted to dam Niagara Fall and produce hydro. More and more delays and failed meetings led him, like many others, to just install a system, safely according to the electrical code and get on with it.
It wasn't until a year later, when he spoke publicly about it in London ON, at the Wind World Seminar 2003, that they seemed to take any notice. Oddly enough he got a call the very next day with demands to disconnect because it was unsafe and he not an approved generator. They wanted permits and Energy Safety Authority (ESA) approval, more meetings, more approvals and more inspections. Amazingly Jerry's determination and persistence paid off and he is now the first officially sanctioned "Net-Metering" guy I've ever heard about in Canada. If you know about anyone elese who's accomplished that feat, please let me know. CLICK HERE and I'll get some more tips from them for the next issue.
You can read all about Jerry's year long experience in the FIRST issue of Private Power Magazine, a new Canadian publication, with Canadian stories about how people have succeeded in generating their own renewable energy. The bi-monthly magazine was just released last week as an alternative to the American "Home Power Magazine". Call 1 (800) 668-7788 for a copy or send them an e-mail at info@privatepower.ca and ask how to get a copy or a subscription. Also, Ellen Horak has an article in the first issue called "Life on the Grid - Renewable Energy in Suburban Burlington". It's a solar story, but hey, solar is good too. It's not just about wind you know.
What Size Turbine do I Need?
One of the first questions most people have is "How big of a Turbine do I need?", and there is no simple answer because it depends on what your goal is in collecting your own renewable energy. Like most people, you may want to supplement your utility consumption and reduce you electricity bill. This system can be any size at all, with or without solar and connected to the grid or not, with a large storage bank of batteries or even no batteries at all. Some want to eliminate the utility costs altogether. This requires more equipment and planning than you think, but is actually easy to accomplish with a bit of planning if you are committed to doing so. I didn't know this at first but you don't need to connect to the grid to get the benefits of both. You can avoid the expense and hassle altogether and just connect to your existing power distribution box (your fuse box) and the worst that will happen is you'll waste a few electrons when you are producing more than you use and your storage batteries are full. It's cheaper and a lot less trouble.
The two main options are substantially different goals, and each is affected by your energy consumption. Going "Off-Grid" has many benefits but requires a different way of thinking about consumption and a very different system than one designed to just replace some of your energy needs. The turbine used at a remote cabin may be the same size as an grid connected home system, but it may use some different components if it is to be left unattended for long periods. On the other hand, if you want your residential installation to operate "Maintenance free" then it also will have different features than those of someone who likes to tinker with power and know what is happening to the system day by day. Those decisions can be made and changed as you decide how you want the system to work, but here's how to make the calculation. The Wind and Solar Rough Order of Magnitude Calculator (WS ROMulator) is still undergoing some final testing but part of this tool is a handy Consumption Calculator that will help you add up all your energy usage. Alternatively you can simply look at some of your current Utility bills for summer and winter usage patterns. NOTE: Look at energy conservation in your home as being just as important as energy generation. You don't have to live like a hermit to live "Off-Grid" comfortably but you can save nearly as much in cost by being energy aware, as you can by installing the wrong size wind turbine or solar panels. CLICK HERE to go to the Consumption Calculator.
When you are done with that and know what you need to satisfy your lifestyle, you now need to calculate the daily rate at which you generate and use energy so you can determine the size of storage you need to make it through those cold, still winter nights when there is no sun and no wind. The total energy storage should be on the order of 3-5 days of normal usage so that if you need to get through a "dry spell" you can conserve energy by not running major appliances like power tools and laundry for a day or two while the weather changes. Most off-grid home owners would probably agree that there is no substitute for a back up generator with an Auto-Start feature controlled by the Inverter. Even the best planned sites, with excess power most of the time, can experience a dozen days during the year when they need more than they have available from renewable sources alone. This WILL happen, but only in the dead of winter, when it matters most, and a small, reliable, 2-5kW Honda generator can make all the difference when you need to top up the batteries or use those power tools.
One of the first questions most people have is "How big of a Turbine do I need?", and there is no simple answer because it depends on what your goal is in collecting your own renewable energy. Like most people, you may want to supplement your utility consumption and reduce you electricity bill. This system can be any size at all, with or without solar and connected to the grid or not, with a large storage bank of batteries or even no batteries at all. Some want to eliminate the utility costs altogether. This requires more equipment and planning than you think, but is actually easy to accomplish with a bit of planning if you are committed to doing so. I didn't know this at first but you don't need to connect to the grid to get the benefits of both. You can avoid the expense and hassle altogether and just connect to your existing power distribution box (your fuse box) and the worst that will happen is you'll waste a few electrons when you are producing more than you use and your storage batteries are full. It's cheaper and a lot less trouble.
The two main options are substantially different goals, and each is affected by your energy consumption. Going "Off-Grid" has many benefits but requires a different way of thinking about consumption and a very different system than one designed to just replace some of your energy needs. The turbine used at a remote cabin may be the same size as an grid connected home system, but it may use some different components if it is to be left unattended for long periods. On the other hand, if you want your residential installation to operate "Maintenance free" then it also will have different features than those of someone who likes to tinker with power and know what is happening to the system day by day. Those decisions can be made and changed as you decide how you want the system to work, but here's how to make the calculation. The Wind and Solar Rough Order of Magnitude Calculator (WS ROMulator) is still undergoing some final testing but part of this tool is a handy Consumption Calculator that will help you add up all your energy usage. Alternatively you can simply look at some of your current Utility bills for summer and winter usage patterns. NOTE: Look at energy conservation in your home as being just as important as energy generation. You don't have to live like a hermit to live "Off-Grid" comfortably but you can save nearly as much in cost by being energy aware, as you can by installing the wrong size wind turbine or solar panels. CLICK HERE to go to the Consumption Calculator.
When you are done with that and know what you need to satisfy your lifestyle, you now need to calculate the daily rate at which you generate and use energy so you can determine the size of storage you need to make it through those cold, still winter nights when there is no sun and no wind. The total energy storage should be on the order of 3-5 days of normal usage so that if you need to get through a "dry spell" you can conserve energy by not running major appliances like power tools and laundry for a day or two while the weather changes. Most off-grid home owners would probably agree that there is no substitute for a back up generator with an Auto-Start feature controlled by the Inverter. Even the best planned sites, with excess power most of the time, can experience a dozen days during the year when they need more than they have available from renewable sources alone. This WILL happen, but only in the dead of winter, when it matters most, and a small, reliable, 2-5kW Honda generator can make all the difference when you need to top up the batteries or use those power tools.
Where can I get Historical Weather Data for my area?
Another common question. One source for Canadians is the Meterological Service of Canada (MSC). They have over 100 years of data collected and much of it can be accessed from the web. Some of it at a price. They have about 30 years of recent data from 1971-2000 on-line and you can look through the archives to find more of what you want. Many of their stations reporting meet World Meterological Organization (WMO) standards for temperature and precipitation. It's not all that user friendly but if you spend some time and explore you can find a lot of material. The difficulty will be deciding whether or not the data really applies to your location and to what degree. I would guess that the WS ROMulator data would give you just about as much accuracy as trying to assess MSC data, but there is more than enough to keep you occupied on that site. Select English or French and then select Canadian Climate Normals. Much of the data is there for sale too. It's not all free, even though your tax dollars are paying for it. Try the Meterological Service of Canada web site.
Another common question. One source for Canadians is the Meterological Service of Canada (MSC). They have over 100 years of data collected and much of it can be accessed from the web. Some of it at a price. They have about 30 years of recent data from 1971-2000 on-line and you can look through the archives to find more of what you want. Many of their stations reporting meet World Meterological Organization (WMO) standards for temperature and precipitation. It's not all that user friendly but if you spend some time and explore you can find a lot of material. The difficulty will be deciding whether or not the data really applies to your location and to what degree. I would guess that the WS ROMulator data would give you just about as much accuracy as trying to assess MSC data, but there is more than enough to keep you occupied on that site. Select English or French and then select Canadian Climate Normals. Much of the data is there for sale too. It's not all free, even though your tax dollars are paying for it. Try the Meterological Service of Canada web site.
What to do about Phantom Loads
Phantom loads are those appliances that draw energy constantly even when they are "Switched off". These are things like clock radios, VCRs, your TV and the kids Gameboy. These devices and many others have "Instant On" features. Well, they are "Instant On" because they never actually turn off. They just power down a bit and keep using a smaller amount of energy. The amount isn't all that small when you add up all the sources and since it's on all the time it's 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week and 365 days per year. Some units actually tell you the "Stand-by" power consumed in the spec sheet in the back of the manual. Others assume you don't care, and apparently most people don't in North America because the total phantom load draw for the continent is in the MEGAWATTS annually.
Whether or not you have wind or solar you can reduce your energy consumption by connecting these loads to a power bar that has a fuse and switch on it. Just flick off that switch when you're not using it. It's this kind of simple change in thinking that you will need to go through if you really want to cut the umbilical cord with the utilities. It doesn't mean you can't have the creature comforts. It just means you need to become energy aware.
Now if you are planning an "Off-Grid" home here's another tip. Do some thinking about what things need to be on all the time, like the portable phone, the fax, maybe a clock or two. Then install wiring for some special outlets around the house and connect only these loads to a smaller inverter that draws less power than your normal house inverter. The total load for all these appliances is probably less than 100watts. Not a big change immediately, but over the long term it will save you considerable wasted energy. The newer inverters like the OutBack FX3424 already are smart enough to power themselves down when not in demand. Look for these features and the inverter's "standby power consumption" when you buy an inverter. Alternatively, you can just install a huge generator and massive solar panels covering your yard and live like you don't care about the energy you're using. People in Europe and Japan particularly have been thinking about this for years and have taken action to limit their phantom loads either on or off the grid. I can't say I'm all that good at it yet, but now I'm aware of it, I am trying to change the habit of just leaving Phantom Loads running constantly.
Phantom loads are those appliances that draw energy constantly even when they are "Switched off". These are things like clock radios, VCRs, your TV and the kids Gameboy. These devices and many others have "Instant On" features. Well, they are "Instant On" because they never actually turn off. They just power down a bit and keep using a smaller amount of energy. The amount isn't all that small when you add up all the sources and since it's on all the time it's 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week and 365 days per year. Some units actually tell you the "Stand-by" power consumed in the spec sheet in the back of the manual. Others assume you don't care, and apparently most people don't in North America because the total phantom load draw for the continent is in the MEGAWATTS annually.
Whether or not you have wind or solar you can reduce your energy consumption by connecting these loads to a power bar that has a fuse and switch on it. Just flick off that switch when you're not using it. It's this kind of simple change in thinking that you will need to go through if you really want to cut the umbilical cord with the utilities. It doesn't mean you can't have the creature comforts. It just means you need to become energy aware.
Now if you are planning an "Off-Grid" home here's another tip. Do some thinking about what things need to be on all the time, like the portable phone, the fax, maybe a clock or two. Then install wiring for some special outlets around the house and connect only these loads to a smaller inverter that draws less power than your normal house inverter. The total load for all these appliances is probably less than 100watts. Not a big change immediately, but over the long term it will save you considerable wasted energy. The newer inverters like the OutBack FX3424 already are smart enough to power themselves down when not in demand. Look for these features and the inverter's "standby power consumption" when you buy an inverter. Alternatively, you can just install a huge generator and massive solar panels covering your yard and live like you don't care about the energy you're using. People in Europe and Japan particularly have been thinking about this for years and have taken action to limit their phantom loads either on or off the grid. I can't say I'm all that good at it yet, but now I'm aware of it, I am trying to change the habit of just leaving Phantom Loads running constantly.
Where is the Wind and Solar ROMulator?
Well it's almost there. We've been wrestling with how much detail is enough and how much is too much. If you had all the power of this kind of tool available to you, very few people would know how to use it without a course on renewable energy design so you'd know what each parameter means and how to interpret the results. What I think we've achieved is a middle ground somewhere, whereby you can get a sense of your system needs without having to become an energy consultant. Beyond the WS ROMulator, LAKOTA Dealers will have more features and other tools at their disposal to help you get to the next step. That's why there will also be links to any of the Dealers and you can choose who to send an email to ask for more details or suggestions or a complete quote.
Basically it works like this. You select a nearby Canadian city that has weather data for the area, or any location in the world for that matter, and enter your energy demand, or calculate it with the Consumption Calculator (see story 2. "What size Turbine do I Need?"). Then, select a few other parameters like whether the local vegitation is grassland, trees, hilly or open water etc. And finally, what are the highest obstacles around? with that input you will presented with available sun and wind data for the area and you can change the monthly numbers to match your site data from the Environment Canada website mentioned above. Then select wind turbines and solar panels, on or off grid with batteries for a boat/RV a cottage or a whole house to come up with the basic system cost and performance. It will then show you some graphs and the percentage of energy demand produced by such a system and show you what it would save you over it's lifetime.
If that's not enough it will calculate the CO2 "greenhouse gases" that your system saved each year and over the life of the system, to see what your part of Canada's contribution to the Kyoto Accord might be.
If you just want to explore all the other options yourself, then you can play with it as much as you like, along with the Consumption Calculator and see if owning a personal power generator will get you what you want. Please note, all the WS ROMulator is designed to do is give you some general idea of what the system might cost and what it might do for you. It's only a guess and a rough guess at that. You may find a real system might be less or more than the one you calculated using the ROMulator. It's only a start. If this helps you picture what your potential system might produce but need more specific cost and benefits in order to make a decision, then only a System Designer/Installer can offer you that level of information. Armed with this bit of knowledge though, you can find a Dealer near you or call (905) 793-3290 and ask where you can find a System Designer/Installer.
More ROMulator testing this week and we should be ready, so watch your email and we'll have a link up on home page soon.
Well it's almost there. We've been wrestling with how much detail is enough and how much is too much. If you had all the power of this kind of tool available to you, very few people would know how to use it without a course on renewable energy design so you'd know what each parameter means and how to interpret the results. What I think we've achieved is a middle ground somewhere, whereby you can get a sense of your system needs without having to become an energy consultant. Beyond the WS ROMulator, LAKOTA Dealers will have more features and other tools at their disposal to help you get to the next step. That's why there will also be links to any of the Dealers and you can choose who to send an email to ask for more details or suggestions or a complete quote.
Basically it works like this. You select a nearby Canadian city that has weather data for the area, or any location in the world for that matter, and enter your energy demand, or calculate it with the Consumption Calculator (see story 2. "What size Turbine do I Need?"). Then, select a few other parameters like whether the local vegitation is grassland, trees, hilly or open water etc. And finally, what are the highest obstacles around? with that input you will presented with available sun and wind data for the area and you can change the monthly numbers to match your site data from the Environment Canada website mentioned above. Then select wind turbines and solar panels, on or off grid with batteries for a boat/RV a cottage or a whole house to come up with the basic system cost and performance. It will then show you some graphs and the percentage of energy demand produced by such a system and show you what it would save you over it's lifetime.
If that's not enough it will calculate the CO2 "greenhouse gases" that your system saved each year and over the life of the system, to see what your part of Canada's contribution to the Kyoto Accord might be.
If you just want to explore all the other options yourself, then you can play with it as much as you like, along with the Consumption Calculator and see if owning a personal power generator will get you what you want. Please note, all the WS ROMulator is designed to do is give you some general idea of what the system might cost and what it might do for you. It's only a guess and a rough guess at that. You may find a real system might be less or more than the one you calculated using the ROMulator. It's only a start. If this helps you picture what your potential system might produce but need more specific cost and benefits in order to make a decision, then only a System Designer/Installer can offer you that level of information. Armed with this bit of knowledge though, you can find a Dealer near you or call (905) 793-3290 and ask where you can find a System Designer/Installer.
More ROMulator testing this week and we should be ready, so watch your email and we'll have a link up on home page soon.
Hand Painted Silk Kites
Lots of people have been asking about the kites since we did a couple of local shows and a renewable energy conference last month. The kite is a great way to assess your location's wind resouce and help determine the placement and height of your tower. CLICK HERE for details on how that's done. If you just want a kite for dosplay or a present, they are available from some Dealers or directly from TRUE-NORTH Power Systems. If you are in the Kitchener area just call ISI
Contact: Joe Laurentino
Paris, ON N3L 3T6
Phone: (519) 635-3870
He already has his own supply available.
Otherwise call TRUE-NORTH Power Systems directly at (519) 793-3290 and we'll tell you how you can get one.
Here is a sample of some of the designs available. Prices range from $10 to $50 or more depending on size and complexity of bird/kite.
If these are a bit too exotic you can build you own kite in a couple of hours and start your own FREE Wind Test Centre today.
Speaking of the FREE Wind Test Centre. The official opening will be Canada Day 1st of July . . we might even have a Kite flying competition with prizes for the participants. More to announce on that soon. The sign goes up this week.
Lots of people have been asking about the kites since we did a couple of local shows and a renewable energy conference last month. The kite is a great way to assess your location's wind resouce and help determine the placement and height of your tower. CLICK HERE for details on how that's done. If you just want a kite for dosplay or a present, they are available from some Dealers or directly from TRUE-NORTH Power Systems. If you are in the Kitchener area just call ISI
Contact: Joe Laurentino
Paris, ON N3L 3T6
Phone: (519) 635-3870
He already has his own supply available.
Otherwise call TRUE-NORTH Power Systems directly at (519) 793-3290 and we'll tell you how you can get one.
Here is a sample of some of the designs available. Prices range from $10 to $50 or more depending on size and complexity of bird/kite.
If these are a bit too exotic you can build you own kite in a couple of hours and start your own FREE Wind Test Centre today.
Speaking of the FREE Wind Test Centre. The official opening will be Canada Day 1st of July . . we might even have a Kite flying competition with prizes for the participants. More to announce on that soon. The sign goes up this week.