Green energy in action!

Hello again and Happy Spring (to those of us in the Northern Hemisphere)!

It's been awhile since I've provided an update on our renewable/green energy systems.

Everything has been operational for several months now and working quite nicely. It took quite a bit of effort, though, to get the local utility to straighten out billing. However, that's now behind us and we should see some pretty amazing savings. On an especially windy day it's fun to go outside and observe the electric meter as it spins backwards - during those times when we produce more electricity than we consume.

Now that it's spring and the angle of the sun is more direct, the solar PVs have been doing their part. Yesterday, I noted that they were generating about 1,150 watts in the late afternoon. I can't wait until the summer! Of course, it's likely going to be less windy then. So, things tend to balance out.

Here's a video that I shot yesterday of the windmill doing its "thing". You might be able to detect a gentle "whirring" sound as it speeds up.

Best,

Howard

Windmill gets raised!

Well, the moment we've been waiting for finally arrived. This past weekend we raised our wind turbine (video below) and, along with the solar array, started generating electricity! 

There were some tense moments as the wind started to pick up, but everything went smoothly. Combined, the tower and turbine weigh about 1,000 lbs. (450 Kg.) So, you can imagine how unwieldy it might have become if hit with a gust of wind.  

We'll find out in the next week or so, how well its performing. The turbine has a wireless (zigbee) interface which should provide us with regular performance statistics. And, of course, we'll start to see the impact on our monthly electric bill, as there is state mandated "net metering" - which literally runs the electric meter backwards when we're generating more power than we consume. 

Special thanks to Gary and Jared Bergeron from PlanIT Green Renewable Energy. (to my left in the photo). They were great to work with and I highly recommend them for any renewable energy projects!

I'll keep you posted on our progress.

-Howard