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To: Broken_Clock who wrote (103097)	5/17/2001 9:55:46 PM
From: yard_man	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

PK, it depends on what your needs are (are you in Hawaii?) -- if you are the kind of guy that doesn't need electriciy all the time might not be so bad. 80k is a lot of money for wires -- have you done some calcs on what it'll cost you to buy propane for the fuel cell or diesel for the generator and transport it in -- I suppose you are off the beaten path a "fur piece." Fuel cells aren't cheap -- Maybe you should also consider some passive solar features, no? Hot water heater ... All really depends on your individual situation -- photovolatics might be a real good idea Compare the total carrying costs and make sure you get good info on the total lifecycle costs of each technology you are considering as well as your own needs -- compare that with utility service and their "best deal" which they are not apt to give you the first go round

To: Broken_Clock who wrote (103097)	5/17/2001 10:31:14 PM
From: Terry Whitman	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 436258

>I am building a home off the grid over here.< That's really cool, PK. Keep us up on what you do. Have you studied your Mother Earth News mags? <g> I've done some study on off grid- and photovoltaic is low power stuff. Takes a fortune to get enough panels to run much. The avg. 1500sf home probably needs 2-3KW, and much more peak. That's alot of panels. You can get that much with a small generator no problem, but peak loads may require a larger one. If you've got enough land to build a good size pond, hydro- electric is basically free after the initial costs. Could be expensive too though- I haven't priced a water turbine or piping lately. The key, (like that other nerd, tippet <g> said) is to have a low consumption rate. No AC, propane or wood heat and hot water (point of use propane heaters are most effc.) Low wattage flourescent lights, etc. Ideally, the house should run on low voltage, like 12Vdc I think- but Tip could tell you better there. TW BTW- If you want to know how much power your home is using- you can 'clock' the meter at various times of day, w/ different appliances running. 36/s = avg. power usage in KW, where s= seconds for one revolution of the wheel. At least that's how mine figures out. So 18sec per revolution would be 2KW, 4 sec = 9 KW, etc.