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To: yard_man who wrote (104199)	5/23/2001 5:38:32 PM
From: Art Bechhoefer	Respond to of 436258

Tippet-->>Added capital cost & O&M cost, that's all -- nothing back from being connected to the grid, no tax break, nada.<< Many states offer tax breaks for purchase of renewable energy alternatives. The Federal energy plan, if adopted, would allow some tax breaks, at least for certain kinds of renewable energy. As to the question of what to do when there's no wind and no sun, there are two alternatives. The simplest is a gasoline powered generator that would provide about 5 kw at a capital cost of about $800. Lead acetate batteries are too expensive, but might be used for very small output (e.g., operate a refrigerator and a few lights, or a water pump). Windmills are feasible mainly in places where at least some wind blows virtually all day long. Newer windmill designs will produce some power at wind speeds of 5 knots. I'm sure there are many locations in Hawaii where that much wind is available almost 100 percent of the time. The final alternative is no power for certain periods, which is not altogether different from the situation when the grid goes down because of a storm or other unexpected power outage from a central plant. The cost and occasional shut down of an individual generating unit using solar and/or wind power must be weighed against the costs of centralized power units, which are not limited to capital outlays but involve large amounts of fuel, often large amounts of pollution, including carbon dioxide, and much greater security risks from terrorism or other unexpected events. People who oppose individual solar and wind alternatives also tend to minimize the intangible costs of centralized power units, which costs often do no show up until many years later. Art