The Definitive Alternative Energy and Home Power Thread

Oh and a couple more things: 

Becker is right about otherpower.com.  That group has been VERY helpful in wind, hydro and sun.   They are kind of like the open source of alternative energy.  

Also, take a look at http://homepower.com.   They have a great deal on a set of archive DVDs of their articles which are very rich in information.  Mother Earth News used to have some good stuff.  Their old articles are good but newer ones are too yuppified IMHO.

And, a general comment, you can spend A LOT of money on alternative energy or you can spend a modest amount and learn to conserve!   Which means getting rid of electric appliances, reducing the size of your home, turning down the thermostat, caulking and stacking in insulation.  An average home energy consumer can easily drop $80K on a solar system, still need backup power occasionally and not pay it off for 15 years.  Or, can spend $10K on the above home improvements, be more mindful about using energy and cut his total electrical use in half.  It aint as cool as having an array of panels on your roof but sure makes a whole lot more sense.

1st things 1st:  Conservation first; generation second.

1st things 1st:  Conservation first; generation second.

I've taken a different appoach, definitely the contraian.   Because of the silly way incentives work (vary by state/country), you can build big (yes - spend alot and get big tax and generation incentives).  Not cut your usage but get the system up before all the incentives go away due to broke governments and utilities.  Then you can work on conservation and will have lots of extra power to sell back when generation becomes expensive after you have figured out how to conserve.

Will this work? Unknown, but if you have the money you can throw at the generation, you can deal with the life style changes over a longer period without having to worry that you might have too little power, and anyway, I figure extra power will become a valuable asset in the future.  Besides do you have something better to do with the dollars other than saving them for toilet paper?

I am cosidering a photovoltaic system for my home. I also have long recognized the possibility, though maybe remote, of an EMP strike such as one that has recently and periodically been discussed here at CM.com and elsewhere. The question for the gang here is what affect such an event would have on a PV system. I would imagine it would not be good. If that's  the case, could a PV system be hardened (Faraday cage) against an EMP?

rhare:

When incentives are involved, it becomes an economic game.  IMHO every discussion on the economics of alternative energy eventually winds down to one thing: emotion. 

It is no different than buying cars.  Let's say you own a compact car that gets 30 mpg and 70000 miles on it.  It is a great car.  Should last another 130000 miles.  A door handle breaks off.  You take it into the shop to fix a bent tie rod after pothole.  You got a few parking lot dings.  Nutshell: All that newness is worn off. Now, in steps the new wife, she doesnt feel secure in that car.  There was a recall - not the year of this car - but same brand - which is enough for her to worry.  All her friend have hybrids.  They CARE about the environment.  We need to buy a hybrid... DOH there is baby along the way.... we need a reliable car to carry the baby around!... and so goes the decision making process.

Does it make economical sense to replace the car with a hybrid?  Does it make ecological sense to replace the car with a hybrid?  Does it make safety sense (for the baby)?  Is it cooler to drive a hybrid? Does it make a statement?  

If you take into account total waste streams, relative hazards associated with each design and net energy streams, the first three questions are a fairly easy "No".  The remaining questions are an easy "yes".  And, it is the answer to those last questions that a family will shell out more than a year's salary with bank interest for an asset that will depreciate with every mile of use.

Spending $25K on an alternative energy system that pays you back every minute you use it makes a heck of a lot more sense than spending $25K on a car that takes money away from you every time you use it.

But, at today's insanely low energy costs, alternative energy does not pencil out in most every case without either a high cost to bring in a powerline, an high potential natural source or monetary incentives.  So, then, it becomes an emotional decison. 

There is nothing wrong with this.  I like CM's comment that even being a small percentage prepared makes a huge difference in overall quality of life.   Having solar charged lights at night instead of flashlites, candles and gas lanterns is worth every penny in the short and long haul.

So in answer to your question, if you got the incentives, go hog wild.  You are turning your paper money and government money which are both becoming worthless into hard assets.   If you dont have the incentives, it makes economic sense to conserve first and generate second.   In either case, it makes emotional sense to do both at the same time.

Where we need to get to as a nation, heck, as a world is where conservation and alternative energy generation is cooler, safer and makes a statement. 

Sepp Holzer in Austria, has a fantastic set-up using a series of terraced ponds on a mountainside that provides not only power for his farm and home, but food as well. I used to have the video showing his farm, but I seemed to have misplaced it. Here is a clip from that video on YouTube:

His place looks like heaven to me.

Also, are PV systems likewise vulnerable to solar flares with their coronal mass ejections? 

See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_031027.html 

I honestly don't know if there's such an issue, but assuming anything called a cage would shade the panels, a PV system could be hardened against an EMP only at significant loss of productivity.  Now, if a custom cage could refract light just so.....