make it affordable

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Permalink Reply by Susan Marshall on July 8, 2008 at 11:36am

We've all got to get behind this in every way possible. The middle east is rapeing the US and we have just been sitting back and watching our Congress do nothing about it for decades. Time to stick it to them and help ourselfs with or without Congress.

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Permalink Reply by Fernando Perez on July 8, 2008 at 11:53am

The wind and solar power industries have been overcharging on all their products and expecting that the IRS tax credits will be the incentive for the homeowners to buy their products. They could reduce the cost of the items and create a good, dependable and at reasonable cost network of installers to have homes that can be efficient and even sell exccess production to the electric utilities. Also help people create their own wind and solar farms at reasonale cost, based on cost of equipment rather than at inflated prices based on the projection of potential revenue and profits approach to the user. Again this must be a common goal for everyone and not just another get rich quick scheme to take advange of those person looking to save some money.

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Permalink Reply by Hans Royal on July 8, 2008 at 11:59am

Wind turbines make the most impact and are the most economically on a large scale. Wind velocity is much faster higher up obviously. A home could theoretically power itself in part by a small wind turbine, and they do exist. But factors such as tree cover, zoning, and initial capital investment make it not.... "worth it". Homeowners should support wind power in more meaningful ways: encouraging the extension of the PTC, investing in wind energy companies, purchasing wind-generated power (or renewable energy "credits", if available) and supporting local and national politicians with strong positions on wind power.
In my opinion.

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Permalink Reply by Ian MacKenzie on July 10, 2008 at 9:02am

I live in New Hampshire on a small farm I bought I personally would put up at least one if not 2 towers but there is no tax incentive to invest in such a task., the same goes for solar. I can rent solar panels but the waiting list is 1 year. The tax credits for doing anything "green" are an insult. Bt expect nothing from congress as they are all to lazy and fat from our money to act. Maybe if we cut off the AC in the congress for the summer they might act faster. At the very least they will appreciate the muggy MD summers more

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Permalink Reply by Melinda Lockwood on July 10, 2008 at 9:06am

Wouldn't that be great! My husband and I were in Iowa last year and saw the wind farm there. When we returned home, we looked into it - not at $40,000 per -- no way we could afford to participate. Ditto for solar - it is just too expensive for the average family to retrofit their home.

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Permalink Reply by Melinda Lockwood on July 10, 2008 at 9:07am

Amen Ian! Bet we'd see a turn-around in a heartbeat!!!

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Permalink Reply by Matt Gill on July 10, 2008 at 9:31am

For the same reason that not everyone has a coal fired generator on their property....it just doesn't have the economies of scale. A home based solar or wind system will never be as cheap as a solar or wind farm. But the best ideas for mass producing clean electricity seem to be wind and solar thermal at this time. They both provide constant or near constant generation, especially in quantity (the wind is always blowing SOMEWHERE, and solar thermal uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto pipes containing a liquid, superheating the liquid which is stored to create steam, the stored liquid can retain its heat for hours, sometimes days). But to restate the answer, home based generation will never be cheap enough for mass adoption, without some kind of government subsidy, which is doubtful.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Fisher on July 17, 2008 at 8:43am

This is a frustratingly slow process!! Like Ian above, I live in NH and have a 90 acre hilltop at 1480 ft. elevation, facing the prevailing winds, cleared and DYING for at least one turbine. The state has no incentive plans to help get started, and the local power company will only credit your generation against your future consumption, so I have to bear 100% of the installation, and can only get anything back for it by building something on that meter that EXPENDS electricity.

I wonder if, in my lifetime, it will dawn on somebody in this area, that clean power contributions from wherever they can get it, is a good thing, and it maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to REWARD the contributors for their efforts and expenditures!!

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Permalink Reply by Ian MacKenzie on July 17, 2008 at 8:57am

Exactly Bob, Govenor Howdy Doody Lynch talks a good talk but that is it mostly he is full o shite. Each town is supposed to have it's own property tax discounts for green energy but they are minimal at best if at all. I'm personally going to rent solor panels from citizenre' and would put up turbines if i could rent them too. Citizenre is going to lock my rate at 2005 psnh rates, any extra psnh will have to pay me for. waiting list for citienre is long but worth it. Do a search on Citizenre's REnU solar solution for your home

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Permalink Reply by Susan Marshall on July 17, 2008 at 1:58pm

Well, as we've just seen with our Congress today, they don't intend to do anything for the peons that elected them. We as citizens of this great country are going to have to take the bull by the horns ourselves and all join T. Boone in his Quest for independence from the middle east. I live in the high dessert of Nevada, where the wind always blows and the sun always shines and we have plenty of geothermal possibilities as well. Time we put all of that and used a certain finger wave to the middle east.

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Permalink Reply by Ian MacKenzie on July 17, 2008 at 2:38pm

I watched them vote on the do nothing Energy bill, after we fire them all maybe the next bunch will get it. Since this group only plans on working less than 35 days until the swearing in of the next group

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Permalink Reply by ART005 on July 17, 2008 at 2:53pm

In a windy place a home owner needs 3kW - 10 kW to approach break even to the grid. Then they need to design their house to utilize it. Utilizing even 3 kW is a lot of power so then you can end up loosing your scaled up advantage.

The point of the Pickens Plan is that the 2 - 3 MW turbines he will install are cost effective with the grid. If little home owners could do it with 1 - 3 kW turbines there would be no need for Pickens Plan.

The story is worse for poly-sci PV. It costs about twice wind for the same size. I can't stand reading someone installed a $30K system, got $10K in subsidies and then says it will pay for itself in 10 years not including the subsidies. Who do they think is paying for those subsidies?

The Pickens Plan works through all this. It is at a scale that is equitable and meaningful!

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