Alternate power roundup

[Alex Harford]

http://www.deere.com/en_US/jdc/product_financing/wind_energy/press_release/first_wind_powered_city.html
http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1568/
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/home-residential-wind-power-rock-port-missouri.php

"Known as the Loess Hills Wind Farm, four Suzlon 1.25-MW turbines are
currently being erected and will deliver 5MW of electricity into the
grid that serves the 715 or so households that make up Rock Port, Mo."

5MW is the peak but they estimate the average will be 2MW.  Is
Missouri considered to be part of the Wind Belt?  If my math is
correct, that 2MW being used means that each household uses approx
67kWh / day, which is pretty close to the average around here of
70kWh.
-----

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/05/08/sherbrooke-biofuel.html?ref=rss

"The city of Sherbrooke has decided against running its municipal
fleet on plant-based biofuels, saying it's unethical to divert
agricultural products from the food chain."

They are now looking into recycling waste oils into biofuel.
-----

http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9937986-54.html

"The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $126.6 million in grants on
Tuesday to test carbon capture and storage in underground caverns."

Underground storage of an odourless, heavier than air substance (in
gas phase) that suffocates animals can't have any drawbacks, can it?
------

Food (biofuel?) for thought. :)

Alex
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[Jake Anderson-2]

70kwh/day holy carp.
We just got our first power bill and were feeling bad (environmentally
and financially) about 22kwh.

That's with 2-3 decent computers running 24/7.

Alex Harford wrote:

> http://www.deere.com/en_US/jdc/product_financing/wind_energy/press_release/first_wind_powered_city.html
> http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1568/
> http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/home-residential-wind-power-rock-port-missouri.php
>
> "Known as the Loess Hills Wind Farm, four Suzlon 1.25-MW turbines are
> currently being erected and will deliver 5MW of electricity into the
> grid that serves the 715 or so households that make up Rock Port, Mo."
>
> 5MW is the peak but they estimate the average will be 2MW.  Is
> Missouri considered to be part of the Wind Belt?  If my math is
> correct, that 2MW being used means that each household uses approx
> 67kWh / day, which is pretty close to the average around here of
> 70kWh.
> -----
>
> http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/05/08/sherbrooke-biofuel.html?ref=rss
>
> "The city of Sherbrooke has decided against running its municipal
> fleet on plant-based biofuels, saying it's unethical to divert
> agricultural products from the food chain."
>
> They are now looking into recycling waste oils into biofuel.
> -----
>
> http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9937986-54.html
>
> "The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $126.6 million in grants on
> Tuesday to test carbon capture and storage in underground caverns."
>
> Underground storage of an odourless, heavier than air substance (in
> gas phase) that suffocates animals can't have any drawbacks, can it?
> ------
>
> Food (biofuel?) for thought. :)
>
> Alex
>  

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[Alex Harford]

On Thu, May 8, 2008 at 5:35 PM, Jake Anderson <jake@...> wrote:
> 70kwh/day holy carp.
>  We just got our first power bill and were feeling bad (environmentally
>  and financially) about 22kwh.
>
>  That's with 2-3 decent computers running 24/7.

I believe this is due to a significant percentage of population here
using electricity for all of their power requirements, ie including
heating.  We don't have any natural gas hookup in our townhouse, and
many other people don't either.  I know that our power requirements
went up significantly after our baby arrived, wow, those things
generate a lot of laundry!  Our average now is 43kWh.

I think another thing that brings up the average is the number of
marijuana grow-ops in our province.  Apparantly it is our third
largest industry behind timber and construction ($7bn annually).

Alex
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[Jake Anderson-2]

Alex Harford wrote:

> On Thu, May 8, 2008 at 5:35 PM, Jake Anderson <jake@...> wrote:
>  
>> 70kwh/day holy carp.
>>  We just got our first power bill and were feeling bad (environmentally
>>  and financially) about 22kwh.
>>
>>  That's with 2-3 decent computers running 24/7.
>>    
>
> I believe this is due to a significant percentage of population here
> using electricity for all of their power requirements, ie including
> heating.  We don't have any natural gas hookup in our townhouse, and
> many other people don't either.  I know that our power requirements
> went up significantly after our baby arrived, wow, those things
> generate a lot of laundry!  Our average now is 43kWh.
>
> I think another thing that brings up the average is the number of
> marijuana grow-ops in our province.  Apparantly it is our third
> largest industry behind timber and construction ($7bn annually).
>
> Alex
>  

We are all electric, gas isn't available and there is no solar anything
except some awnings here.
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[Xiaofan Chen]

On Fri, May 9, 2008 at 10:35 AM, Alex Harford <harford@...> wrote:
> On Thu, May 8, 2008 at 5:35 PM, Jake Anderson <jake@...> wrote:
>> 70kwh/day holy carp.
>
> I believe this is due to a significant percentage of population here
> using electricity for all of their power requirements, ie including
> heating.  We don't have any natural gas hookup in our townhouse, and
> many other people don't either.  I know that our power requirements
> went up significantly after our baby arrived, wow, those things
> generate a lot of laundry!  Our average now is 43kWh.

Is this per household? 70kWh/Day is still quite significant for a
3-personal or even 4-person household.

I've my utility bill in front of me and it says that National monthly average
in Singapore is 370kWh of electricity and 90kWh of gas So that is about
12.3 kWh of electricity and 3kWh of nature gas. I think in Singapore,
average household will have about 4 person.

This is a tropical country and a lot of us use air conditioner almost
every day. We have 3 person in the house and we are always below
national average. When my parents-in-law were here, we would be
above national average.

But I think the major difference is that here people live in flats in
high rise building whereas in US most family would own a house.
Heating in US (in the Winter) can increase the electricity bill
significantly. It is very very cold in part of US in the Winter...

Xiaofan
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[Richard Prosser]

I've just checked my power bill that came in last week. 2650units for
the month or 88units (kWhr) per day.
We are now heading into winter, have had a few cold days and have the
heat pump heating most nights. Not much in the way of solar input and
cool (~8C ?) input water temperature.

>From what I've been able to gather, this is a bit higher usage than
most of the guys I work with and higher than average for NZ, but not
significantly so.

RP

2008/5/10 Xiaofan Chen <xiaofanc@...>:

> On Fri, May 9, 2008 at 10:35 AM, Alex Harford <harford@...> wrote:
>> On Thu, May 8, 2008 at 5:35 PM, Jake Anderson <jake@...> wrote:
>>> 70kwh/day holy carp.
>>
>> I believe this is due to a significant percentage of population here
>> using electricity for all of their power requirements, ie including
>> heating.  We don't have any natural gas hookup in our townhouse, and
>> many other people don't either.  I know that our power requirements
>> went up significantly after our baby arrived, wow, those things
>> generate a lot of laundry!  Our average now is 43kWh.
>
> Is this per household? 70kWh/Day is still quite significant for a
> 3-personal or even 4-person household.
>
> I've my utility bill in front of me and it says that National monthly average
> in Singapore is 370kWh of electricity and 90kWh of gas So that is about
> 12.3 kWh of electricity and 3kWh of nature gas. I think in Singapore,
> average household will have about 4 person.
>
> This is a tropical country and a lot of us use air conditioner almost
> every day. We have 3 person in the house and we are always below
> national average. When my parents-in-law were here, we would be
> above national average.
>
> But I think the major difference is that here people live in flats in
> high rise building whereas in US most family would own a house.
> Heating in US (in the Winter) can increase the electricity bill
> significantly. It is very very cold in part of US in the Winter...
>
> Xiaofan
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>

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[Brian B. Riley]

  I live in NW Vermont, I heat with wood, backed up by a 35K BTU  
propane heater. I use propane in an on demand tankless HW heater, and  
a propane powered 17 cu ft refrigerator/freezer (0.25 gallons per day  
avg). We have all the usual amenities, satellite based TV, satellite  
based Internet with multi-drop network for 3 computers, microwave  
oven, clothes washer. All our lights are LED or compact fluorescent.  
All of our appliances selected for energy efficiency (which means we  
paid an overall average of 15% more). All appliances that present  
phantom loads have cutoff switches wired to their receptacles or are  
plugged in via a power strip with a cutoff switch. We don't have a  
clothes dryer, we use indoor racks in winter and clotheslines  
otherwise. We have two water pumps, one a 120 vac 3/4 hp shallow well  
pump draws from  the well and pumps 14 meters up  across 180 meters  
run to a cistern and a 120 vac 1/2 hp which draws level from the  
cistern and pressurizes the house system.

I run two inverter systems, the first is a high efficiency 1000 watt  
since wave unit  that runs 24/7 powering the satellite TV receiver,  
the internet network (satellite modem, Apple wireless station/router  
and server, cordless phones and answering machine. The bulk of of the  
house is powered from an  Outback 3.5 KW since wave inverter run on  
autostart. Its all powered by PV arrays totalling 1.6 KW feeding two  
battery banks  of 22 KWH and 12KWH capacities. I do have a 6.5KW  
gasoline powered generator that gets run an average of 6 hours per  
week in our 'grayest' months, November and December under an average  
load of 2-3 KW to pump water for the cistern and simultaneously get a  
little 'topping off' of the battery banks. From mid-February to mid-
October we often go weeks without ever firing up the generator.

On my worst most extravagant day running everything, filling the  
cistern,  cooking a big dinner in  the oven (gas oven but 300 watt  
glow bar), and  my wife going on one of her manic marathon vacuuming  
sessions (we have three dogs) I use 7-8KWH, typical is 3-4 KWH. I have  
never really sat down and figured the KWH of  the propane consumed,  
but over the last 15 years the annual consumption has been 250-650  
gallons (the variation mostly dictated by Spring and Fall temperatures  
when its just too warm to run a woodstove round the clock, but not  
warm enough for no heat source, so we run the propane.)

When I look back over the daily figures being quoted here in  this  
thread I am reminded of Walt Kelly's famous line from "Pogo" ... "we  
have met the enemy, and he is us!" These people who are only  
interested in their bottom line profits who build these kinds of  
housing should be forced to live in them and pay the bills

--
cheers ... 73 de brian  riley,  n1bq , underhill center, vermont
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On May 8, 2008, at 11:30 AM, Alex Harford wrote:

> http://www.deere.com/en_US/jdc/product_financing/wind_energy/press_release/first_wind_powered_city.html
> http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1568/
> http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/home-residential-wind-power-rock-port-missouri.php
>
> "Known as the Loess Hills Wind Farm, four Suzlon 1.25-MW turbines are
> currently being erected and will deliver 5MW of electricity into the
> grid that serves the 715 or so households that make up Rock Port, Mo."
>
> 5MW is the peak but they estimate the average will be 2MW.  Is
> Missouri considered to be part of the Wind Belt?  If my math is
> correct, that 2MW being used means that each household uses approx
> 67kWh / day, which is pretty close to the average around here of
> 70kWh.
> -----

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