Wind and Solar Questions

**TamaraC** · 11-20-2007, 10:10 AM

My inlaws are considering installing Photovoltaics or a wind turbine on their property to generate some of their own renewable electricity and sell the balance back to the utility. Anyone have experience doing this kind of thing?

TamaraC

**sdrjeolsen** · 11-20-2007, 10:19 AM

Haven't done it, but we are looking into it too, we have a nice wind that blows through on a regular basis and about 320 days of sun/yr. Hoping to capture that and sell some power back to the local electric co. Many people in our area are off-grid. They are even building new houses in town that are self-sufficient as part of the basic design.

I recommend checking with the utility and see how it works. Ours buys back in blocks, for a certain price per block.

There are companies that sell the whole kit/hook-up, etc. Kind of turn-key, although it is more expensive than doing it yourself. There are regulations and proceedures for the set up that have to be followed. But that's about all I know at this point. keep us posted on how it goes, I'd be curious to find out from someone who has done it.

**Edna_E** · 11-20-2007, 01:28 PM

Same boat. I'm interested, but do not know anyone who has actually done it. It seems like there would be more people if it were really easy/cheap to set up, but sometimes it just takes a long time for something to catch on.

**Odilia** · 11-20-2007, 01:30 PM

We have a wind/solar hybrid set-up with a stand-alone inverter and a grid-tie inverter. My husband has put together our system as time and money allowed. We're not 100% off-grid, but we probably could be. It's nice to have the grid backup!

We do put some power back on the grid, but we get paid almost nothing for it. Some states pay well for power and also have great incentives and cost-sharing for putting in alternative power. Nebraska isn't one of those states.

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 11-20-2007, 04:09 PM

My cousin north of Green Bay put wind mills up in his corn fields to power the farm and sell back. He had the first mill put in and used the money made off selling his supplus juice to the city of Greenbay to buy his next ones. He makes more of the extra electric then he does on the corn. His biggest problem was complains from others about the looks.
Several other farmers in the area were thinking of selling off their land to developers and now they are worried no one will want to buy the land close to the mills. But like the dairy farms smell it was there first.

Laurie in Bradenton

**TamaraC** · 11-20-2007, 05:36 PM

I wonder who decided to start the "windmills are ugly" meme? It seems almost conspiratorial, and I don't usually go for conspiracies. I think they're kind of pretty. Certainly prettier that high voltage transformers or oil refineries.

**peanut** · 11-21-2007, 02:05 PM

TamaraC: I agree. This summer we went to North Cape, PEI to see the wind farm they have there. It fits in just fine. They are very graceful windmills.

I've also seen them in Pincher Creek area in Alberta. There are a lot there. The thing I found was, if I looked up at them long enough, I got a little vertigo. I think that's me though, not the windmills!lol

They say they are not good for birds. They change wind patterns in an area and the birds can't make it through, or end up sucked into their blades. I'm not sure if that's true though. I haven't seen the actual studies.

However, photovoltaics DH and I could get into big time. We've often thought of doing that to our city home. We have height restrictions, making windmills impossible. But there's nothing against photovoltaics.