Wind Generated Power

[Nords]

Is there a way to just stick your own windmill on the roof of your house?  I wouldn't care about the 20 years to get back the cost, I'm just thinking tree hugger here. 

Yup, sailboats use them all the time. Expensive & noisy but, over the years, they will pay for themselves.

Powering a sailboat is one thing. Producing 20 KWhr/day for a small home load (without A/C) might take up more space than there is roof.

 

[laurence]

Well, we don't need A/C, but we'll keep shopping for alterna-energy...

 

[brewer12345]

Well, we don't need A/C, but we'll keep shopping for alterna-energy...

Laurence, aren't you in the People's Republic of California? Go solar, baby.

 

[laurence]

Laurence, aren't you in the People's Republic of California? Go solar, baby.

SNORT! Aye Comrad! I hear there are good incentives for that being handed out by our glorious people's revolutionary council. We'll see.

 

[Nords]

SNORT! Aye Comrad!  I hear there are good incentives for that being handed out by our glorious people's revolutionary council.  We'll see. 

CA is a hotbed of solar activity and you'll do well even during the June Gloom.

Nov/Dec will be absolutely overbooked as people try to start work before the end of the tax year, but Jan/Feb may be a good time to go shopping. Read the other solar threads here and think of it as a nice dividend-paying investment that hedges against rising fuel costs.

 

[brewer12345]

CA is a hotbed of solar activity and you'll do well even during the June Gloom.

Nov/Dec will be absolutely overbooked as people try to start work before the end of the tax year, but Jan/Feb may be a good time to go shopping.  Read the other solar threads here and think of it as a nice dividend-paying investment that hedges against rising fuel costs.

Expect January and February to be nuts this year. Remember, there is a new Fed tax credit coming on stream 1/1/06.

 

[ESRBob]

Right now, new wind energy installations in the US aren't viable without a production tax credit from the government. Currently $0.019 per kWh, extended through 2007. Without that, you won't see any new wind turbines being sold until the cost to produce and operate them comes down.

What would it take to see traditional electricity sources' prices rise by 2 cents per kWh and bring wind back 'in the money' even without the credit? (I don't know the numbers, but if they are that close, it may not be too long).

If world demand for energy keeps up, then the good old days of cheap fossil fuels are gone for good.

And that is without the added shocks of storms in the energy-production areas, which may or may not crop up again in the coming years.

I actually looked into investing in wind farms when I first ERd -- part of the private equity part of my portfolio allocation. I never pulled the trigger, but was impressed at how these wind farms have become very sophisticated operations. One thing is true: just like in looks and brains, Nature doesn't dole out its goodies evenly. The most desirable locations for wind farms are carefully mapped and teams are out all over the landowners there trying to get contracts signed for wind rights.

Of course as prices converge, then less exalted wind-producing areas become economical.

I know from my sailboat though that it takes a heckuvalot of wind to fill a battery, vs an hour or so cranking the old Yanmar diesel.

 

[eridanus]

It might surprise some of you that Texas (yes, Texas ) is second only to California in the amount of wind generated electircity produced and sold in the US.

And Austin is #1 in green energy sold to businesses and residential units.

I pay .0525/KWH for my renewable power, which includes the delivery and the fuel charge. Regular customers will see an increase in January due to natural gas increases; the renewable rate is fixed until 2015.

The deregulation in Texas has only increased prices for those unfortunate enough to not have co-op or municipal power.

 

[Marshac]

I drove past a huge wind farm down near the Washington/Oregon border today... it was..... underwhelming. For some reason I expected more... more "high tech" looking, but instead the rolling hills looked kinda spiky. Oh well. I still liked it

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

It might surprise some of you that Texas (yes, Texas ) is second only to California in the amount of wind generated electircity produced and sold in the US.

No surprise. Lot of hot air coming out of texas the last few years.

 

[REWahoo]

No surprise. Lot of hot air coming out of texas the last few years.

I have to disagree with you. Texas has been very successful in exporting most of it to the shores of the Potomac. But even that hasn't done much to clear up things in and around "Foggy Bottom".