Beating The Energy Crunch With Personal Windpower

We've previously written about Southwest Windpower's personal wind turbine, suitable for many homes in appropriate wind zones and priced economically (roughly $10,000--but with installation, etc. it will cost you a bit more).

We're happy to see that a small number of folks in the D.C. metropolitan region are starting to install these to provide themselves with renewable energy and reduce their dependence on huge cental generating plants.

Here's a story from today's Washington Post profiling one such couple (assuming they get the rest of the clearances they need to proceed): "Windpower's Energetic Fans." The story also mentions a Maryland man who already has one of the microturbines and who's been selling a handful of them to others.

By the way, if you want to see one of Southwest's Skystream microturbines in action, get over to the U.S. Botanic Garden, at the base of Capitol Hill, where one is in action as part of

It's a small trend, but a good one. (We might add that when homeowners install their own wind turbines or solar cells, tied into the electric grid, they reduce the need for additional high voltage power lines to transmit electricity from some enormous, but remote, power plant to your flat screen television.)

Delaware Wind Farm Approved

Following up on one of our earlier reports, Delaware authorities have now approved construction of a wind farm off the Delaware coast. According to the Post article, the wind energy complex may be a bit smaller than the original proposal, but it is likely to be built.

This is a great step forward. If the backers of the Delaware project are successful in getting clean, carbon free kilowatts flowing onshore, more similar projects are likely to crop up along the Atlantic coast, perhaps, even, in Virginia.

Delaware's Energy No-Brainer

Delaware needs to decide what type of fuel it will use to run its next large power plant. It's considering three proposals: a coal plant that eliminates "some" carbon dioxide; a natural gas plant; or a large windmill farm in the Atlantic Ocean. (See Washington Post story here.)

This one's a no-brainer. Delaware is a low-lying state with a long ocean-front. Beach tourism plays a major role in its economy. Yet, if global warming goes unchecked, the "First State" will become the "Underwater State." Those great vacation resorts at Rehoboth, Bethany and Dewey Beaches will become distant memories as the state fights a losing battle over the next 50 years to contain a surging Atlantic Ocean.

Wind should be the easy winner here. Delaware has lots of wind, just offshore. It has no coal to speak of, nor is it a natural gas producer, so its economy does not depend on the fate of those fossil fuels. Thus, becoming a leader in offshore wind energy is a natural for Delaware.

Some folks around the beaches worry that the giant windmills will spoil their ocean views. That's nonsense--the turbines will be sufficiently far offshore that they'll be barely visible. And, let's face it, how many people really go there to just stare at the ocean? Not that it will matter if their homes and resorts are underwater.

If Delaware can't get this easy call right, then the rest of us should be VERY worried about our fate down the road.

Affordable Microturbine; Loudon Solar Home

We picked up some interesting tidbits from our solar contractor, Don Sandros of Sand Energy in Leesburg, during a visit yesterday to fine tune our solar panels (i.e., get them better oriented to the sun).

First, you may remember our featuring a post on a microturbine manufactured by Southwest Windpower, which is suitable for individual homeowners, costs just $10,000 to install and will deliver around 425 kwh's of electricity a month if you have a decently windy location.

Don is familiar with the Southwest microturbine--he's installed a few in Virginia and says they're the real deal. They're small, mounted on a 35-40 foot pole, and so far Don has found them reliable, easy to set up and true to their specifications.
Since the $10,000 microturbine generates about twice the electricity of the Curmudgeon's $20,000 solar panels, the payback is four times as fast.

Of course, you do have to have wind, which rules out Arlington. But, if your property includes an unobstructed ridgeline in Loudon or Fauquier County, or if you live near the coast (or along a lake) you might just have enough wind to justify one of these machines (pictured above).

Don also told us about a gentleman he met at a Loudon County Committee for a Sustainable Society meeting, Alden Hathaway, who a few years ago built a completely solar home out in Loudon and has written a book about it: "Building An Affordable Solar Home."

Hathaway's book is available as a pdf. on his website. We read a good chunk of it last night and found it quite readable and entertaining. One of Hathaway's key points--which Curmudgeon readers will find familiar--is that energy conservation and use of renewable solar energy go hand-in-hand. As we've pointed out many times here, he notes that many energy conservation measures cost less than putting in solar panels. He does a great job of breaking down the economics of various conservation measures.

The website also has a presentation Hathaway gave at the National Building Museum with four years of data on his solar home. If you get a chance, give it a visit.