Alternative Energy: Solar and Wind Power

Have lived off-grid for over 25 years with 8 small solar panels. Have a suggestion for folks to make the transition. The largest expense in an alternative energy system is the charging system. However, most folks already have power comming in to the home and could use that power (a little bit) to charge batteries and begin little by little to switch over lights, TVs, radios, etc. Once you get used to using 12 volt power you then can decide wether to invest in the charging system, solar panels, wind turbine, or water
turbine, whatever works for you.

Also, lots of folks don't realize that most appliances in their homes actually work on DC power which is what batteries provide. Most appliances have AC adaptors to deal with the AC power which transmits better over the power lines; and as soon as the AC power hits the appliance it is transformed to DC which the motors actually
use.

Tankless hot water heaters, called point of service heaters are far more efficient than the multi gallon heaters most folks have in their basements. You only heat what you use, when you use it...and you never run out of hot water as long as you have water and whatever you use to heat it, (oil, propane, nat. gas, etc.).

Bottom line is that solar is a great way to go here in NH. You need to realize that you cannot have any 'electric' gagets that produce heat ie., hair dryers, toasters, irons - but I use a camp toaster on the propane stove, have a butane iron for the clothes and the hair just drys itself...

Laura, Glad you had this show, but based on some of your comments (the 'wow' about the PV system in the city) perhaps some more local input would be of value to educate listeners on the options. Too bad it took until a caller, thx Mathew, to bring up the cost effectiveness of solar water heating, for ex. When we built our home 11 years ago we focused on the most cost effective options- passive solar gain & a solar water heater. I grew up in a 200 year old home that faced perfectly south, so it was easy to put the solar water heater on it in 1976, which is still working today.
As a local solar contractor, who participated in the solar mini-boom in the '70-80's, I've decided that it was time to return to this field. Based on local observations and overwhelming scientific evidence that our climate is being disrupted due to decades of increased burning of fossil fuels, I felt I needed to do more than just write and talk about the need to make changes in our energy policy and usage. As a businessman and student of the energy industry, I realized that unlike the short term OPEC induced price increases in the '70's, we've enterred a new era in energy pricing, since 2005 the ave. price per barrel of oil is over 2x the 1st 4 years of this century. The astounding growth of China and to a lesser extent India have created significant new demand for energy at a time when most nonOPEC sources of oil are declining and new discoveries are smaller and more expensive to produce.
May I suggest a show w/ NH experts talking about what NH residents can do to improve their energy efficiency and utilize renewables...