small scale hydroelectric power

[wasabi]

Fellas, etal

It occured to me that I may have erred in mentioning a specific company in this thread and that my comment may come across as (investment) touting. That is not the case!

While in the moment, rapidly typing about a subject I find compelling, I meant to point to this small company to illustrate one of many ways in which hyrdogen as an energy carrier (after all that is what any of these products, whether gasoline, methonal, propane or whatever do) is evolving with credible support from many interesting quarters.

I think this news release link will show anyone interested the point I was trying to make, but this is not an investment tip!
http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/020430/stuart_energy_ford_1.html

 

[hayden]

The backwoods video was created by them, but much of the raw planning material is from Harris, but they do a nice job of packaging it up. It's not expensive either.

 

[Egon]

I don't, I'm retired.
I do beleive you misunderstood the meaning of my comments.

Egon

 

[Egon]

Don't have the least clue although I do know many years ago many farm sites had wind generators and windmills to pump water. Ram pumps are very old technology. I also know there are many sites which could tap into wind power. Conversley many migratory birds are killed by wind power farms.
Small scale hydro has some pro's and cons.
Perhaps what I was attempting to point out is that solar power is all that allows us to exist and it comes in many different forms.
Going " off the grid " has many conotations. Where and how is all the equipment manufactured and what type of energy source makes this all possible.
Going "off grid" to me means that all your needs are supplied by your own effort from the land you occupy.

Egon

 

[MossRoad]

<font color=blue> Ram pumps are very old technology. </font color=blue>

So is the sun /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Egon]

And they work well too.

Egon

 

[wasabi]

While I keep an open mind to alternative technologies, I would not want anyone to therefore assume that makes me another raving tree hugger or fanatically green. I simply find the logic and payback of "some", but not all, of these technologies comports with my pragmatic nature.

Too many solar installations, and some wind generators, IMO, while compelling intellectually, don't make economic sense.

Micro-Hydoelectric on the other hand, is clearly far more efficient than either solar or wind. The numbers absolutely make sense with the right head and flow, thus my pursuit.

All these other phlosophically related subjects, while interesting, are a bit afield of why I fired up this thread. That said, for anyone interested in fuel cells and hyrodrogen, I have found the following pithy online digest to be the best way to stay in touch with news and timely information: http://www.h2fc.com/news.html

 

[dmccarty]

wasabi,

Are you planning on going to the Solar Home Workshop? If so I just noticed
in the brochure that its going to be somewhere in Chapel Hill and NOT
Raleigh.

Later...
Dan

 

[wasabi]

Dan,

Wish that I could, but we've got plans here that can't change on such short notice. Since I'm already pushing the edge a bit with our upcoming PT tractor purchase, I think it best not to rock the home boat....since me wif is cooperating to the max, I too will kowtow to the balanced marital harmony gods.

If you go, I would love to catch up with you about what was interesting and any nuggets you can glean.

Best, Sabi

 

[Slamfire]

The price the power company pays for the power you generate is avoided cost. They know how much it costs them to produce the amount of power you do and that's what they pay. Saves them the maintainence and construction costs so they save money buying it from you.