# main power



## omegabrock (Jun 16, 2014)

for an off grid power source, i've always heard solar would be the best. i live in oklahoma so would it be better to go with wind power for a main source? i don't plan on being connected to the grid at all (for power and water) when i build and i want to make sure all of my ducks are in a row. of course, having the other for backup would be great, along with a generator but cost effective (install and maint). my wife doesnt plan on true rural living, so we will still need quite a bit of power...lights, tv, w/d, dishwasher, etc...

also, when building a new home, do yall know if a builder can work that in the plans or is it something i will have to hire an outside company to come in and do after the house is built?


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## sparkyprep (Jul 5, 2013)

First of all, any reputable general contractor will build any approved plans that you have. He will "sub out" any specialty projects, such as alternative energy production, to a specialized company with experience in the work. All of that planning, coordination, and utilization of subcontractors will be included in the final contract price. It is up to them to take care of that.

Second, I would recommend a blending of energy sources, solar, wind, and geo-thermal. That way, if one system has a problem, say, a cloudy overcast day, the wind generator can pick up the slack from the solar panels, and vice versa when there is no wind. This is the true answer to our future power needs, a diversified approach, to be flexible, and use what Mother Nature gives you on any particular day.

Geo-thermal technology uses pipes sent very deep underground, to cool air for climate control, reducing the strain on your electrical system. Use high-efficiency appliances and lighting to further reduce strain, as well as efficient habits, and you would be surprised what you can accomplish.


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

I have tried wind and solar, My vote is for solar. I have a true wind fan and it takes just to much wind to get it started
and to produce power. Even on an overcast day I still can get some limited power from my solar. And if we have a bad 
storm and I need to retract my panels I can reserve my usage and still get buy for 3-4 days if all I use are the lights and radio.
I have two options for lights, The regular house or I can switch over to some bright LEDs I have in every room.
And if it's done right the solar panels don't stick out like a turd in a punch bowl


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## BullseyePrecision (Jun 10, 2014)

The general contractor will sub out anything electrical to a licensed electrician. Some electrician specialize in alternative energy and they would be better suited for something like this.


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

omegabrock said:


> for an off grid power source, i've always heard solar would be the best. i live in oklahoma so would it be better to go with wind power for a main source? i don't plan on being connected to the grid at all (for power and water) when i build and i want to make sure all of my ducks are in a row. of course, having the other for backup would be great, along with a generator but cost effective (install and maint). my wife doesnt plan on true rural living, so we will still need quite a bit of power...lights, tv, w/d, dishwasher, etc...
> 
> also, when building a new home, do yall know if a builder can work that in the plans or is it something i will have to hire an outside company to come in and do after the house is built?


 That's good that you want get by with no grid. Soon you may have no grid. Just like the rest of us won't ether


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Hydro?? If you have a water source near by??


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## omegabrock (Jun 16, 2014)

Arklatex said:


> When I lived in Oklahoma a lot of the rural properties ran on natural gas obtained on site. The ranch I lived and worked at was set up this way. We had a well setup and ran our electric from a no ng generator that was hooked into the tanks. I didn't pay the bills I was just a ranch hand, but I imagine it was super cheap for the ranch to operate this way. Especially in the long run. It might be worth thinking about if you're gonna build a new house.


hmm...i never even thought of that alternative. definitely added to my list of research



sparkyprep said:


> First of all, any reputable general contractor will build any approved plans that you have. He will "sub out" any specialty projects, such as alternative energy production, to a specialized company with experience in the work. All of that planning, coordination, and utilization of subcontractors will be included in the final contract price. It is up to them to take care of that.
> 
> Second, I would recommend a blending of energy sources, solar, wind, and geo-thermal. That way, if one system has a problem, say, a cloudy overcast day, the wind generator can pick up the slack from the solar panels, and vice versa when there is no wind. This is the true answer to our future power needs, a diversified approach, to be flexible, and use what Mother Nature gives you on any particular day.
> 
> Geo-thermal technology uses pipes sent very deep underground, to cool air for climate control, reducing the strain on your electrical system. Use high-efficiency appliances and lighting to further reduce strain, as well as efficient habits, and you would be surprised what you can accomplish.


i was actually going to check out geo thermal today. i saw a post with it yesterday but then i had to leave without looking into it but aside from that, it would make more sense to have a fully hybrid system that didnt rely on 1 resource. good advice.



Chipper said:


> Hydro?? If you have a water source near by??


i havent even picked land yet, waiting for my wife to find out if she is being transferred with her job and also need to build my credit up to even get approved for a loan.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

For wind electrical, you will need a consistent 8mph or better. Also, wind turbines are high maintenance.


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

Solar and Wind would be ideal, because Solar doesn't strictly need clear days, just needs light. So for your average solar panel, on a cloudy day, it will still generate power. Wind however requires there to be wind. Using both is certainly helpful, but if you can, throw in hydro aswell (provided you have a stream that moves). You will then get your ducks in a row (so to speak). 

I have a 1kW panel, which provides me with enough to run my fridgefreezer, cooker and washing machine without using grid power. If we can, we will be going to 6kW which will run everything in the house without the need for the grid for Electricity. However that is an investment which we can't really afford right now as a single 1kW Panel is £1500 (around $2300). I wish you the best of luck, just remember, 6kW is enough to run a house sufficiently (a house will use on average 4800kWh per year, and a 6kW system will generate on average 5100kWh of electricity).


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## cdell (Feb 27, 2014)

I'm not sure what the requirements are for financing where you are, but most of the banks up here require grid power to be installed to qualify for a mortgage. You can still install solar/wind etc but most want that grid connection as a back up. I imagine there could be some finance companies that specialize in that market but likely at a higher interest rate.


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## omegabrock (Jun 16, 2014)

i have thought about being required to be connected to the grid but that's one of those things that i would assume differs from area to area. i hope it won't be an issue


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

A complete Solar Power System is my ultimate goal. The problems are many; Cost, Ability to Power the things that you need...Amps and Volts and all that stuff. I would NEVER tie to the Grid so Battery Power is critical as is number of panels and ability of those panels to capture the Sun's energy.

With out going into all the details, check out these guys; BackWoods Solar. Good info; Solar, Hydro and Wind Systems for your home.


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

I spoke with the mrs last night about adding to our solar. We may take out a loan to get the 5 other panels to be completely running off solar. £7500 for the 5 panels, however, we will be saving £800 a year alone in electric usage, plus we have an additional £300 a month spare to afford the repayments. If we paid off what we saved with the electric as well, we would pay around £365 a month (repayments are £300 a month), we would be paid off in under 2 years and we would be reaping the benefits something fierce.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

The Return on Investment for a complete solar system to run my house is simply not there at this time. HOWEVER, my motivation is to HAVE Power when others do not. With the current "assault on coal", electric producing power plants in the US are stressed to the maximum. I'm fine with building a more nuclear power plants here in the US but that probably isn't going to happen. 

The liar in chief wants energy to be expensive, whether it's oil, gas, electric, etc.


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## StarPD45 (Nov 13, 2012)

As to wind power, make sure you have a wind study done at whatever property you decide on purchasing.
No sense in spending $$$ only to find out the wind isn't reliable.


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

Wind isn't reliable however you can get small turbines which are attached to 20w panels for around £80 (not sure on US pricing). The wind generation would add another 5-10w a day on a calm day and upto 50w on a windy autumn/fall day.


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## Innkeeper (Jun 18, 2014)

Slippy said:


> A complete Solar Power System is my ultimate goal. The problems are many; Cost, Ability to Power the things that you need...Amps and Volts and all that stuff. I would NEVER tie to the Grid so Battery Power is critical as is number of panels and ability of those panels to capture the Sun's energy.
> 
> With out going into all the details, check out these guys; BackWoods Solar. Good info; Solar, Hydro and Wind Systems for your home.


I will check those out, I really want to get into solar, but living on the 45th I could not get enough solar year around, we can go weeks or days without seeing the sun in winter sometimes longer. I am also looking into geo thermal for heating as it will cut down a lot on costs and can help with being off the grid.


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

Just know this. You dont need the sun to make solar panels work. You need light. Bright blistering sun certainly helps, but light is how it mainly draws its energy. So being on the 45th shouldn't be much of an issue, especially as what you will lack in winter, you will make up for in excess in summer..I am on the 51st and make enough to power my cooker (hobs, grill and oven, all electric), my fridge freezer and my washing machine.


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## omegabrock (Jun 16, 2014)

for my own knowledge, what do yall mean by the 45th and 51st?

geo thermal - i was under the impression they were solely for cooling, if they are effective for heating as well, i will definitely take them into consideration. any way to cut back on actual power used would be beneficial.

as for wind power - i've only lived in OK for a few months but it seems that the wind is pretty consistent. especially in the winter. i didnt know you could have a wind study done. definitely something to do 

grid tie in - is there any way around being forced into that? something i would have to do under the table or should i research (if it's mandated i need to be) a loop hole around it. i would prefer to not be. call me a conspiracy nut but if they can send power to your house, what's to stop them from taking it away? plus i don't want to be tied in for other reasons i wont mention here


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

What we mean is the Longitudinal Degrees from the equator.  51st is where I am


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

nephilim said:


> What we mean is the Longitudinal Degrees from the equator.  51st is where I am


You are talking about latitude - not longitude. 0 degrees latitude would put you on the equator and 0 degrees longitude would line you up north or south from Greenwich England.


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

Yes, my mistake! haha


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## StarPD45 (Nov 13, 2012)

omegabrock said:


> for my own knowledge, what do yall mean by the 45th and 51st?
> 
> geo thermal - i was under the impression they were solely for cooling, if they are effective for heating as well, i will definitely take them into consideration. any way to cut back on actual power used would be beneficial.
> 
> ...


Even if you are required to hook up to the grid, that doesn't mean you have to rely on it. You might still have to pay a monthly "convenience" fee for being hooked up. That's the way it is in parts of GA. whether you use it or not. 
Is there any reason the grid hook up has to be in your name? Maybe a relative in another state could receive the bill and you could reimburse them?
I read here that in some places (CA?) you have to have a grid tie-in to install solar panels.
Time to do some research.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

I have an on grid solar system that i like. Being on the grid means i dont need a battery farm, which is really the component that kills any financial feasability of solar. Until they perfect better capacitors, we're stuck with lead acid batteries. 

Solar still works on overcast days, just not as well. Wind power has a lotta moving parts so pack spare parts because they will wear out. 

I wonder if anyone has ever used their own septic for methane manufacturing? Ive seen pig farms that do it, but unsure about human waste. Are we shitty enough?


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## sparkyprep (Jul 5, 2013)

Ralph Rotten said:


> I have an on grid solar system that i like. Being on the grid means i dont need a battery farm, which is really the component that kills any financial feasability of solar. Until they perfect better capacitors, we're stuck with lead acid batteries.
> 
> Solar still works on overcast days, just not as well. Wind power has a lotta moving parts so pack spare parts because they will wear out.
> 
> I wonder if anyone has ever used their own septic for methane manufacturing? Ive seen pig farms that do it, but unsure about human waste. Are we shitty enough?


Villages in some third world countries put all of their human waste into a "well", and pipe off the methane for use as a cooking fuel.


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## omegabrock (Jun 16, 2014)

i contacted backwoods solar and asked them (was referred to them on a couple occasions) and they said they have never heard of having to be tied in to the grid. 

ralph, what do you mean a batter farm kills any financial feasability? maint, up front cost or replacing when needing replaced? i plan on (if possible) having it worked into the building cost, or paid for with part of the home loan up front


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

Innkeeper said:


> I will check those out, I really want to get into solar, but living on the 45th I could not get enough solar year around, we can go weeks or days without seeing the sun in winter sometimes longer. I am also looking into geo thermal for heating as it will cut down a lot on costs and can help with being off the grid.


I Know Two Families Who Have Put In Geo Thermal Expecting To Save Money. Only To Find Out That There Electric Bills Are Huge In The Winter Months Because The Geo System Can Not Keep There House Sixty Five Degrees. I Am Talking Seven Hundred Dollar Electric Bills. Geo Thermal Is Not Practice For Heat In A Michigan Winter. 21 Years Of Mechanical Contracting Experience And I Burn Wood.


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