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[SJC <indexer AT localnet.com>]

Lots of folks here use a smallish-midsize solar setup augmented by a 
wind machine.  The thinking is that when the sun isn't shining here 
(Maine, midcoastal), it's usually windy, so power generation continues.  
Certainly that's likely to be the case in our winters.  The combo seems 
to work well, especially since they make power at night, too.  I've 
watched my friend Margie's battery bank fill up pretty fast with that 
thing flying....But I didn't have one, back when I was offgrid. 

Before you buy one you should be sure to hear the specific model you are 
considering in action at several windspeeds.  I admit to being 
particular about hearing "things" come on/go off/running, but the first 
time I heard the neighbor's start up, I lifted right out of the 
milkhouse and practically took flight.  I was pretty sure aliens had 
landed in the front yard.  Since I've learned it's just certain ones 
that make so much noise, and seems like the smaller they are the worse 
it is.  Mike and Margie's is pretty good until windspeeds hit about 
30mph or so, then it starts up, so they rarely hear it.  The huge 
10-story things up at Mars Hill (beautiful, like sculptures), just go 
whoosh, whoosh at low to moderate wind speeds.  I've never been there 
(couple of hundred miles from here) when there were high winds, so don't 
know about that...  Anyway, listen first, to any machine you're considering.

Thinking of which, just went today over to the neighbor guy's new little 
house.  He had a Looksee Day today, along with a work party to build a 
shed (and very good chili!).  Just for one, but plenty of room for one 
person and requires no power for heat, cooling, water supply, etc.  He 
does have a wood cookstove but didn't need it for heat all winter, he 
said (and since I've known him now for 20 or so years I know him to be 
reliable, grin).  Water heated solar preheat, but no panels except for a 
small setup for the computer/small audio setup. Rest of the heat for the 
water is from accumulated excess heat from a sunspace.  Not a real easy 
feat in our climate, but it's lookin' good.  Probably his most creative 
item is a subterranean tube into the house for cooling, and that's not 
going to be something everybody here could do.  I sit here on a part of 
the mountain that's granite with little soil cover.  When they did the 
drilled well they hit solid granite at 13" and I only had to buy one 
section of iron casing; the remainder of 300+ feet is through solid 
rock.  That's more like what a lot of folks would have to deal with, but 
the area where Peter lives has been forested for many, many years, and 
has a nice soil base.  Has an especially nice cold box there, too, which 
I do think I will try to duplicate here. 

Unless I am somehow convinced that I will stay here I will simply stay 
ongrid and keep my usage low (easy for me, I've many years of practice 
and now it's habit), but if I do finish this house and stay here I will 
add the solar back, and for myself, think that will be enough, as it was 
before.  But after  seeing Peter's new setup (this is his 3rd 
ever-increasingly-successful attempt; the other two are now rented out) 
I'm seriously tempted to go his route; this place seems awfully big now 
now that kids are gone.  Or maybe I'm just too lazy to keep up with it 
all?  Anyway, seems like I'm using up too much space.....and I'm 
evermore convinced that I use too many resources, even though my power 
bill often is less than the minimum ($16/mo here now).

On gas, I'm doing fairly well, though, just bought my second tank since 
first of  Nov....chuckle. 

Anyway, find yourself some windmachines and hear 'em out.....

Susan Jane, in Maine, where it's STILL raining




Lisa K.V. Perry wrote:
> ........I thought wind power might be more reliable for our location than 
> solar,
> though we receive plenty of sun. Cost is also a factor.
>