Homestead mailing list

[Leslie <cayadopi AT yahoo.com>]

Great answer !
 
I wasn't thinking in terms of money.  :-)
In today's value of the dollar, ex- all other factors, solar is not cost 
efficient.
I.E. I use about $20/month of electricity max at today's billing rates.
Round that up to $250 year for electricity.
 
Assuming no price increase for 10 years (not rational, but for the 
example)....
 
(6) 200w solar panels is about $7000......... 
$7000 / $250 is about 28 years to pay for the panels , not including the 
wires, charge controllers, batteries etc.
 
The only way solar is potentiall cost effective is in anticipation of price 
hikes for grid source electricity.
 
What I was really just thinking about, is as long as I'm riding the 
stationary bike anyway, why not feed that little bit of extra into the 
battery instead of wasting
the 200 watts (not even KW, LOL) that I might produce?
 
I don't know if it is worth it for those in windy areas, but on Sam's website 
they have a wind generator for a tad over $500.
 
Some might focus on the environmental benefits of solar panels.  I'm thinking 
more along the lines of lots of digit inflation issues.  My #1 concern is 
electricity for refrigeration.  
 
On another note: 
Such luck today.  I got a phone call from a stranger in response to a 
freecycle thing and we started to talk..... he knows a local source for 
California rabbits, knows lots of farmers who let people pick for free after 
the professional pickers have gone thru, etc.  He told me a funny story about 
his veggie garden (there are a lot of backyard gardeners out here!) how he 
grew a patty pan squash crossed w/ pumpkin.  He said it was the oddest shaped 
thing you could imagine, but tasted great.  He's giving me lots of tin siding 
tomorrow, and I'm going to give him a few seeds for him to try.  They raised 
rabbits for food for years also.  Looking forward to meeting another like 
minded person.
 
 
 
I

> >Don, do you have any idea how one might be able to hook up a stationary 
> bicycle to an ??? alternator???? and then to a battery to help charge them 
> while exercising?

This is going to fall into the 'no free lunch' category.  How much exertion 
are you going to have to expend to generate one kilowatt hour of 
electricity?

If you weigh 150 lbs and can run a mile in 8 minutes, you will burn about 
128 kilocalroies of energy doing so ... about what's in one slice of bread.

One kilowatt of electricity is 860 kilocalories.  If you could convert your 
muscular activity directly into electricity with no loss (100% efficiency), 
you would be doing the work equivalent of running six and three quarters 
miles in a little less than an hour.

But alas, you're body is not 100% efficient, nor is your bicycle, 
generator, nor batteries.  A optimistic estimation of the cumulative 
inefficiencies 
would put your kilocalorie of food conversion into electricity at 50%.

This means to charge your home electrical system with one kilowatt hour of 
electricity, you will do the work equivalent of running (running, not 
walking or jogging) more than thirteen miles in two hours.  And that's if you 
weigh 150 lbs and are unbelievably fit.

In practical terms, if you wanted to run one fluorescent shop light fixture 
(80 watts) for one hour, you have work out on that bicycle the equivalent 
of running that 8 minute mile.  (factoring in my above 50% efficiency in the 
system).  

And if you are on the grid, you will have saved a little more than half a 
cent.

James

</HTML>
_______________________________________________
Homestead list and subscription:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
Change your homestead list member options:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/cayadopi%40yahoo.com
View the archives at:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead




________________________________

From: "Clansgian AT wmconnect.com" <Clansgian AT wmconnect.com>
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Sat, February 20, 2010 11:24:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Shaking the grid




>From RayZentz AT aim.com  Sun Feb 21 00:34:06 2010
Return-Path: <RayZentz AT aim.com>
X-Original-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Delivered-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Received: by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix, from userid 3002)
        id B79974C013; Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:34:06 -0500 (EST)
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.3 (2007-08-08) on malecky
X-Spam-Level:
X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=HTML_MESSAGE
        autolearn=disabled version=3.2.3
Received: from imr-db02.mx.aol.com (imr-db02.mx.aol.com [205.188.91.96])
        by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F30D54C013
        for <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:34:05 -0500 
(EST)
Received: from imo-da04.mx.aol.com (imo-da04.mx.aol.com [205.188.169.202])
        by imr-db02.mx.aol.com (8.14.1/8.14.1) with ESMTP id o1L5Xtel014740
        for <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:33:55 -0500
Received: from RayZentz AT aim.com
        by imo-da04.mx.aol.com  (mail_out_v42.9.) id 3.be2.66545e9d (43959)
        for <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:33:50 -0500 
(EST)
Received: from smtprly-de01.mx.aol.com (smtprly-de01.mx.aol.com
        [205.188.249.168]) by cia-dd01.mx.aol.com (v127.7) with ESMTP
        id MAILCIADD018-b22d4b80c5bc1d1; Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:33:50 -0500
Received: from webmail-d031 (webmail-d031.sim.aol.com [205.188.167.95]) by
        smtprly-de01.mx.aol.com (v127.7) with ESMTP id
        MAILSMTPRLYDE012-b22d4b80c5bc1d1; Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:33:48 -0500
References: <31437.e727d97.38b20f8d AT wmconnect.com>
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:33:48 -0500
X-AOL-IP: 71.213.59.118
In-Reply-To: <31437.e727d97.38b20f8d AT wmconnect.com>
X-MB-Message-Source: WebUI
MIME-Version: 1.0
From: rayzentz AT aim.com
X-MB-Message-Type: User
X-Mailer: AIM WebMail 30746-STANDARD
Received: from 71.213.59.118 by webmail-d031.sysops.aol.com (205.188.167.95)
        with HTTP (WebMailUI); Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:33:48 -0500
Message-Id: <8CC80CE93AD4629-4B48-C2FE AT webmail-d031.sysops.aol.com>
X-AOL-SENDER: RayZentz AT aim.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.9
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Shaking the grid
X-BeenThere: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
Precedence: list
Reply-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
List-Id: <homestead.lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead>,
        <mailto:homestead-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead>
List-Post: <mailto:homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Help: <mailto:sympa AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=HELP>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead>,
        <mailto:homestead-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 05:34:06 -0000

What if you gear that bike up, when on the generator?


Dr. Raymond Zentz
 
It is better to die a free man, than to live, a slave.



-----Original Message-----
From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Sat, Feb 20, 2010 9:24 pm
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Shaking the grid


I
> >Don, do you have any idea how one might be able to hook up a stationary 
 bicycle to an ??? alternator???? and then to a battery to help charge them 
 while exercising?
This is going to fall into the 'no free lunch' category.  How much exertion 
re you going to have to expend to generate one kilowatt hour of 
lectricity?
If you weigh 150 lbs and can run a mile in 8 minutes, you will burn about 
28 kilocalroies of energy doing so ... about what's in one slice of bread.
One kilowatt of electricity is 860 kilocalories.  If you could convert your 
uscular activity directly into electricity with no loss (100% efficiency), 
you would be doing the work equivalent of running six and three quarters 
iles in a little less than an hour.
But alas, you're body is not 100% efficient, nor is your bicycle, 
enerator, nor batteries.  A optimistic estimation of the cumulative 
nefficiencies 
ould put your kilocalorie of food conversion into electricity at 50%.
This means to charge your home electrical system with one kilowatt hour of 
lectricity, you will do the work equivalent of running (running, not 
alking or jogging) more than thirteen miles in two hours.  And that's if you 
eigh 150 lbs and are unbelievably fit.
In practical terms, if you wanted to run one fluorescent shop light fixture 
80 watts) for one hour, you have work out on that bicycle the equivalent 
f running that 8 minute mile.  (factoring in my above 50% efficiency in the 
ystem).  
And if you are on the grid, you will have saved a little more than half a 
ent.
James
</HTML>
______________________________________________
omestead list and subscription:
ttp://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
hange your homestead list member options:
ttp://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/rayzentz%40aim.com
iew the archives at:
ttp://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/homestead