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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills:  Off Grid - Solar/Wind  |
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AndreaPA
True Blue Farmgirl
541 Posts
Andrea
Factoryville
PA
USA
541 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 06 2022 : 4:12:00 PM
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Anyone have experience with off-grid solar and/or wind power? I'm thinking a combination system. Looking for some advice and to hear your experience good or bad.
Our local power company is making people sign an easement, 20 feet on each side of the power line. It has to be notorized and filed at the court house. They won't run new power lines until they have a copy from the court house. This doesn't sound legal to me but I haven't had a chance to talk to a lawyer about it yet. Imagine a 40 foot wide strip of your farm that you can't plant and if you do, the power company can come in and mow it down.
Andrea
Farmgirl# 8166
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criley
True Blue Farmgirl
85 Posts
Connie
Eldon
MO
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2022 : 09:11:55 AM
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Andrea, this is horrible. I only know that for my husband and me, the cost of putting in solar far exceeded our recoup time. As we are in our early 60's it would take almost 20 years before we would show an equitable return on our investment. I really wanted solar but it would not really help us, only the future owners of our farm.
Livin' the Life of Riley |
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AndreaPA
True Blue Farmgirl
541 Posts
Andrea
Factoryville
PA
USA
541 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2022 : 4:28:41 PM
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Thank you Connie. That's what I'm hearing from others also.
Andrea
Farmgirl# 8166
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17161 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17161 Posts |
Posted - Dec 16 2022 : 7:01:05 PM
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I too would like to go to Wind power, since it is supper windy ear on the "west plains of Spokane.. solar is a limited option as in the Winter... we rarely have sunshine.. Our Electric company will work with us,, they buy the excess electricity and then in winter we can buy what ever electric wattage we need to supplement our usage needs.. but like Carrie,, it would take way to long into the future for us to break even (for the cost of the turbines, installation etc..
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom and Glamping Diva!
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Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
6663 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
6663 Posts |
Posted - Dec 17 2022 : 1:05:41 PM
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We have a big solar system on our roof and it feeds back to our local utility company when extra power is generated. Then we get credit for that power and our monthly bill goes down. IN the summer here in Florida, we have a lot of sunny days so it helps a lot to keep the AC costs way down.
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014-2015
FGOTM- October 2018 |
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ManyLeaves
Farmgirl in Training
17 Posts
Susan
WA
17 Posts |
Posted - Feb 05 2023 : 09:58:27 AM
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| I live in north Okanogan County. I am totally off grid. My power is solar with a generator backup. The solar system does cost quite a bit to install. And once installed it is not necessarily "plug and play". You do have to check the power level in your batteries at least once a day (there is a monitoring panel on the wall in my hall). You also need to make sure you do a load analysis so you get a system that will adequately power your house. Yes - sunshine is not great in the winter in our area. I do have to recharge my batteries every other day between the end of Oct and the middle of March with mt generator. I have a Honda 3000i and a Westighouse 4500. Even with a cloudless sky in the winter there is only about 5 hours of good sun shine in the middle of the winter. Windmills require at least an average wind speed of 9mph. I live in the mountains and we do not have that even in the winter. However once the day length approaches 10-12 hours I rarely have to use a generator. I have 2100 Watts of panels, a 24 volt system, 6 12 V lithium batteries of 200 amp hours a piece. I run a power supply for my ham radio, refrig (very energy efficent), lights, router, etc and a energy efficient chest freezer on this. Intermittently a Staber washing machine. Be aware that "power suckers" like AC, dishwashers, Starlink (100WATT/hrs) etc are not good options in a solar home. Solar power - your definitely need to learn to trouble shoot your system. |
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AndreaPA
True Blue Farmgirl
541 Posts
Andrea
Factoryville
PA
USA
541 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2023 : 4:03:49 PM
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Thank you for the information Susan. Very helpful :)
Andrea
Farmgirl# 8166
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treelady
True Blue Farmgirl
2325 Posts
Julie
Medina
ND
USA
2325 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2023 : 06:14:07 AM
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Easements on both sides of a power line are common. We farm right up to and around all the power poles. Where Imlive the easement is just a guaranteed access if the power company needs to come in to do maintenance. They rarely need to and if they do they do as little damage to the crops as possible.
A little rain can straighten a flower stem. A little love can change a life.
Max Lucado |
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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills: Off Grid - Solar/Wind |
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Off Grid - Solar/Wind
