News

A company called Greenfield Solar are trying their very best to cut costs by offering a small 1.5 Kw installation that can be assembled by two people in half a day using regular tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, etc).

I really liked the mission statement they had on their website:

A startup company in Vancouver Canada has developed a new type of motor that could increase a wind turbines efficiency by as much as 50%.

No, it doesn't come from having cool new blades or anything, it's actually just a more efficient motor.

The great thing about solar panels is that they can last over 25 years without breaking. The bad thing is that's probably the last time there was a major breakthrough in solar panel efficiency.

Sure there have been quite a few 'breakthroughs' over the years that improve efficiency by 5 - 10%, but solar panels are still only about 40 - 70% efficient. That's about to change though.

Today Congress passed legislation, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, H.R. 1424, that includes a new federal-level investment tax credit to help consumers purchase small wind turbines for home, farm, or business use. A few hours ago, President Bush signed the bill into law. Owners of small wind systems with 100 kilowatts (kW) of capacity and less can receive a credit for 30% of the total installed cost of the system, not to exceed $4,000. The credit will be available for equipment installed from today through December 31, 2016. For turbines used for homes, the credit is limited to the lesser of $4,000 or $1,000 per kW of capacity.

How many times have you really been off the grid? I mean miles from home and safety in the wilderness- really off the grid. With the recent popularity of adventure TV shows, such as Warren Miller’s ‘Off the Grid’ being out there in far off places has gained a lot of popularity. The phrase ‘off the grid’ has come to mean many things.