SO, your thinking of moving to Wyoming, probably should read this first. (Casper: RV park, neighborhood)

[sunsprit]

Since we have so much strong sunlight and wind density energy here (and there's a major new "wind farm" going in at Hereford, not far from us), we checked with a number of alternative energy supply outfits for our ranch.

There's a number of outfits that sell an "all-in-one" complete system, trailer mounted, that include battery storage, charge regulation, voltage converters, and solar and wind generators. That's right ... just pull it up to your site and anchor it and you're in the energy production biz ... just plug it in to your power panel and enjoy freedom from the grid.

Pricing? The minimum unit that would supply most of our ranch/farm power needs year 'round was about $12,000.00. To have an excess capacity unit to ensure more consistent power and some to sell back to the utility company (they must purchase your surplus if you connect up) was about $18,000.00. The utility company currently pays about 1.5 cents per kwh.

Not including maintenance costs and repairs, I figured maybe 30-40 years to break even.

The only justification I'd have for going this route would be if I was way off the grid and needed to be completely independent.

[Earniefan]

The last I knew it wasn't that easy getting permission or whatever it is you need from the local power companies to supply your own energy. We had some friends over by Cheyenne who looked into it and it just wasn't feasable or worth the hassle. Something to look into.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by johns65vette

Seems there is lots of energy options, but none of them are cheap. Nice if the gubment would help alright.

you need to come to WA for that, we have very attractive legislation / tax credits, especially for renewable energy products produced within the state (we are working to get a PV maker here)
New PV is quite robust, and has an adequate life to get through payback., but... total energy balance is still negative (due to using 'ceramic substrates' for PV manufacturing.)

one of my Bio_diesel contacts in CA (at a cold Sierra location) uses his diesel genset (using Waste Veggie oil) 4 hrs/night, which heats his floors via heat transfer, and runs his 'outbound' elect meter, so he gets a $70/ check every month from the utility company. In WA we get a guaranteed Buy-Back if we have a smaller than 24kw plant using renewable energy (not bio fuels, except for BioMass)

Off-grid is getting closer to working out financially, and will be an option in most of our lifetimes... With the heavy utilization of an overloaded distribution network, it may become a necessity Power companies are looking at it as a favorable option, but very picky on how you 'power' their grid, can be tough on the linemen... Most new systems have electronic 'deadman's' that can sense if the grid is down and not send errant power out. (a very bad thing to do, as well as 'off phase' )

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by janb

you need to come to WA for that, we have very attractive legislation / tax credits, especially for renewable energy products produced within the state (we are working to get a PV maker here)
New PV is quite robust, and has an adequate life to get through payback., but... total energy balance is still negative (due to using 'ceramic substrates' for PV manufacturing.)

one of my Bio_diesel contacts in CA (at a cold Sierra location) uses his diesel genset (using Waste Veggie oil) 4 hrs/night, which heats his floors via heat transfer, and runs his 'outbound' elect meter, so he gets a $70/ check every month from the utility company. In WA we get a guaranteed Buy-Back if we have a smaller than 24kw plant using renewable energy (not bio fuels, except for BioMass)

Off-grid is getting closer to working out financially, and will be an option in most of our lifetimes... With the heavy utilization of an overloaded distribution network, it may become a necessity Power companies are looking at it as a favorable option, but very picky on how you 'power' their grid, can be tough on the linemen... Most new systems have electronic 'deadman's' that can sense if the grid is down and not send errant power out. (a very bad thing to do, as well as 'off phase' )

That's interesting about WA, as the eastern portion of the state (Spokane northward) is another area I am looking at for moving.
Only thing is, I don't know if I will live long enough, to see my money back. By the time I move, I'll be close to 50, and the men in my family don't tend to live all that long. My dad died when he was 51, and his dad died, when he was 11. I'm not sure how old his dad was though. I figure if I make 60 to 65 I'll be doing ok

[Boolouzianne]

from New Orleans area. Took a recent two week trip driving trip up through TX panhandle, NM, CO, WY, ID, UT, etc. Mostly tent camped. I have to tell you, all of the West we were able to see was a sight for sore eyes. It IS all relative, how a place is perceived, and no place on earth can hide its warts for long, but after living in a sad, savaged, and struggling environment for the last year and a half just the starkness and grandeur and at least visibly untrashed beauty of the American West has done much to keep me going. Yellowstone in particular left a powerful imprint on my memory, and I am too old not to know there are hidden flaws in every landscape, culture, people. None of that diminishes the beauty and mythos of that spot of earth.

I would move to the area (WY) in the blink of an eye if family obligations would allow. I have lived other places, visited other places, and I understand that beneath the ugly struggles with poverty, crime, and human justice my city has endured for decades there is a great, lively, and shockingly eccentric culture here. But the still and silent vistas of the West make the thought of eating raisins for lunch seem like a privilege, make me want to go back, and also make the long struggle to put a broken city back together worthwhile.

Many times merci beaucoups.

[GenuineCountryBoy]

A few years back I bought just under 250 acres up north of Medicine Bow east of HWY 487 kinda up off of what used to be called part of Marshall Road. I am in the military and so I haven't been in the area for a substancial time now. My property borders public land, as it does the "Wy-tex" properties. Has anyone been up that direction, say late last year, or recently? I am told that there are several new roads up that way and that they are well done and well gravelled, can anyone confirm this?
I saved up most of my life to buy it and I bought it because it was remote and because I'd've been the only house for quite some distance. I was born and rasied in the high desert of eastern Oregon not far from Burns, but most of the properties here (of any size or productive value) are now rediculously overpriced due to an influx of ex-Californians, selling their chintsy houses (yes chintsy, I've seen some of them that wouldn't be worth 30,000 in these parts go for over 150,000) for big bucks and pushing up the price beyond what us country natives can afford.
Anyway, since I bought it, I've been saving up every spare penny to build a very nice nearly unnoticable home (mainly to appear as part of the landscape, yes it is not cheap, but possible). I just want it to blend in unless you already know it is there. I just don't want to see houses literally dotting the horizon every 20 acres or so, at least not within the next few years. I'd need time to adjust to that. :-) Does anyone know if there are many new houses going up in the area? I am honestly very tired of enduring the antics of the city, so I just want to get back to my country boy roots in the real boonies in a few years and am kinda hoping that it is still as pristine as it used to be up that way. Any locals from Medicine Bow or Laramie care to comment by either giving me good news of little change or breaking the bad news of significant changes in the area to me?

Yes, what is the point of having it if it isn't loaded and ready to defend yourself!? I tell you criminals would think twice if they knew there were a pretty good chance they'd get shot if they comitted a crime. I like your way of thinking, maybe because we think alike! Whereabouts are you living? I'll be building a house on my land not too far from Medicine Bow in a few years and hoping that there are still a lot of people who think like us left in Wyoming when I get there!

[GenuineCountryBoy]

(Most) Wyoming folks are country folks. Us country folks aren't rude, we are very brutally honest. We say it like it is. We rarely offend each other, so I guess if honest opinion, or more often the truth offends a person then they would find us country bumpkins rude, but we generally find city slickers' overly-sugar-coating-of-everything (seen by us as dishonesty) offensive too. I would not say that people are trying to discourage others from joining us in our country way of life. We just don't want then to bring their problems with them. (okay, and we don't want too many of them running around either) It requires a tough skin and a soft hearted love of the country to survive here, because one does not have the luxury of being able to have everything provided for you as is too often the situation in the city. Us country folk often grow up scraping to get by and working ery very hard for everything we have (often saving up for months or at least we usd to - now it is common for people to go into debt), so we intimately understand that this is also required of everyone living in our environment and we don't want to have to give up our hard earned resourses to leaches from the city, although we will help out our neighbors very very generously when they find themelves in a bind.
LOL, I'm probably going to regret typing this, but I just hope there are a few real country girls left when I build my house and move in, because the city girls I've met in the past few years just can't hold a candle up to a real country girl. I miss real country women, but they seem so hard to find these days. I guess its obvious that I can't wait to get back to the countryside.

[rya700]

Wow - beautiful post, genuinecountryboy! Good luck on finding your 'country girl!'

The medicine bow area is being subjected to the infinite purchasing power of the 'ex-cali's,' like much of the rest of the rural wyo properties.....I read a newspaper article about it a couple months ago. Cant speak to your specific area, but driving thru the area it does appear that houses are being built.

[marie5065]

I Am on My way to Medicine Bow And will take a peek when I get there and let you know. I am going to rent and have the apt. for home base. It really is a pretty place.

[natronacounty]

Well, "there ain't no reins on this one..."