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It's my understanding that in CO they do take that law seriously and try enforcing it.
they most defiantly do enforce it, and the fine is not a piddly little one either. The reasoning behind the law has to do with water rights, and our lack of rainfall during the year. Colorado is a very arid state, other states have water rights to the flow from the mountain areas, so in essence you are stealing other states water if you collect it for your own. I do not agree with the law, but it is law.
I live totally off the "grid". My home is totally solar powered (including cooling, pool, lighting, heating and cooling etc). I am on a well. We use cell phones for our telephone. We do use propane for our outdoor kitchen.
The cost of the system was some $75,000 to install (solar) but with the tax credits and rebates we qualified for, the net cost was around $25,000.
We have a battery backup system which we have yet to engage (except to test).
how do you do things at night when the sun is down? Solar panels don't work well at that time of day.
how do you do things at night when the sun is down? Solar panels don't work well at that time of day.
The power is stored in a system of batteries. Then, there are the backup batteries just in case there is a long period with little sunshine. In a WORST case scenario, we have a backup generator
The power is stored in a system of batteries. Then, there are the backup batteries just in case there is a long period with little sunshine. In a WORST case scenario, we have a backup generator
In our case we also have wind power. So at night and cloudy days we hope for wind in addition to our stored power.
i think wind turbines are pretty in their own aspect..... and if I'm living in Denver (or the outskirts) I'm sure I'll have plenty of wind :P
you would have to live in the eastern plains, the winds coming off the rockies to the west and north west is too gusty. For wind generators to be effective you need a sustained 10mph wind, the generator needs to be installed 30' above the nearest structure within 300'. Gusty wind actually produces much much less energy than a sustained wind would. The design studio I work for in Boulder Colorado has a contractor for our alternative energy requirements due to the city of boulder and boulder county requirements. We had a day long energy "meeting" with them and got tons and tons of good information on what type of alternative energy's are of best use in our state. Solar is defiantly the way to go in Colorado
you would have to live in the eastern plains, the winds coming off the rockies to the west and north west is too gusty. For wind generators to be effective you need a sustained 10mph wind, the generator needs to be installed 30' above the nearest structure within 300'. Gusty wind actually produces much much less energy than a sustained wind would. The design studio I work for in Boulder Colorado has a contractor for our alternative energy requirements due to the city of boulder and boulder county requirements. We had a day long energy "meeting" with them and got tons and tons of good information on what type of alternative energy's are of best use in our state. Solar is defiantly the way to go in Colorado
That's good that you have that kind of help in Colorado. We have nothing like that in TN. Our wind turbines are small and they are back up power. Our house is underground(on 3 sides), our 40 acres is mostly open with perimeter trees, and we are at 3300 feet elevation. Our poles for the wind turbines are right behind the house and only 20feet. It works for us, like I said as a back up. I think a combo of solar and wind for energy is best.
That's good that you have that kind of help in Colorado. We have nothing like that in TN. Our wind turbines are small and they are back up power. Our house is underground(on 3 sides), our 40 acres is mostly open with perimeter trees, and we are at 3300 feet elevation. Our poles for the wind turbines are right behind the house and only 20feet. It works for us, like I said as a back up. I think a combo of solar and wind for energy is best.
yea, wind turbines are more backup in a residential setting than main stay. They range from 4-8kw of power.
Land is a large and obvious cost, but you are right, there are frequently other large costs that are often over looked. Drilling for water is expensive, so collecting rain water is an alternative. large cisters, guttering, and other components add up quickly. Waste disposal is another large issue. Composting toilets can eliminate the need for a septic tank and lateral lines. Getting power to your property is another cost that can be outrageous. Solar, wind, and micro hydro can all supply power to your property, but none of them are cheap. You can find information on most of these topics here: Off Grid Homesteading
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