Going green for the green

[wordsworm]

You know, over the years it has become fact that growing the beloved green under watt hungry lights is a risky venture in Canada as the high electricity bills often flag officials who are interested in harvesting the crop(s) and imprisoning the farmer(s).

Well, why not grow green? I read today about an interesting product: a wind turbine that can generate up to 2kw of electricity: DailyTech - Vertical Turbine Hits Home Wind Power Market Spinning . Imagine 4 of these on a property in, say, windy places such as Newfoundland or Nova Scotia, powering those lights. Or suppose you're in the desert and you have some solar panels which have decreased dramatically in price, pumping out a fairly reliable source of energy alongside a diesel modular supply of electricity to buff it up when the clouds are blocking your battery charger. How hard and how expensive would going green be in helping one grow herb?

Does anyone here already do that? Has anyone done the math$? I'd be interested to hear about it.

[neno83]

thats a fuckin excellent idea dude, im talkin to my buddy right about these shits...

[michaelkaer]

I have some old figures that are out of date , but from what I have seen the set up would pay for it's self within a few years and then the remaining time it is free. The true cost is your freedom. The panels have come down in price but not so low as to compete with the grid, at least not up here in Canada. If you came into a huge wad of cash, I would do it to reinvest your money in your own energy security. I guess it depends on how much you know about these systems and how to maintain then. you do have to replace batteries and such about every 2 to 5 years, maybe even longer, it depends on how big a bank you have and if you can baby them into lasting longer. There are too many variables to make a conclusive price statement. It all goes back to how much your freedom is worth.

[wordsworm]

If one has a little money from the proceeds of a few successful crops, it wouldn't be so difficult to set up.

Keep in mind that in the summer, Canada's long days would mean that the solar panels are also running longer. There are places in Canada that receive a steady supply of wind. There are some wind maps that show that mid-north Cape Breton receives almost a constant supply of strong wind.

If you were to convert the electricity into hydrogen, which is apparently fairly easy to do, that would be better than using batteries. Of course, the industrial equipment isn't so cheap.

Ideally, if I were to try to go pro, I'd find one of those old abandoned mines in Cape Breton for space, and a relatively empty field for wind capture. Seal off the mine with some heavy rubble with a secret tunnel leading to it from the main house. Also, seal the chamber for safety issues. There's no way that they can detect heat signatures deep under ground.

I think you could do all that for a few hundred thousand in setup. But that's just a wildly uneducated guess. For the most part, the folks who sell these generators don't list the prices for their machines, so I don't really know.

Would be a good way to turn a profit though I have no doubt.

Health and personal freedom are the two most important things in a person's life. Why do you think Dr. and Lawyers get so much money? If a Dr. can save your life, what does it matter that it costs you your life savings? Same with the lawyer.