Today is Friday July 30, 2010

Renewable Energy

Before You Purchase Equipment

Rising electric costs and concerns about the environment have led many of our members to consider installing equipment for solar or wind generation.

UDWI encourages members who are considering generating their own electricity to research the subject thoroughly to ensure that it can be done in a safe, affordable, and environmentally friendly manner.

Before purchasing generation equipment, members should consider the economics of installing the equipment to determine whether generating electricity will actually lower their power costs.

It is important to keep in mind that those costs include not only the price of the generation equipment itself but also the costs of a system to transfer the electricity in a usable form to the home.

Because the real costs include more than just the cost of generating the power, they are higher than a member might anticipate. After performing a detailed analysis, members often find the real costs of wind or solar generation prohibitive.

Limited Potential in This Area

We highly recommend that members investigate the output of wind and solar generation equipment in southern Indiana, where there is limited potential for self-generation. Our power supplier, Hoosier Energy, has solar and wind installation readings available to members on the Hoosier Website at www.hepn.com.This data provides a closer look at the solar and wind power that can be generated in this area. Visitors to the Website can obtain daily, weekly, and monthly readings.

SOLAR: Our region typically receives 4-5 hours of peak sunlight per day. This means that a 3 kW (kilowatt) installation would produce an average of 12-15 kW per day. The initial cost of a 3 kW system would be around $35,000 installed.

WIND: Southern Indiana has been rated by the U.S. Department of Energy to be in a wind power class of 1, the class with the least potential for wind generation, with average wind speeds of less than 10 mph at a height of 33 feet. A 1.9 kW wind system requires an 8 mph wind to begin generating electricity, with a 1.9 kW output per hour at a wind speed of 20 mph.

Be Aware of Hidden Costs

When considering installing generation equipment, it is extremely important to be aware of the hidden costs, such as the need for backup power in case of breakdown and the costs involved in making repairs to the system.

For live statistics on our wind generation facility, visit: Hoosier Energy

For more information about renewable energy, visit: