Happy on One Kilowatt

(Page 4 of 4)

June/July 2000
By Bill Isely 
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We've now been using hydropower for more than a year and couldn't be happier. On only one occasion has the system shut itself down due to depleted batteries. We had been heating hot water all day, plus running other normal loads - refrigerator, freezer and toaster oven - as well as loads from two greenhouse heat-exhaust fans, which, controlled by thermostats, had kicked on automatically

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We've since added a switch on the hot water heater, so that we can cut it off when we see the batteries becoming depleted. We've also wired this switch so that the toaster oven and the hot water heater cannot be run simultaneously.

CAUTION

Though low-voltage DC power is relatively safe to handle, any AC connections, particularly utility-intertie modifications, should be handled only by those trained to handle high-voltage systems.

If we were to do this project again, there is one other change we would make. When the refrigerator comes on, the lights momentarily dim, due to the marginal size of the wire spanning the 200-foot distance between the house and the inverter. This wire should be heavier, but changing it now would involve a lot of digging.

All in all, though, the project has worked out very well for us. We spent a total of $4,000, but are now saving $50 a month on power hills. And, with two electrical systems - whether our creek slows to a trickle or tile grid fails - our lights will stay on.

HYDRO SYSTEM DEALERS: Energy Outfitters, (541) 592-6903; www.energyoutfitters.com Real Goods, (800) 919-2400; www.realgoods.com (click on Renewable Energy Catalog at the top of the home page)

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