Small Wind Electric Systems: An Arizona Consumer's Guide

20Small Wind Electric Systemsexpensive extension. The cost ofrunning a power line to a remotesite to connect with the utility gridcan be prohibitive, ranging from$15,000 to more than $50,000 permile, depending on terrain.• You would like to gain energyindependence from the utility.• You would like to generate cleanpower.Living Off-Grid—A Success StoryThis home, built near in Ward, Colorado (at an elevation of 9000 feet), hasbeen off-grid since it was built in 1972. When the house was built, the nearestutility was over a mile away, and it would have cost between $60K–$70K(based on 1985 rates) to connect to the utility lines. The owners decided toinstall a hybrid electric system poweredby wind, solar, and a generator for a costof about $19,700. The parts of the systeminclude:Bergey 1.5 kW wind turbine, 10-ft (3-m)diameter rotor, 70-ft. (21-m) towerSolarex PV panels, 480 watts24 DC battery bank, 375 ampere-hoursTrace sine wave inverter, 120 AC, 1 phase,4 kWOnan propane-fueled generator, 6.5 kWrated (3 kW derated for altitude)Electric appliances in the home includetelevision, stereo, two computers, toaster,blender, vacuum cleaner, and hair dryer.The largest electric loads are created bya well pump and washing machine. Thegenerator runs about 20% of the time,particularly when the washing machineis in use. Propane serves the other majorloads in the home: range, refrigerator, hotwater, and space heat. Solar collectors onthe roof provide pre-heating for the hotwater.Jim Green, NREL/PIX02796