• The wind generator was assembled and shipped from Wasilla, Alaska.
• The generator came with a controller.
• Recycled components include galvanized pipe from DH Griffin in Greensboro, NC, trash can, metal plate from an old “useless” wheelbarrow.
• Two 6 volt golf cart batteries were purchased from Batteries Plus.
• The electricity will initially be used for non essential appliances and generated electricity will be monitored.
• The next phase of researching and testing vertical shaft designs has begun.

Components:
Solar panel
Controller
Battery
Inverter

Free Energy! DIY Solar Battery Charger – Watch more funny videos here

“Duke Energy today announced it has signed an agreement with Cisco – a worldwide leader in networking technology — to pilot and further develop a smart grid-enabled home energy management solution that will provide Duke Energy customers with secure and reliable energy information and a simple-to-use tool to help them reduce the amount of energy wasted in their homes.

Duke Energy is testing the first-generation Cisco Home Energy Management Solution® this summer with customers in Charlotte, N.C., and in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the company has installed digital smart grid technologies. Through these year-long tests, Duke Energy and Cisco will listen to customers and gather feedback about their interactions. This information will be used to build in additional customer-desired functionality.

“Home energy management functionality is an important step in providing customers with an enhanced energy experience that is simply not achievable with today’s analog grid,” said Gianna Manes, Duke Energy senior vice president and chief customer officer.

“Customers want to save money on their energy bills, but it has to be easy. With Cisco’s proven expertise in Internet Protocol-based, open system networks, we’re confident our collaboration with them will result in a solution that provides customers back-of-mind simplicity and real back pocket rewards,” Manes said.

“Cisco is excited about working with Duke Energy to bring entirely new models of energy management to their customers,” said Paul Fulton, Cisco general manager.  “Cisco’s Home Energy Management System is like a ‘virtual energy assistant’ for consumers and one we look forward to enhancing with Duke and an ecosystem of partners. Together, we can help consumers undergo the transition to new pricing options and enjoy the benefits of better insight into, and control over, their energy consumption.””

Read more:

http://www.duke-energy.com/news/releases/2010062901.asp

In Burlington, VT

Seventh Generation – Eco friendly household products

City Market Cooperative – local grown produce

McNeil generating station – electricity from wood chips

Current Commercial Wind Farms in Vermont

Searsburg Wind Farm

“Searsburg’s 6 megawatt power plant provides energy to over 2,000 average Vermont households in southern Vermont, and serves as an education resource for wind generation in cold climates and environmentally sensitive regions.”

Hydro electric implementation in VT

“Community Hydro works with municipalities, schools, businesses and industry to install small, low-impact hydroelectric turbines at existing dams and damless diversion structures. We specialize in generating power from municipal water systems and wastewater treatment facilities.”

• Small garden is flourishiong. I ate my first tomato from the garden.
• I am riding my bicycle more.
• The electric motorcycle (EV conversion) is ready for final adjustments.
• The area for my first wind generator was cleared of some trees that needed cutting anyway due to overcrowding. Some lumber for a green House will be milled from the trees.
• Glass is being collected for the passive solar and Green House projects.

http://forum.beawindhog.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1231210245.46338/

From the Terra-Gen Power site:

“Terra-Gen Power is a renewable energy company focused on geothermal, wind and solar generation. Terra-Gen Power owns 831 MW (net equity) in twenty-one operating renewable energy projects across the Western United States. Wholly owned subsidiaries, Terra-Gen Operating Company and Coso Operating Company, operate and manage most of the projects. The company primarily sells the output of the renewable energy projects to load serving entities under long-term power purchase agreements. Terra-Gen Power plans to expand operations in renewable generation through a combination of acquisitions of operating projects, development of new projects and partnering on mid and late stage development opportunities.”

“Terra-Gen Power Announces Closing of $394 Million Construction Financing for Alta Wind I
NEW YORK, NY — Terra-Gen Power, LLC (“Terra-Gen”) has closed a $394 million financing for its 150 megawatt (“MW”) Alta Wind I project located in Tehachapi, California. The financing includes a seven-year construction and term loan, a bridge loan to the ITC cash grant from the US Department of Energy, and ancillary credit facilities. The proceeds of this financing will be used to complete construction of the 150MW project, which utilizes GE 1.5 SLE wind turbine generators, and to repay the pre-construction financing which closed in July of 2009.

Credit Agricole CIB and Natixis, New York Branch acted as Co-Bookrunners and Co-Structuring Leads for the financing. The lender group also includes Union Bank N.A., Prudential Investment Management, Inc., Cooperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A. (“Rabobank Nederland”), and Banco Santander S.A.

The Alta Wind I project represents the first phase in the development of the Alta Wind Energy Center, a 3,000 MW initiative and one of the largest wind development projects in the United States. The Alta Wind Energy Center is underpinned by a 1,550 MW power purchase agreement (“PPA”) to sell clean, renewable energy to Southern California Edison (“SCE”). Alta Wind I will be constructed by a joint venture between Wind Energy Constructors and Balfour Beatty and will begin delivering energy to SCE in early 2011. Alta Wind I will be the first project to interconnect to and utilize SCE’s Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project.

ABOUT ALTA WIND I:
Alta Wind I is owned by California Highwind Power, a subsidiary of Terra-Gen. Terra-Gen, owned by affiliates of ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC (“ArcLight”) and Global Infrastructure Partners (“GIP”), is a United States-based leading renewable power generation company focused on wind, geothermal, and solar generation. In total, Terra-Gen has 831 net MW in operation across 21 renewable energy projects in the western United States and has presently in excess of 5,000 net MW of renewable generating projects in construction or development. ”

Read more:

http://terra-genpower.com

http://hilaroad.com

“A one-megawatt solar power project owned and operated by a Duke Energy commercial business unit is now producing clean, renewable electricity for North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1), which serves the city of Shelby, N.C.

NCMPA1 and its 19 member organizations will buy all of the output from the Shelby Solar Project for the next 20 years under the terms of its power purchase agreement with Duke Energy Generation Services (DEGS), a Duke Energy Commercial Businesses unit.

NCMPA1 will also receive all associated renewable energy credits (RECs) from the project. These RECs help the power agency meet the N.C. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard requirement to obtain 0.2 percent of its energy through solar resources by 2018.

The Shelby Solar Project’s one-megawatt (MW) direct current output – equivalent to 0.94 MW alternating current – will generate enough electricity to power approximately 140 homes on an annual basis.

SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB) designed and built the solar photovoltaic system at the Shelby site. The company installed 4,500 crystalline silicon panels mounted on SunPower Tracker® technology, which uses a global positioning satellite system to follow the sun’s movement during the day. This increases sunlight capture by up to 25 percent over conventional fixed-tilt systems, while significantly reducing land use requirements.

The city of Shelby provided the land for the project, which is located near the Shelby-Cleveland County Regional Airport. The Shelby City Council approved leasing the 10-acre site for the project.

The Shelby Solar Project is DEGS’ first renewable energy facility in North Carolina. DEGS is also building the 16-MW direct current (14-MW alternating current) Blue Wing Solar Project in San Antonio, Texas. Blue Wing is scheduled for commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2010, when it will begin supplying electricity to San Antonio-based CPS Energy, one of the largest municipality-owned utilities in the U.S.

About DEGS and Duke Energy
Duke Energy Generation Services is a leader in developing innovative renewable energy solutions, including wind, solar and biopower projects. DEGS builds, owns and operates electric generation for large energy consumers, municipalities, utilities and industrial facilities. DEGS is also working to build commercial transmission capacity to help the U.S. meet its energy needs of the future.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com. To learn more and contribute to the discussion about the energy issues of today and the possibilities of tomorrow, visit www.sheddingalight.org.

About NCMPA1
North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1) – More than 70 North Carolina public power communities, municipally owned and operated electric systems, serve more than 500,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in North Carolina. Most have been providing reliable electric service for 100 years or more. NCMPA1 has 19 member cities in the western part of North Carolina. More information about NCMPA1 is available at www.ncpublicpower.com.”

http://www.duke-energy.com/news/releases/2010052601.asp