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"What Energy Crisis?" is the topic that Ted Schultz (N6RPG) has presented at several conventions and other civic groups in Southern California. He is available to speak at your function upon request. In this
presentation, he will talk about his quest for energy independence and his
ultimate decision to purchase and install a 10 kW wind turbine and a 12kW solar
PV system. For more details about either Ted Schultz or "What Energy Crisis?",
Ted's presentation, please click on your preferred format -- an MS Word file or
a
"Green School" Tour I conducted a tour of our renewable
energy systems on Tuesday, April 6, 2004 for Cameron Elementary School's "Green
School" program. To obtain a copy of the tour's agenda, please click on
your preferred format -- an MS Word file or a
If you have a specific question about wind turbines, photovoltaic (PV) panels or about renewable energy in general, please send it (via e-mail:[email protected]) to Ted who will then answer it via another e-mail message. In future presentations of "What Energy Crisis?", I will explain how renewable energy and the California "Emerging Renewables Program" relates to Homeland Security. I will also cover the 12 kW Photovoltaic (PV) system installed in September of 2003 next to the 10kW wind turbine. In addition, this page of his Web site now contains other useful information (mostly links) related to the topic of Ted's renewable energy presentation. So, please check back often for the latest updates.
For information on the companies that installed the two systems, you can visit the web sites below:
As of September 4, 2006
Total output for 2005 76% Solar 24% Wind
Earth Day is every day!
NOTE: Our 12kW Solar PV system started producing energy on October 4, 2003 and our 10 kW Wind turbine started production on February 7, 2002
On Saturday, August 14, 2004, we displayed our all-electric Chevy S-10 pick-up truck at the Renewable Energy Expo (held in Building 5 of the L.A. County Fairgrounds). While we were there, we conducted an informal survey by asking the following question: Do you believe that the United States can attain energy independence?
The next day, the ballot box has been opened and the ballots counted! And the winner is ..........
On Saturday, May 7, 2005, we displayed our all-electric Chevy S-10 pick-up truck and our Toyota Prius Hybrid car at the 9th annual "Clean Air Fair (held in the gym at Victor Valley College in Victorville, CA) In addition, we had a booth where we "talked up solar". As we did at the Renewable Energy Expo in Pomona, CA last year, we conducted an informal poll. "Our state is in the middle of a growth period. We will need to add more power plants throughout the state. The two choices for low air emissions are more nuclear power plants or more photovoltaic (PV). Please vote on which you would like to have in the High Desert, our back yard." □ I would like to see a nuclear power plant in the High Desert. □ I would like to see more solar PV in the High Desert. The ballot "bucket" has been emptied, and the results of our informal poll are as follows:
On Saturday, May 6, 2006, displayed (and gave rides in) our Toyota Prius Hybrid car at the 10th annual "Clean Air Fair" (again held in the gym at Victor Valley College in Victorville, CA). We also had a booth, and while we were there, we conducted another informal "Opinion Poll". This year's question was: The California Energy Commission (CEC) predicts a tight supply of electricity starting this summer and getting worse each summer thereafter -- especially during hot summer afternoons. What type of energy systems would you like to see here in the High Desert to meet this demand? _____ Biomass _____ Nuclear _____ Solar _____ Wind The ballot "fish bowl" has been emptied, and the results of our informal "Opinion Poll" are as follows:
Other resources saved to date
Our solar PV and wind systems have produced 297,799,360 BTU's since installation
To better use the vast amount of power produced, we now drive an all-electric Chevy S-10
Behind the truck is our 2004 Prius for longer trips. Our 12kW Solar PV Installation: Solar PV has produced an average of 1,755.5 kWh each month our first year. Solar PV total production for June (2004)was 2,426kWh, our second highest month since installation. Our record month so far was June (2005) of 2,474 kWh. Our total production for our first year was over 21 Megawatt hours (21,066 kWh). 72 Sharp 165-watt photovoltaic panels covering 1,008 feet2 (Click on each picture to enlarge it.)
Good news from Edison! They've met the goal of getting 20% of their power mix from renewable energy -- 14 years early! To date, they've accomplished this at least twice -- once in May 2003 and again in June 2003!
While I chose to go with wind first, I would suggest that you go to "Cal energy" to get an independent suggestion regarding which would be best for your area -- wind or solar as well as what size system would be good to meet your electrical needs. In addition, this site has many good videos and other educational information.
To learn about some of the most recent developments in solar legislation and other developments, a good site for more information is the "California Solar Center" Web site. The quality of the air we breath continues to be of interest to many people these days. According to the most recent "State of the Air" Report (for 2005), my home county of San Bernardino, CA continues to lead the nation in poor air quality! For more details, click here. For an animated map of the poor air quality resulting from ground level ozone in the High Desert, click on the AQI logo below. By the way, ground level ozone is the primary reason the air quality in San Bernardino County is so bad!
Check out these educational links related to renewable energy: "Planning ahead can lower power bill" -- Story done during record heat wave in June 2006 of our home in Phelan. "Earth Day Network" -- A link to watch various videos including "Kilowatt Ours" and "Power of the Sun". "Kilowatt Ours" -- A video on a plan to re-energize America. "Power of the sun"-- A new video about the history of solar PV development. "Why Nuclear Power can not be a major Energy Source" --Our nuclear power future. "Americans and Climate Change" -- A Report on the difference from science and Americans on Climate Change. "Energy Trends And Their Implications For U.S. Army Installations" -- Our future Energy Situation. "Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation and Risk Management" -Known as the Hirsch report "For The Love Of Oil"-- Interesting Historic look at our use of oil. " National Geographic feature article for August"-- Future power. " Total land requirement to meet all current U.S. energy needs from solar PV" --A nice visual of land area needed. "Frequently asked questions on solar PV from DOE" -- common myths revealed "Energy Quest" -- From the California Energy Commission (for kids) "California Fairgrounds Project" -- A network of 5+ MW of solar at Fairgrounds around the state. "From Space to Earth- The Story of Solar Electricity" -- A "Flash" slideshow based on John Perlin's book. "Rep. Bartlett's Peak Oil presentation to Congress" -- A Republican Congressman Roscoe Bartlett presents. "Iraq Pipeline Watch" -- An account of how often the pipelines in Iraq are attacked. "Our preferred Poison" -- An article about mercury and how toxic it is to humans. "Winning the Oil endgame" -- A blueprint for an energy independent future from the Rocky Mountain Institute Institute for the Analysis of Global Security-- Set America Free: Open Letter Mojave Desert AQMD solar display in real time--They have a real nice solar education center in Victorville CA. "The Southern California Renewable Energy Expo" -- A good source for local renewable energy vendors. "Midnight Sun" -- World distance record for the longest single journey by a solar powered car. "Approved solar schools program applications" -- The lucky schools on the ball that will receive state solar $$$! "Average Daily Solar Insolation of the U.S." -- National Renewable Energy Lab "Match School photovoltaic system" - A real time display of solar output. "Stanford University Synergy House" -- Solar powered house with real time data at Stanford. "The Chicago Solar Partnership" -- Various larger PV installations with real time data and educational info. "Energy For Keeps: Electricity From Renewable Energy" -A new California Science text book for grades 6-12 "National Renewable Energy Lab: Surviving Disaster with Renewable Energy" - Using PV power for responding. "How does a photovoltaic cell work"- PV cell animation from the APS-- Project Sol "Global Warning" - A message from Leonardo Dicaprio "Fat Spaniel" - An online real time solar PV output from Fat Spaniel "Akeena Headquarters" - An online real time solar PV output from Akeena Solar. "California Energy Network" - various items to help with deciding on going with solar or wind. "EV World" - various articles on energy issues in the news today. "Nova & Frontline: What's up with the weather" - Examine the truth about global warming.
Check out these other interesting links: "Supermarkets and Service Stations Now Competing for Grain"-- Article from Lester Brown on corn ethanol. "We Are The Leaders We've Been Waiting For" -- Good article on who will lead us to renewables. Victorville homes to be solar -- SolarBuzz article on PV as standard feature on homes from Victoria homes. California Solar Initiative - A proposal the CPUC will vote on January 12, 2006 How Soon Will Oil Supplies Peak? -- A link to cbsnews.com on our future. "Only 15.5% of natural gas used in CA is from this state, the rest in imported." "Natural gas production is declining" -- Union of concerned scientists fact sheet on US production. "Another large new solar power plant scheduled for near Barstow in two months" "Solar Technology is First Choice to Supply Disaster Relief" -- Story of solar used for tsunami relief in Sri Lanka "Putting Renewables to Work: How Many Jobs Can The Clean Energy Industry Generate" -- A U.C. Berkeley study. The Eco Trekker is on an adventure across the USA. Edmunds Scientific. Fuel Cell car & experiment kit Casio G-Shock Solar Watch -- A solar powered watch that is accurate because it downloads the correct time daily. JRV Products, Inc. offers a nice solar-powered PowerDock for HT/mobile/ATV and laptop power on the go. iSun Sport solar HT charger. Can be used with cell phones/PDA and other small electronics. (A STEAL OF A DEAL!) ICP Global has several handy solar chargers for various applications. Costco has several icpglobal and other solar items available. Type in "solar" in the search box. To get an idea of the vast resources from renewable power in the western United States, go to the Energy Atlas The California Energy Commission has information about the financing programs available in California. The Union of Concerned Scientists has an excellent web site that is very informative. It has many suggested energy solutions as well. The EPA's "nonattainment designation" list regarding ground-level ozone indicates that several Southern California counties are the only counties in the U.S. with a severe rating! The American Lung Association's "State of the Air:2005" list of Best and Worst air quality cities and counties. The American Lung Association's "State of the Air:2004" map of the states to see each states air quality rating. San Bernardino County ranks number one in worst ozone level of all counties in US. CBSNEWS.com
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For information regarding this Web site, please contact
Ted Schultz, N6RPG
Monday September 04, 2006
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pdf file
below.
