Ya know, this ain't a bad idea! From Boulder News <:)=

Modern solar systems help people prepare for Y2K while decreasing reliance on fossil fuels

By John Borstelmann - For the Camera

In certain respects, Zev and Neshama Paiss are 21st century pioneers.

The couple helped develop Boulder's first co-housing project, and they designed and live in Boulder's first home able to receive power from a solar electric system and an electric utility.

Initially motivated by concerns over the Y2K bug, the Paisses also liked the idea of being less-reliant on utilities.

"Our motivation was about 50-50 Y2K and a desire to be self-sufficient," Neshama said.

The Paisses say that their home in the Nomad Co-Housing Project, built less than two years ago, was the first grid-connected, solar-powered home in the city. The number of grid-connected home power systems is growing now that Golden-based Altair Energy is marketing solar electric systems to homeowners throughout the state. Altair has sold more than 40 systems this year, most of them in Boulder County.

"People want cleaner energy and are willing to pay for it," said Jennifer Harrison Lane, spokeswoman for Altair Energy.

The systems cost from $5,000 to more than $25,000, depending on size and capacity.

The Paiss' $15,000 setup  10 solar photovoltaic panels with a capacity of 1,000 watts are anchored to the south-facing roof  satisfies about one-third of the family's electrical needs, Zev estimates.

The brain of the system is a wall-mounted inverter that turns the direct current electricity generated by the PV panels into the alternating current of the electrical grid, the energy that powers most homes.

The inverter also monitors electrical consumption and generation, as well as the system's batteries, and directs power where it is needed.

In a basement utility room sits a bank of 12 batteries for storing the electricity generated by the roof panels. The batteries provide a backup supply for several days if the electrical grid fails. The Paisses wanted to be sure to have enough power to run their washing machine, as well as lights. Their system also provides a backup for their neighbors.

"If something happens, we're in good shape," Neshama said.

The couple has also grown fascinated by learning about their energy use and by their solar system's performance.

"I love that this house is passive solar," said Neshama, as she nursed her infant daughter on the couch. "There's a real rhythm in life here, feeling light, sun, wind." After 15 years of living in New York City, she is clearly enjoying a connection to the natural world.

Zev, whose background is in environmental planning, is also an urbanite, from Los Angeles. Both work at home, as consultants to co-housing projects nationally and as Y2K-preparedness advocates. They have produced, and sell, videos on how to prepare for Y2K.

"Y2K is forcing some people to face their vulnerability," Zev said. Only 1 percent or 2 percent of people in the United States have taken action to prepare for Y2K, and only 1 out of 10 respond to Y2K educational efforts, he said.

"Some things are going to have to unravel," he said, before most people realize how serious the Y2K problem is.

Y2K fears have stimulated business for companies selling generators and for alternative energy suppliers such as Jade Mountain, from which the Paisses bought their system, and Altair Energy.

"Customers have described us as one of the best kept secrets in Boulder," says Steve Troy, owner of Jade Mountain, a small business selling "appropriate technology for sustainable living."

While Jade Mountain has established itself as a main player in the alternative energy business nationally and internationally, Troy said his local business has only recently picked up.

Part of the increase can be attributed to newer, better technology and reduced prices.

The cost of PV panels reached a historic low this summer, Troy said. Companies are also beginning to design and build batteries specifically for alternative energy system use, rather than selling floor sander or golf cart batteries.

Perhaps the most significant technological breakthrough has come in the introduction in the mid-1990s of computer technology into the system controls and inverters. Modern computerized inverters produce AC electricity with quality at least as good as the electrical utilities and allow hands-off operation. With a battery storage system, a home or business has a power supply safe from blackouts, brownouts and surges. Modern inverters also allow alternative energy systems to be connected up to the electrical grid, so homeowners can sell their excess power to their local utility or use the grid as their backup, rather than a battery bank or gas-fired generator.

September 16, 1999

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), September 17, 1999

Answers

"introduction in the mid-1990s of computer technology into the system controls"

Gee, I wonder if it's compliant???... <:00=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), September 17, 1999.

We have the same system. Our solar 'advisor' suggested a DC work- around in the event of a chip failure in the converter. Our primary purpose for wanting this system was to provide the ability to operate a refrigerator/freezer (we could switch to our three-way RV frig), microwave (cooking as well as sanitation puposes), and the occasional power tool.

The Paiss' wanted theirs for the washing machine? They GI, huh? California yuppies........

:)

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), September 17, 1999.

I've been running a solar panel system for
11 years now. Use a generator to do laundry
and pump water. Oregon's winters are not the
best for solar. Use a lot of gas when the sun
doesn't shine. Use propane for water heater,
furnace, dryer, refrigerator and range. All in
all, I'm satisfied and glad to be off the grid.
Power outages every year because of storms don't
affect me.

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), September 17, 1999.