How's all that alternative energy stuff work'n out for 'ya?

[Douglas]

Another half a billion bites the dust:

DETROIT -- Remember when heartthrob Justin Bieber received a Fisker Karma luxury hybrid for his 18th birthday earlier this month on the Ellen DeGeneres Show? Well, he may be driving a lemon.

A $100,000-plus Fisker sports car died during Consumer Reports speed testing this week for reasons that are still unknown, leaving the struggling electric car startup with another blow to its image.

"It is a little disconcerting that you pay that amount of money for a car and it lasts basically 180 miles before going wrong," David Champion, senior director for the magazine's automotive test center, told Reuters, on Thursday.

In a statement, Fisker said it was assessing the source of the problem that caused its Karma plug-in hybrid to fail. Fisker dispatched two engineers Wednesday night to examine the car.

Over the last month, Fisker changed its chief executive and halted work at its U.S. plant as it renegotiates the terms of a $529 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.


http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2 ... track-test

 

[Douglas]

Jim said :"Geothermal is not something you want to get into unless you are planning to stay in one house for some time. But it is remarkable in how it can provide both heating and cooling for very little cost once you get it installed. Payback period is not real long but it is not cheap to put in. Good things are seldom "cheap" initially."

Last fall i almost pulled the trigger on a 18k geothermal system. It was designed to run the piping in my pond behind the house as the heat source. With the state and federal tax credits it was about a wash with regular heat pump system here. It also could assist in hot water production in the summer. The only problem i had was that i had to upfront all the cost and get the state credit back over a several years. I was also worried about maint. issues since water source geo is pretty new around here.
But of the alternative power stuff geothermal has some potential i think.

 

[SRBeef]

Jim said :"Geothermal is not something you want to get into unless you are planning to stay in one house for some time. But it is remarkable in how it can provide both heating and cooling for very little cost once you get it installed. Payback period is not real long but it is not cheap to put in. Good things are seldom "cheap" initially."

Last fall i almost pulled the trigger on a 18k geothermal system. It was designed to run the piping in my pond behind the house as the heat source. With the state and federal tax credits it was about a wash with regular heat pump system here. It also could assist in hot water production in the summer. The only problem i had was that i had to upfront all the cost and get the state credit back over a several years. I was also worried about maint. issues since water source geo is pretty new around here.
But of the alternative power stuff geothermal has some potential i think.

The main thing about geothermal is to find a VERY experienced person to design and install the system, then do exactly what he says to do. I had a very good Water Furnace dealer. Here is a list of NC dealers. I would use one of their "Geo Pro" dealers. Seems like they have a lot of good dealers in NC.

http://dealers.waterfurnace.com/wat...esign=default&lang=en&mapid=US&show_list=true

I would be real careful about those pond-based systems. You don't want to waste 18k. The other options are trench or drilled systems. Depends on your soils and layout etc. I went drilled because of all the rock we have. Mine preheats the household hot water also. Heat is in-floor loops in concrete in lower level and gypcrete on main floor, mostly under tile. Nothing like warm floors on a cold morning. In Wisc heat is more important than AC. AC comes thru a small duct system in the ceiling. Good luck.

Jim

 

[backhoeboogie]

There are a lot of projects in Europe and elsewhere where they use times of excess electric generating capacity to pump water uphill to a reservoir then let it down through turbines at times of peak need. A simple way of storing energy.

Jim

We have some of those here in the U.S. too. "Peaker" units. When electricity is in peak demand, they use the stored water to get out of the crisis. They cannot be used on prairies or flatlands. They work great elsewhere.

 

[Anonymous]

Geothermal is about as cost effective as it gets. Once you get past the startup costs. But you also have to live in the right areas.
I feel that solar is about the best thing going right now for residential. Again, if you can get past the start up. Problem is the cost of the photovoltaic cells. Single panels are crazy expensive. Then you have to rewire an existing house to handle solar.
But I'd you we're to build a house from scratch keeping solar in mind, and had a source for cheaper panels you could really make it work and fast. At least here.
It's a better alternative than wind, and geothermal isnt an option.