Today, out of the blue, I encountered the owner of a resort about half an hour from here. It is still under construction, but he claimed that when finished, it will use a combination of wind-power, solar power, and hydro-electric for all their needs. I was invited out for a tour.

I have always been interested in this sort of thing, as anything that is completely off the grid, no monthly bills, no payin’ the man, is right up my alley. Add to this that he was using hydro-electric, and that means he had water, which meant arable land.

Basically, he had all the ingredients needed for complete self-reliance. Think what you want about that. The time may come when that might be a little more important than it is now… or you can think 

So I took the tour. They should be finished construction in about 6 months. I think it will be a little longer for the final touches, but they are well under way.

They have a helluva view from the side of the hill they are on. One huge thumbs-up. Click on the pictures, and then click again for the full size. It’s worth it.

The basic layout is similar to many, with the main house at the top, a few full suites off to the side, and cabins farther down.

 

Down a nice paved road from the house (this is also the main access to the property), are the cabins.

What I was most interested in was the setup shown here.

What you see is the main source of power on site. Huge solar panels capable of 6000 W of continuous power during mid-day sun. In the bodega beside them are the inverters and electronic control modules, and in back of that are the largest batteries I have ever seen!! There are six of them connected together. Each one is approximately 2′ x 2′ x 4′ , and they weigh 6000 lbs a piece! What did I expect? They are basically a big chunk of lead.

With proper care, they are said to last about 18 years. I didn’t ask how much the whole system cost, but I know specialty equipment is usually more expensive than they are worth. Just enough to make them not economically viable as an alternative power source to the grid.

The owner told me they wanted 50 G to pull power onto his property, so he went this direction. You do the math. www.outbackpower.com is their supplier.

The other systems are secondary backups to this. Behind the bodega is a rill down in a gorge that runs constantly throughout the year, except for 2 months or so in the dry season. They have a hydro unit that requires 100 ft of vertical drop to run. There are other types for different flow rates and conditions. I didn’t see any wind turbine on site, so didn’t ask, but imagine it is in the works and there is no lack of wind this time of year.

You really have to be serious about this sort of thing to bother spending that kind of money. To go with this sort of setup is prohibitively expensive for the average person and would take longer than the life of the batteries to pay for itself in savings, IMO, but this is a case of remoteness and necessity.

To be honest with you, the power grid down here isn’t the most reliable in the world, either. Neither is telephone. Neither is the water. It hasn’t happened this time, but the last time I was down here you didn’t even bother setting the clock on the stove. For remote areas, this is the only way to go, and the headaches you may save by having constant EVERYTHING, prepaid, have a value all their own.

Published
2007/01/29