Credit: Planet Green
Living with Ed follows Ed Begley, Jr., and his wife, Rachelle, as they green their home, family, and celebrity friends. But if you've ever wondered what kind of advice they'd give the rest of us, then the Ask Ed forum is your chance to find out. Readers submit questions and comments about the show, green living, etc., and Ed chimes in with his green answers; here, we've rounded up some highlights of the past week.
Q. I am part of a club at Rockland community college in Suffern, NY, and we are trying to get a horizontal or building-mounted wind turbine for our campus to help offset our carbon footprint. It is a commuter school and many people drive to classes, and we would also to like to use it as part of the school's curriculum in the classes here.
We are looking for good and reputable companies that would work with us and help us with our project. Right now we have found a few places but would love your input and knowledge of where to start and what to expect.
A. For horizontal axis small wind turbines, the leaders are Bergey and Southwest Windpower. For vertical axis, I work with Enviro-Energies. Those would be my suggestions of where to start.
Ed
Q. Living in Florida, my wife and I have learn how to do most of our cooking on our outdoor gas grill. We make apple pies, cookies, pot roast, etc.; We use the grill so our AC isn't doing double duty. Do you do the same type of cooking?
A. I don't have a grill. Since I'm a vegan, I don't grill much meat. I've just never been that "grill guy". That being said, I agree that it is a great way to reduce heat created by the oven and stove in the summer months.
Ed
Q. I'm buying a home and making it as green as I can, and trying to save money in the future as well. Here's the idea: I want to add one (or more) 2kw max wind turbines to satisfy all or most of my electric needs. The wind blows at between 7 mph in August to 11 mph in January. I have a 50-foot antenna tower beside my house that I'll use to elevate the system above my house and surrounding trees, and that height should add about 1-2 mph to the average wind speed. I'm thinking I'll need a battery pack of twelve 12-volt car batteries, and a grid tie in inverter to complete the project. The basic thought is that during the night when we sleep and use almost no power, the batteries can charge and overflow out to the power grid, and during the day when we use power, we draw from the batteries (as they're being recharged by the turbine). This sounds like a good and practical setup. Would it work?
A. You may not completely agree with my thoughts, but here they are anyway. First, I would focus on the energy efficiency of this home you are buying, not the production of power. I would start with a comprehensive energy audit and thorough analysis and upgrades of things like insulation, windows, ducting, HVAC, lighting, control etc. I would make the building envelope and its energy usage as low and efficient as possible. First, it's the right thing to do -- a kw saved is much cheaper than a kw produced -- and then once you do start making power you will need less to provide 100% of your needs.
Now, once you get there, you have several choices on making power. With wind speeds of 7 to 11 mph, you're not in a very high wind area. Wind turbines are best for people who live in the 15 to 20 mph and up areas. I think you may want to look at solar instead. That being said, not sure where your wind measurements are coming from and what kind of tech you're looking at. Wind speeds at roof level are different than at 30', 60', 90' up etc. so make sure you get some good measurements. You may find solar is a better option.
Best of luck with the new house...
Ed
