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There are two ways to reduce your energy footprint. Use renewable sources of energy, or just use less energy. The next frontier in koi keeping is better energy efficiency with less water waste. Our friend Luke is well ahead of his time.
I have looked pretty closely at both solar and wind. On this side of the island the wind is more predictable than the sun. Our electric rates are some of the nation's highest, but it is still hard to justify wind/solar based on hard economics alone.
The controllers and DC/AC converters really drive up the capital cost and reduce efficiency for a small system. The most expensive part of a wind turbine is the governor to control the speed in winds which are too high. Like Brett says, building the electrical components so they can resist corrosion from the wind coming in off the ocean also drives up the cost way up. If/when I pull the trigger, it will be for direct-drive wind-operated air blowers. The inherent advantages are that the back pressure on the air distribution system will create a governor and there will be no electric controllers or converters to contend with.
-stev ehop
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