Offgrid Technology and Rural Development

Southwest Windpower is offering the Skystream 3.7, a residential windmill for $8,500 which includes installation of a 35 foot tower, controller, inverter, and the generator. This is not intended as a full replacement for grid power, so there are no batteries and the controller automatically switches between wind and grid power at wind speeds below 8 MPH. Peak power efficiency is at around 20 MPH.

With a typical cost of $8,000 to $10,000 to purchase and install, Skystream 3.7 can pay for itself in 5 to 12 years. This payback period will vary and can be much quicker in states with investment rebates. It’s anticipated that Skystream 3.7 will save the average homeowner $500 to $800 per year, based on 4,800 to 6,600 kWh produced per year and a $0.12/kWh cost of electricity. This output would provide 40 to 90 percent of an average home’s energy needs. In states like Hawaii, where the cost of energy and wind speeds are both high, Skystream 3.7 can pay for itself in less than 4 years.

via Engadget

This sounds like a useful device for supplying low power electronic devices, in addition to it’s stated use with cell phones. It weighs 2.5 ounces. Not sure how rugged the package is, although on the IST site there’s a photo of it being used to power a cell phone by a pair of mountain climbers somewhere on the slopes of Denali.
From CNET news:

Innovative Solutions and Technologies’ SideWinder charger is a nifty little hand-crank gadget you can use to charge your phone anytime and anywhere–without a wall socket. The gizmo’s not brand new, but you could say it’s one small step toward energy independence: You get about six minutes of talk time for two minutes of manual winding, according to Montana-based IST. The SideWinder also has a small LED light for extra illumination. The product works with most cell phone models and is small, light and low-cost, retailing for about $25.

I’m splitting off the offgrid technology and rural development posts. In addition to the topics I come across in the future, I’m also hoping to post some notes from past rural development projects I’ve worked with in Kuppam, India, and in San Diego, California.

The previous posts are still at their old locations. See http://www.hojohnlee.com/weblog/archives/category/rural-development/