From the International Herald Tribune -- A growing number of Americans are shunning power lines, choosing to live "off the grid," without commercial power — and still enjoying their computers and large-screen televisions. ... Off-the-grid living is edging into the American mainstream. About 180,000 homes, mostly in the West, operate on it, though the power industry has not yet felt the shift. ...
But the number of people going off the grid increases by about a third each year, said Richard Perez, who publishes Home Power magazine, and Lori Ryker, who has written two books on the subject. ...
In the 250-home Oregon community of Three Rivers, everyone gets most of their power from solar panels on their rooftops or on nearby structures positioned to more efficiently capture the sun. ... living off the grid is not cheap. High demand for solar panels and improved technology has kept the price up, and Three Rivers homeowners say an advanced solar energy system can cost $25,000 (€18,496) for the panels, batteries, inverter and other equipment. The federal government and most states offer tax credits. ...
[In some places] Some supplement the solar power with windmill-generated energy. ...
Residents with wells need generators for their pumps, and propane powers high-demand appliances such as stoves.
Beyond that, the sun does the job.
Distributed energy at its best. 180,000 homes is a very small number when compared to the total population of the U.S., but by increasing by a third each year this could turn into a more significant number. Although expensive there are millions of people who could afford it. The significance to me is that we have the technology to do it and prices are going down. The trend should really accelerate after 2010 when solar power prices start to drop significantly.
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