What can you do with 500 watts of power ?
One thousand of anything can seem like such a large amount until you get to talking about power. I think of the 500 watt wind turbines and how that seems like such a tiny amount of power ;or even a pair of solar panels that can produce 500 watts. That isn’t very much? Or is it?
Well, let’s say you are paying 10 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity. Let’s say that you turn on five 100 watt devices in you home and leave them on all the time; never shut them off. What does that cost you? At 10 cents per kWhr it comes out to $36 per month. That’s no typo. Thirty six bucks a month.
Now let’s change the way we think about generating power. If we could generate 500 watts of power then we could change the destination of that $36 dollars per month and put it back in our own pocket. Now the 500 watt wind or solar system doesn’t seem so small, does it? And if the system generated 1000 watts all day and night, then that would be $72 per month. There are limits to this flow of logic, and I believe that this is the limit for most people.
So, what if you could generate 1000 watts of electrical power and avoid having to pay the utility company? What would that be worth to you? Well, for one year it would be worth $876. Now, what if you could buy a device for $1500 that generated 1000 watts of electrical power 24 hours a day with no additional cost for fuel? In two years you would get all of your money back and after that, no charge excepting for some routine maintenance.
If the sun shines 24 hours a day where you live, then get a few solar panels. Hmmm. You would have to live in the space shuttle.
If the wind blows 24 hours a day where you live, then get a couple of 500 watt wind turbines. Terra Del Fuego is almost perfect for this one.
For the rest of us, there is an alternative energy source just around the corner. It will produce 1000 watts of pure sine wave AC power 24 hours a day, every day. It will eventually save you $72 per month by reducing your electric bill. Can I say more at this time? No. But be patient. Where there is a will, there is a way.