Letter. May 8, 2016

My Dear Madel;

How is every little thing with you and your family? What's Diesel going to be doing this summer, anything? Swimming again?
Howz the job going? I hope you have someone who gives you positive input and validation, either at work or among your friends/family. It can be a very lonely world when no one takes the trouble to tell you that they appreciate you and the work you do.
Which, of course, leads right into HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Adam invited me over to his new house today after church, for a Mother's Day gathering with the kids and your mom. I hope I can make it. Sarah is supposed to come pick me up this afternoon, but I've been having lots of stomach problems this week and am waiting to see if the bowl of boiled rice I had for b'fast is going to cause me any problems or not.

I finally figured out how to attend the temple without having to worry about my bladder. I go first thing in the morning, before I take my water pill, and I don't eat/drink anything before going. That way I can last through a whole session. I went four times last week. My plan is to go every Wed,Thurs, and Friday from now on. Mondays the temple is closed and on Tuesdays I go to the Utah County Commissioners meeting in the morning and then write a poem about it, which I email to them and their assistants. Plus I usually give the opening prayer, which I write out ahead of time as a poem. There are 3 county commissioners, and 2 of them love my poems -- the third guy won't even look at me.
I've also been exercising at the Rec Center pool every day as well. I just paid for a year's membership -- using the money I've earned from doing blog rewrites for Adam. I quit doing his rewrites this past week because I am finally getting the urge to write another novel -- so I'll need lots of time for that. I'll tell you more about it when it is better formed in my mind.

Your mother called me last week, trying to sell me insurance. I guess she is doing okay at it. Sarah tells me she made a thousand dollars last week on commission. Not bad!
We had a pleasant phone conversation. I told her I already had insurance through AARP, but she thought I ought to have some more and that I should name her as beneficiary. (Nothing your mother says can surprise me anymore . . . ) I replied that she will be getting my Social Security when I die anyways. She didn't know that, she said, but seemed real happy to hear about it.

The highlight of the last week for me was having Sarah's family and Andy & Gin over for dinner on Tuesday. I made a pork curry and steamed some sticky rice -- I bought a special sticky rice cooker because Ohen just loves sticky rice (and so do I). The rice turned out good, so it'll be a Grandpa Tim specialty from now on. Virginia is not eating much of anything because she can't keep it down cuz of being pregnant. But she liked the sticky rice, too.
It was very pleasant for me to sit back and just listen to my kids talking to each other; it is something I could do forever.
Looking back, that meal was about the only human interaction I've had all week with anyone. Otherwise I pretty much stick to myself, reading and writing. Being a writer shouldn't be such a lonely life; I know Adrienne is very sociable. But I seem to have lost that knack. Right now my best friends are books. That's kind of how things were back when I was a teenager, so I guess I am already entering my Second Childhood!

Well, my stomach is starting to gurgle like a storm drain during the monsoon, so I'll have to cut things short here and hope all is peachy keen at your end.
Love, Dad.

Wind Power for Your Home!

For consumers wanting to generate their own green power, installing a small wind turbine may be a smart move. Hikingware.com suggests you give wind power some serious thought as a way to be self-sufficient during an emergency, as well as saving money on your regular utility bills. 

 Small wind turbines are electric generators that use the energy of the wind to produce clean, emissions-free power for individual homes, farms, and small businesses. With this simple and increasingly popular technology, individuals can generate their own power and cut their energy bills while helping to protect the environment. Unlike utility-scale turbines, small turbines can be suitable for use on properties as small as one acre of land in most areas of the country.

The basic steps for installing a small wind turbine on your property are: 

Determine whether the wind resource in your area makes a small wind system economical.

Determine your household electricity needs by checking your monthly or yearly electricity usage.

Find out whether local zoning ordinances allow wind turbine installations.

Purchase and install a wind turbine sized to the needs of your household. The Small Wind Certification Council maintains a list of certified small wind turbines.

QUESTIONS TO ASK EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS

• What is the energy output (measured in kilowatt-hours or kWh – not in kilowatts or kW) of the turbine, over one year, in average wind speeds of 8 to 14 mph? Is this calculated using real-life (“field”) data (preferred), or laboratory / wind tunnel testing?
• Can you refer me to other customers who have owned [Model X] for a period of time? (The longer, the better.)
• What is the warranty length and coverage? (The industry standard is five years.)
• Has the turbine/tower ever gone through a reliability test? By whom? For how long? What were the results?
• How long has the company been producing turbines?
• How long has [Model X] turbine been available for sale to customers (not in the prototype or beta testing phase)?
• For how long was the prototype tested? By whom? In the field or in a laboratory?
• How many turbines of [Model X] have been sold, and for how many years? How many of these are still running?
• How frequently has [Model X] been re-designed? What were those changes and how recent were they?
• What problems have other customers encountered and how have you dealt with them?

Answers to most frequently asked questions.

What size turbine is needed to power an entire home?

On average, a typical American home would require a small turbine with a 5-kW generating capacity to meet all its electricity needs. A turbine of this size has a diameter of approximately 18 feet. The exact size needed to power a home, however, can range from 2 kW to 10 kW (12- to 25-foot diameter) based on a home’s energy use, average wind speeds, and the turbine’s height above ground (which affects its productivity).

How tall are they?

The average height of a small wind turbine (of any capacity) is about 80 feet, about twice the height of a neighborhood telephone pole, with a range of 30 to 140 feet. Generator size and tower height are not generally related; a 5-kW turbine could be on a tower anywhere from 30 to 140 feet high.

What is the average payback period?

The length of the payback period depends on the turbine, the quality of wind at the installation site, prevailing electricity rates, and available financing and incentives. Depending on these and other factors, the time it takes to fully recover the cost of a small wind turbine can take anywhere from 6 to 30 years.

How much do they cost?

The purchase and installation of a system large enough to power an entire home costs, on average, $30,000, but the price can range from $10,000 to $70,000 depending on system size, height, and installation expenses. The purchase and installation of very small (<1-kW) off-grid turbines generally cost $4,000 to $9,000, and a 100-kW turbine can cost $350,000. The federal government and many states have rebate and tax credit programs to encourage investment in small wind. In addition, United Wind now offers a wind turbine leasing program.

What happens when the wind doesn’t blow?

For grid-connected systems, the user will not notice a difference when the wind doesn’t blow. The utility provides electricity when the wind does not blow, and any extra electricity the turbine generates is sent back to the utility system to be used by a neighbor. Off-grid turbines store power in batteries for on-demand use and are often complemented by solar electric panels to provide more consistent generation.

Do I need to take wind measurements?

Taking detailed measurements to gauge your wind resource is often unnecessary. Experienced installers/dealers or manufacturers can determine whether your property is suitable for a system by inspecting the surrounding area.

How much land and wind are required?

Installers recommend sites with average wind speeds of at least 12 mph, but specific land requirements vary. Zoning codes sometimes impose a minimum requirement on lot size or on the distance a turbine may be placed from a property line and may vary depending on the height of the proposed turbine. Also, it is essential to have a site with unobstructed access to winds, which most often requires higher towers, larger land lots, and non-urban locations. Currently, less than 1% of all small wind turbines are used in urban applications, partly due to zoning restrictions but mostly because wind quality is much poorer in densely built environments. Contact your turbine factory dealer for help navigating the permitting process.

How does the rated capacity of a small wind system compare to its actual performance?

Rated capacity indicates the electric power (kilowatts) at a given wind speed, so the answer depends on wind speed and the turbine. A more accurate indicator of energy production, however, is swept area. A 5-kW turbine (average residential size, 18-foot rotor diameter) produces around 8,000 kWh per year in 12-mph average winds, which is about 100% of what an average U.S. home requires. At the larger end of the spectrum, a 100-kW turbine (60-foot diameter) in these conditions will generate around 200,000 kWh per year.

Are batteries or other storage needed?

There are two types of systems: those connected to the electricity grid (“on-grid”) and those used off-grid (for battery charging) or backup power. Many systems sold today are off-grid, but demand is rising for on-grid systems that essentially use the grid as a battery: When the wind blows, the owner uses electricity from the turbine; when winds are low and consumption is high, the owner uses electricity from the grid. The smallest wind turbines are used in conjunction with solar photovoltaic technology.

How are small wind systems maintained?

Routine inspections should be performed once a year of a turbine’s 20+-year lifespan. A professional installer or trained technician (usually the manufacturer or dealer that sold the turbine) maintains the turbine and tower through physical inspections, though some turbines can be monitored remotely from a home computer.

GRANTS AND INCENTIVES FOR SMALL WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS

As of March 2009, the federal government offers a Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit for the purchase and installation of qualifying small wind electric systems, worth 30% of the value of the system.

Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the federal tax credit for residential energy property initially applied to solar-electric systems, solar water heating systems, and fuel cells. The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424) extended the tax credit to small wind energy systems and geothermal heat pumps, effective January 1, 2008. Other key revisions included an eight-year extension of the credit to December 31, 2016; the ability to take the credit against the alternative minimum tax; and the removal of the $2,000 credit limit for solar-electric systems beginning in 2009. The credit was further enhanced in February 2009 by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1: Div. B, Sec. 1122, p. 46), which removed the maximum credit amount for all eligible technologies (except fuel cells) placed in service after 2008.

A taxpayer may claim a credit of 30% of qualified expenditures for a system that serves a dwelling unit located in the United States and used as a residence by the taxpayer. Expenditures with respect to the equipment are treated as made when the installation is completed. If the installation is at a new home, the “placed in service” date is the date of occupancy by the homeowner. Expenditures include labor costs for on-site preparation, assembly or original system installation, and for piping or wiring to interconnect a system to the home. If the federal tax credit exceeds tax liability, the excess amount may be carried forward to the succeeding taxable year. The excess credit may be carried forward until 2016, but it is unclear whether the unused tax credit can be carried forward after then. The maximum allowable credit, equipment requirements and other details vary by technology.

The Chao Praya River: A Limerick Memory

The Chao Praya River is dreamy;
its color a coffee that's creamy.
A barge full of rice,
a whiff of allspice;
some splintering wharves that are seamy. 

Solar Power for Prudent People.

This month Hikingware.com will be looking at some of the alternative energy sources that are available to you -- from sun to wind to water. When disaster strikes, wouldn't it be great if you already had your own guaranteed supply of power -- so you wouldn't have to depend on an aging power grid that could go out at any time? 

More than 90 percent of Americans today favor the use of clean energy, according to recent surveys where respondents enthusiastically supported the goal of moving away from dependence on dwindling fossil fuels and expensive imported oil. Particularly tantalizing for homeowners is the thought of powering their households via the abundant — and exceedingly clean — golden rays of the sun. With new technology and financing options making solar electric systems more attainable than ever, now is the time to go solar at your house. Here are the key considerations.

Background

Photovoltaic systems (literally, photon + voltage) convert sunlight to electricity for the home and are typically made up of groups of solar panels that are installed on a roof. New technology has produced sleek black solar modules that aesthetically complement any architectural style, and there are even solar roofing shingles in development that will lay side by side with conventional roofing shingles.

Cost has been the biggest barrier keeping homeowners from installing solar photovoltaic systems, as the systems needed to power a home may cost $20,000 or more. But new financing options and plenty of federal and state incentive programs are bringing the price into the affordable range for many Americans. Indeed, for the past two years, the number of solar photovoltaic installations has risen steadily, and industry experts expect the trend to continue.

First Things First: Size Up Your Needs

To decide if a solar photovoltaic system makes sense for you, begin with some facts about your current household electricity. Look at last year's utility bills and see how many kilowatt-hours you used (the national average is 10,000 per year). Then decide if you want to invest in a system to meet all or part of your needs. Typical residential systems range from 3 kwh to 10 kwh in size. As a general rule, a 3-kwh system will generate approximately 3,600 to 4,800 kwh per year; a 5-kwh system will produce 6,000 to 8,000 kwh per year; and a 10-kwh system will produce 12,000 to 16,000 kwh per year.

Look at Your Site

The most important factors affecting a solar photovoltaic system's effectiveness are orientation toward the sun and unobstructed access to sunlight. PV systems work best on a south-facing roof, and they must receive sunlight with no obstruction from trees or other shading. In addition to your own observations, consult solar resource maps available on such websites as the U.S. government's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Consider the Roof

One factor that may limit the size of your photovoltaic system is the available surface area of your south-facing roof. A solar installation company can supply a precise calculation, but ballpark figures suggest that a 4-kwh system requires 400 to 600 square feet of roof area, and a 10-kwh system requires 1,000 to 1,500 square feet.

Assess Your Home's Energy Efficiency

A photovoltaic system works best in an energy efficient structure, so think about the things you can do to reduce your home's electricity use. You may want to add insulation, replace old appliances with Energy Star versions, install more efficient lighting, and upgrade windows and doors.

Think About Cost

A 5-kwh system may run $35,000, but federal and state incentives can reduce that expense by more than half; recently introduced legislation called the "Ten Million Solar Roofs Act of 2011" proposes incentives that could lower the $35,000 cost to as little as $7,875. A clearinghouse for rebate information can be found online at the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE). Also, the government offices or websites of your state or town should provide information about rebates, fees and permits for solar photovoltaic installations. Some solar installation companies also offer leasing options where you pay a monthly fee for a 20-year lease rather than paying up-front.

Find a PV Professional

If word of mouth doesn't lead you to a solar photovoltaic installer in your area, try BestCompany.com’s solar listings. It automatically updates the listings based on your IP address, and provides the most comprehensive listing of reviewed solar companies ranked in a number of different ways based on your preferences.

Poetic Thoughts on the Utah County Commissioner's Meeting. April 19, 2016.

When meeting as commissioners of Utah County, they
justify no vain dispatch but seek out calm delay.  
Greg is very happy to continue for a while
any motion that does not contain a great big file.
Bill wants nuts and bolts explained, not presentations brief;
slow and steady wins the race -- such words are his motif. 
Larry, too, defers to those who want to clarify
ev'ry little thing until it starts to ossify.
But that is how we want our public servants to perform;
creep along so prudently to weather any storm.
Woe betide our County if we vote in hasty folk
who want to fix things up before they ever can be broke! 

Inviting a Terrorist to Dinner.

Here is what happened in High Priest's meeting yesterday.
I've been thinking about it, chewing it over, and I've decided I don't like the mindset. A bunch of old dribblers afraid of a bogeyman . . .
Oh well . . . you decide if I'm overreacting.

The meeting started on a pleasant note, as several of the the High Priests came up to me to thank me for putting some spirit into leading the opening hymn (at least nobody walked out, like they used to do in my old ward when I conducted).

Then we began to discuss Lesson #8 -- The Importance of Missionary Work.

Inevitably, the conversation veered off to the ongoing world-wide refugee crisis. That's when, to my way of thinking, things got a little unsettling.

Geezer #1 stuck up his hand and then said "We should definitely be giving them blankets and stuff, but what if one of them is a terrorist trying to sneak into the country and kill somebody?"
This met with general head-nodding approval, and several more comments followed about being gentle as doves but wise as serpents.

When I brought up the point that missionary work is all about treating people the way we want them to become, not the way they were in the past, I was met with stony silence -- you could hear the apricot blossoms falling from the trees outside.

Geezer #1 stuck to his guns, saying "We can't just let these killers come in with the rest of them; there has to be a way to separate the sheep from the tares."
Others chimed in to say that's why they'd never invite a refugee family to dinner; how would you know if one of them wouldn't turn around and murder you?
The hot button had been pushed -- protect the family above all else! Innocent children slaughtered in cold blood. Wives ravished by slavering terrorists bent on destroying Our Way of Life! You could almost see the spirits of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck hovering over their bald and shiny heads. They were regurgitating the hate speech of talk show hosts, without an original thought in the vicinity.
I finally managed to interrupt the flow of nonsense to ask if any of them had ever actually met a terrorist, someone who threatened them, who meant them harm?
Nope. Not a one.
I then asked if they knew anyone who had been harmed by terrorists. They were quick to say that they personally didn't, but they had a friend of a cousin who knew someone who was in the same Ward as one of those poor missionaries that was injured in the explosion in Belgium.
At this point the time was up and everyone wanted to get home for dinner (our ward meets late and doesn't get out until 3:30). So the teacher simply closed by saying we must love others with prudence.
Oddly enough, despite my seemingly stand-alone position during the lesson, I was asked to give the closing prayer.
I kept it short and sweet. I never preach when praying. I've heard way too much of that.
So . . . what am I going to do about this?
Nothing.
I'm too lazy and set in my ways to stop attending my meetings, plus I distinctly remember how often I was cozened and bamboozled by my own ill-informed opinions earlier in life (and probably still am!)
After all, I voted for Nixon.
I believed all the bs by George Bush about Weapons of Mass Destruction.
I have been a suspicious, crotchety Republican for many years.
If I start to look down at my brethren because of their prejudices and fancies, then what mercy can I expect when I'm brought before the Final Bar without the help of Perry Mason?
So, I guess this is all about me letting off steam. Besides, by next Sunday I'll have forgotten all about this episode.
Life is too short to do anything but write limericks . . .

I Love a Naughty Picture: Salute to Peter Arno

I love a naughty picture, when drawn with real panache;
it makes a telling statement without the use of trash.
A cunning use of language, wherein the dishabille
of the quaint old Adam slips on banana peel.