I hate those Meeces to Pieces

 Rural Living Lesson #1: Never leave a vehicle unattended for more than a day or two.Rural Living Lesson #2: Never underestimate the power of a mouse.The plan has been to drive Jo’s old beater…uh, I mean baby (’92 Subaru Legacy) while driving to and...

Kilowatts Shmilowatts

In our last episode, the local electric cooperative gave me an option to give away all of my excess power. Well, that didn’t fly with their lawyer because state law says that I have to sell them my excess power. So, the bottom line given to me a week ago was: If...

Solar Electric System Options

 The verdict is still out as to what plan the utility company may approve, but it appears as if the non-net-metering approach will be the best of three bad options. (See January, 24   Journal.) If this is true, a configuration to include a battery bank might be a...

Instant Winter

  Me and my big mouth. A few weeks ago winter hadn’t arrived yet and I opened my big mouth about it and now we’re paying the price. Not only has it been snowing (with a foot or more on its way), but it’s been quite cold. The coldest weather in these...

Road Blocks to Solar Electric Installation

Effective January 1, 2004, the Minnesota Department of Commerce in cooperation with Xcel Energy (we are not part of their grid down here in the SE corner of MN) have extended the solar rebate program across the entire state.The rebate program is funded by Xcel...