Projects
Taproot Farm 5-kW Grid-tied PV System – Capon Bridge, WV
Tim and Beth knew that they wanted solar to be part of their farm from the very beginning. With that in mind they constructed a south facing pavilion to serve many purposes including; a platform for solar, covered parking space, ping pong arena, and extra bunk space for visiting family. The installation was highlighted as part of Photon Magazine’s March 2011 feature on West Virginia, “PV Rises in Coal Country”. Tim and Beth are constantly in motion and have recently completed a straw bale artist cottage on the farm. You can read more about Taproot and their workshop offerings by clicking here.
Elk Ridge Native Plants 4.32-kW Grid-tied PV System – Grantsville, MD
Installed in the spring of 2011 this PV array is mounted on a garage roof adjacent to the residence to which it provides power. Ron and Liz run Elk Ridge Native Plant Preserve which focuses on education about native plants in and around Garrett County, MD. Their home is situated in the woods which necessitated some selective tree clearing to open up the solar window. Live power production data from their Enphase microinverters is available by clicking here.
Hapa Lani 2.2-kW Off-grid Wind and Sun - Cranesville, WV
Jim had an eye to build a small home in rural Preston Co., WV. His goal was to forgo the extension of utility lines to his home site - to go off-grid. Jim is a watt-miser and a perfect candidate for off-grid living. PIMBY installed a 1.2-kW solar PV array, 1-kW Bergey wind turbine and a suite of batteries with electronics to power the house. As with any off-grid home, the heating loads are powered by propane, however, Jim has become quite a microwave gourmet - preferring to cook with the power that he makes with solar and wind.
View from Calhoun County 1.4-kW Grid-tied PV System with Battery Backup – Chloe, WV
Installed in 2010 this PV array is mounted as an awning on a shop building adjacent to Bill and Loren’s home. The solar energy helps to offset 75% of the household electric bill. Because this system uses batteries it also provides emergency power should the utility grid experience an outage. Bill writes for the Coalition for Reliable Power and previously authored the View from Calhoun which focused on the PATH power line.
Sheeps and Peeps Farm 10-kW Grid-tied Wind Turbine – Aurora, WV
Hand spun naturally dyed wool can be purchased from Sheeps and Peeps via their Etsy or Ebay sites. It‘s beautiful wool. This is a remarkable family farm which sits atop a ridge in Preston County, WV. The Bergey 10-kW wind turbine helps to power the barn and workshop as well as a small home on the property.