How It Works: Wind won't blow all the time, even in Maine winter (wind-electric heating systems)

[jpak]

http://www.pressherald.com/news/how-it-works-wind-wont-blow-all-the-time-even-in-maine-winter_2011-01-09.html

The concept of heating with the wind, and reducing Maine's dependence on imported oil, is an appealing one. But it's not as simple as hooking up homes to spinning turbines. The Highland Wind project offers a glimpse of how the proposal would work technically, and also a sense of its limitations.

Highland Wind LLC is offering residents of Highland Plantation $6,000 grants for energy options that include the installation of electric thermal storage heaters. The heaters are common in Europe and some American states. Their insulated cabinets are packed with dense, ceramic bricks that absorb electric heat during off-peak hours, when power is less expensive, then release it with the help of a thermostat and blower.

As an incentive, Highland Wind will provide the power at a cost that equals heating oil at $1.15 a gallon. That's a steep discount from market prices.

Highland Wind is a subsidary of Brunswick-based Independence Wind, led by former Gov. Angus King and Rob Gardiner, a past president of the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. King and Gardiner see the integration of wind and heat as a good match for Maine. The strongest winter winds blow at night, when the regional grid has excess capacity. Winter also is when Maine has its highest demand for electricity, they point out.

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When heating oil hits $4+ a gallon (again) folks will be falling all over themselves to sign up for this....and it's cheaper than wood pellets too.

[madokie]

1. That would be good

Cheaper than wood pellets. Been heating with wood pellets since the winter of '91-'92 so I'm interested in anything that would be cheaper to heat with than that. We're currently spending around 4 to 5 hundred bucks a winter on heat as it is now.

[kristopher]

2. This is a great example of how storage is being conceptualized

Far too many people have difficulty escaping from the general concepts associated with our current large-scale centralized thermal system.

As can be seen, in a distributed grid, end-user storage will take many forms. Another example of such problem solving is the V2G system for automobiles.

[joshcryer]

3. Unclear to me if you need one for each room of your house or what.

I do like the free electricity giveaway and I'd jump on that in a heartbeat. Love it when the wind industry bends over for the plebs.

[jpak]

4. It's a central heating unit - and will displace lots of heating oil consumption if widely adopted

More wind projects in Maine should be promoting these gadgets.

yup