alternative fuel in west virginia

[laruemtt]

dh and i have been living in st. lucia for a year and will be returning to wv in august. i'd really like to gradually change our house over to solar power. does anyone know of any companies that do this for home use in wv?

i've also gotten spoiled with wireless internet down here. how is that going in wv now? any info you could supply will be greatly appreciated.

[Staph]

1. Don't know about the solar power issue.

But access to wireless internet is highly dependent on where you live. You're probably going to have to get your internet access at home via the local cable or telephone company. Where are you moving to?

[laruemtt]

2. back to huntington.

where are you? it's beautiful down here in st. lucia but i really miss the seasons. i keep dreaming how wonderful it will be when wv is all solar, windmill, ethanol, people powered - anything but king coal powered! gotta believe it can and will happen.

[Lasher]

3. Internet access

I think you're talking about wireless in your home and not satellite internet. That's easy to set up, just take your stuff with you when you go to Huntington.

If I were you I would check out to see if Verizon's ADSL is available. It probably is if you're going to be living within 3 miles or so of one of the city's central offices. It's probably the cheapest high speed internet service you can get. If you're not going to be in an area that is served by ADSL, then I would go for a cable modem. That's what I have.

When the tech comes by to hook up your ADSL or cable modem you can probably con them into setting up your wireless connection. If not, they will know who you can call for assistance with that. But like I said, it's not that hard to set up so you might be able to do that yourself if you can't sweet talk the Verizon or cable tech into doing it.

I do know one thing about solar energy here in WV. We get very few days of direct sunlight, compared with all other states, so it might not be such a good idea here.

[laruemtt]

4. thanks lasher.

how are you guys standing the heat this summer? i can't believe how how i'm hearing it is. yeah, there's no global warming.......

thanks again for the suggestions. the DSL sounds good. my favorite word: cheap!

[Lasher]

5. The heat's not so bad

I worked in my garden yesterday during the hottest part. I think it was 95. My secret is plenty of ice cold beer.

[laruemtt]

6. that's reassuring to hear.

never underestimate the value of ice cold beer!

[hollowdweller]

7. Solar in WV.

I have some friends that run solar. They can run a small fridge in summer but overall in winter the light is low you are down to running household lighting and the computer.

Huntington is a cool city. I live abt 30 min away and go down there on occasion though I work in Charleston.

[laruemtt]

8. interesting to hear huntington

being called a 'cool city'! actually, i like it too. but i also think it would be pretty cool to be a hollowdweller ;=)

[Lasher]

9. Alternative Energy Sources on the Rise

There is no doubt that everyone is feeling the impact of energy costs, more especially gasoline and diesel fuels. There doesn’t seem to be any end in sight to the soaring petroleum prices, and everyone is looking at alternate fuels.

We are trying to do our part here in West Virginia to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by making biodiesel fuel available at the Inwood Farmers’ Market in Berkeley County (see full story on page 6). Biodiesel is derived from soybean oil and is an additive to diesel fuel, usually an 80/20 mix. It is available in 55-gallon barrels or lesser amounts. Our supply is coming from a plant in the Richmond, Virginia, area and the Inwood Market has already sold about 1,000 gallons in the one month it has been offered.

There are considerable mechanical advantages to using biodiesel fuel. In addition to extending fuel, it also acts as a natural engine detergent and extends the life of engines.

http://www.wvagriculture.org/market_bulletin/Market%20Bulletin%20Articles.htm

Also at the above link, at the bottom of the page:

FUEL OF THE FUTURE COMES TO WEST VIRGINIA . . . BIODIESEL

With no end in sight to soaring petroleum prices, Americans are seeking an alternative fuel source that will cut dependence on foreign oil. Preferably, that alternative will also be renewable, produce fewer emissions and generate just as much power as petroleum. Oh – and it should also work better than petroleum in the vehicles we already drive, without major modifications or having to develop new modes of transportation.

[laruemtt]

10. do you know what kind of

modifications need to be done to cars to get them to run on biodisel? i'm clueless. also have a 91 mazda, 75,000 miles, and would like to hold onto it - hate car payments. any way for an older car like that to be modified? thanks.

[Lasher]

12. My new truck came with a flexible fuel engine

I've not so far used anything but gasoline in it but it's supposed to be able to handle alternative fuel. I like to keep a vehicle a long time too. I just had to get rid of my '88 chevy pickup this year.

I don't know if it's practical to modify a vehicle like you asked.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

11. There's a significant move toward wind power here, too,

although some phoney enviros from Greenbrier County are trying to keep it from happening. They keep moaning about their "viewscape" on a site that you actually have to search for to see.

My money says Big Coal is behind the opposition. The Dealer never wants the Junkie to get clean, y'know?

Of course, the astroturf enviros in Greenbrier can always have Mountain Top Removal instead . . .