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Early American Mill c.1806/34, Includes dam, 4.6 acres and new studio/shop.
A unique water front real estate opportunity.
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For many years we thought about generating our own power and for a time were involved in the engineering and construction of other small hydro projects.
At the time it was a big expense to setup and a Federal license was required which would require public hearings, review and requirements by the Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife and other environmental groups.
Couple the costs, paperwork and general aggravation with what could be seasonal generation and it was just not a cost effective thing to do.
In fact the constant paperwork and changing environmental burden has put most commercial small hydro out of business.
The GOOD NEWS: There are now new renewable energy incentives in the State of Virginia that let small domestic producers to bank their power with the utility.
There are two classes, residential and commercial. A residential producer is allowed to make 10 kw and a commercial producer 500 Kw.
This is the capacity of your generator that can run 24 hours a day 365 days a year. There is no license required.
The only stipulation is that the wiring meet the national electrical code and 30 days notice is given to the utility prior to making the interconnect.
For specifics see:
DESIRE ORG
DESIRE ORG: VA Interconnect Standards
DESIRE ORG: VA Net Metering Rules
How it works:
Your generation system (wind, solar or hydro) is connected to the power grid via a safety interconnect switch.
When you use power it goes through the meter turning it one direction, when you MAKE more power than you use the meter turns the other.
In some situations the utility puts in two separate meters and does the math. The important thing is the system is called a NET system and there is no difference in the value of the power used and the power generated.
In effect you are getting retail price for your power.
The power company does not pay you for power you generate but you can use the power company like a big storage battery to store or "bank" your power.
For most domestic users 10Kw production for 5-10 days will cover a month of heating or cooling, cooking and running a lot of lighting and appliances.
After that the power is all excess. This excess is "banked" by the utility as a credit in kilowatt hours.
If you generate power for 30 days and only use 10 days worth then you are ahead of your utility bill for the next two months!
With this system you can be an unreliable or seasonal generator and still break even at the end of the year.
With small hydro you often have down time during high water and low.
But as long as you have four months of generation at 10Kw you would have no electric bill even with high use.
You also so not need to be 100% self reliant, going without power when your equipment is down.
Leaning on the Grid:
Now this is the beauty of the thing.
The complicated and expensive part of making electricity for yourself is regulating the voltage, keeping a constant frequency and absorbing sudden loads.
But when you "lean on the grid" all this is done by the power company! All you do is make power and PUSH.
However, if your put a high load on your system OR your generator quits the the power company keeps things steady.
The cost advantage of leaning on the grid is that a simple induction motor is all that is required for a generator.
You do not need to control the voltage or RPM. You simply adjust your system to make as much power as it can safely.
Hydropower at the Old Mill:
We have observed the water flow at the mill for over 20 years and determined that it could easily power a 12' or 14" turbine for most of the year.
Historically the mill operated on two Fitz water wheels that drained the pond in the summer. The mill has 15 feet of head.
Running steady state a 6HP (5kw) turbine could be run year round or a 10Hp (9kw) turbine at full capacity in fall, winter and spring.
9kw x 24 hrs = 216kwh.
10 days = 2,160 kwh.
30 days = 6,480 kwh.
Our average electric bill for heating and cooling the mill and shop/office was about 3200 kwh or about $250/month.
So it would take 6 months under the current conditions to generate enough power at this location to break even.
The cost savings at current retail power rates would be about $3000/yr.
This all assumes power usage at the current rate. With more efficient insulation or a heat pump the need would be less.
However there is also excess so that more power could be used with no extra cost.
The site also has the capacity to run a larger turbine to meet peak demands.
OTHER INCENTIVES:
The State and Federal government both have grants, incentives and tax benefits for renewable energy resources including hydropower.
One Virginia program offers up to 25% or a maximum of $750,000 of the construction costs.
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