KEETF Green Tour

On Sunday I took a tour of four alternative energy installations in Kent, CT. The tour included an institutional geothermal system, a grid tied photovoltaic system, a grid tied wind turbine system and an off grid photovoltaic, battery bank system. Despite the foul weather (constant rain mixed with snow) the tour was well attended and I was able to take some quick photos:

The geothermal system turned out to be at the South Kent School. Pictured above are the twelve "loops" that lead out underground to the geothermal wells. Aside from this the interior components don't look much different from standard HVAC ducts etc.


The first residence I visited had a grid tied 3.8 KW photovoltaic system that provided 85% of the electrical load for this house. Not too shabby for cloudy Connecticut.


The next grid tied system I viewed was a vertical axis 1 kw wind turbine. This was installed less than a week ago so no performance record was available.


The grid tied systems always include an interior CL&P meter.


North east corner of the off-grid home. Note how the north wall is largely below grade. This house is .6 miles away from the grid; the PV system really paid off here.




The 240 volt inverter, charge controller, battery bank, etc. Note the "on demand" water heater as well. This system provides about 60 amps of power and is backed up by a propane generator if needed.