About BECO - Who am I

Beginning in 1982, as I am recovering from an automobile accident, I have the great amount of time to infer vast amount of written information pertaining to energy consumption in the United States.

From the statistics for present consumption to predictions of future environmental inadaptability and, the possible interruptions of the supply of imported fossil fuels, added to my want to disconnect myself from my demand of fossil fuels.

In the later part of the Seventies I tied my income generation in the service industry. The economy of the United States is recovering from an interruption of oil supply from the Middle East.

The majority of my income at that time is dependant on transporting myself and equipment to and from the demand. Conservation of gasoline and heating fuel oil is the only option available to remain economically viable to the consumers.

President James Earl Carter is the first Leader of this country to make his constitutes aware that our demands of energy supplies are dangerous as well as unobtainable.

President Carter is the first to state that our fossil fuel economy is antiquated because our land mass does not supply the fuels that propel it. The President’s proposal to change the fossil economy to a solar economy is challenged by the mainstream economists as non workable.

Then to further add doubt to publics’ perception of President Carter the Main Stream media portrayed the President as a backwoods hillbilly with a beer brewing brother.

The majority of the local population where I lived complaint feverishly about the prices they had to pay for the fossil fuels. A handful of enterprising businesses began offering solar heating along with updating insulation of the postwar housing that neglected conserving energy.

I purchased a new wood burning stove to replace the fifties’ oil burner that supplied heated air to the house I was living at the time. The house I was living at the time is rented so it wasn’t pragmatic to update the structure’s conditioned air retaining.

The beginning of a solar economy is brick walled by a Presidential election. During the election campaign President Carter faced oppositions from main stream economists predicting that abandoning the fossil fuel economy will destroy the economy.

President Carter also needed to refute actuations that he and his family are back woods hillbillies. With the personal attacks on the President’s family and associates the media framed President Carter as incapable of directing our country in energy policy.

The Republican Party sought a recognizable man to run against President Carter. Enter Governor Ronald Reagan of California. Being a star of B-movies during the sixties Reagan is the most representing of the John Wayne “go forth and conquer” motif.

The day President Ronald Reagan ordered the Solar Panels powering the White House removed is the day I lost all belief that our Federal Government is working for the betterment of the people.

Although I am aware of my reliance on fossil fuels I still need, as every one, to acquire capital to live in the land of plenty.

I took my service business to Denver in an attempt to have access to oil supplies. After a couple of months in Denver I returned home for a wedding celebration.

Next thing I awake to is being hospitalized. I’m told I was in an automobile accident. The accident caused traumatic head injuries that physically disabled me.

From that point all I could do without physical abilities is read. And read I did. Natural sciences, biology, physics, philosophies and many writings pertaining to energy production is what I inferred.

Not being formally educated in liberal arts I decided to attend a state university. After the first two years of the University I inferred the State operated learning system as the means to keep the populace locked into a consumption mode.

After six years of liberal arts study I knew my employment opportunities are limited to working for the government. That was the only possibility for a physically limited person because of insurance liability.

I did not want to be part of the problem.

My physical disabilities are lessened by therapy and self directed exercise. I still wanted to do without but sustaining me is a priority.

My liberal arts enlightenment allowed me to invest many hours attending Appropriate Energy classes. I bought four fifty watt solar panels, a 1000 watt electric current inverter a deep cycle storage battery and constructed my first solar energy system.

Over the years I added four more 50 watt photovoltaic panels, 4000 watt inverter and 300 amp hour of storage. Within the past six years I put up a tip-down tower nesting a 1000 watt small wind turbine.

To sum up the solar electric capabilities I operate: 400 watts of photovoltaic, 1000 watt wind turbine, 4000 watt inverter, 300 amp hour storage and energy shed.

The energy shed is an eight foot by twelve foot windowless, hip roofed building built to the State of Minnesota’s Building Codes in 1998. I added reflective corner energy deflectors; or aluminum foil positioned under the plastic moisture shield.

Without windows the energy shed maintained a seventy degree Fahrenheit 24 hour average. The energy shed, during the extremes of Mid Minnesota’s winter, keeps the batteries warm via “Burning” the extra current delivered to the batteries- above the holding capacity of the batteries, and through inductive heating the excess electric power is returned to another form of electricity; heat.

Understanding the parameters of the electrical theory: watts, amps, volts and the abilities of various environmental conditions, is needed to understand controlling electrical power production.

I designed a tip-down tower that does not require welding of the schedule 40 water pipe. I have assembled three towers using this plan.

Once while away from the wind turbine a wind storm began blowing in from the southwest. The local news media reported 45-55 mile per hour wind gusts.

The 87’ foot tip down wiggled and contorted. The twelve 3/8” guy wires along with the joint pipe connecters made the tower look as if a hoopla dancer where in motion.

From witnesses from the nearby bus repair garage the wind was picking up and throwing debris from all around my turbine-tower but failed to trouble the tower’s function.

A quarter mile away from my turbine a man set up water pumping wind mill as a decorative yard ornament. His tower, which I thought was more durable than the single pole tip-down tower I designed, twisted and contorted to its demise.

This one weather actuated stress is not an absolute verification that my towers design is the best but; the stresses the wind can produce on a single pipe tower needs support from the guy wires with resistance in travel the pipe joint connectors provided.

I also salvaged a complete solar domestic hot water production system from new home buyers that purchase a well-to-do suburban home that the original owner installed a solar hot water system as a tax break.

All the pumps and regulators and controls worked to specifications. The four two feet by eight foot collectors will provide enough BTUs for a conservative family of four.

The success of both wind and sun energy production depend on location without wind stream obstacles, such as trees, buildings or even corn stalks. Even partial sun blockages from nearby tress greatly reduce energy generating capacity with solar radiation.

From the many years building and operating my energy production machinery, and through listening and conversing with others about the production hindrances and capabilities of appropriate energy they operate, I can’t understand why more people with enough land mass to implement wind power or with south facing building roof space do not generate their own energy.

People that state that the price of alternative energy exceeds a reasonable “Pay back”; need to remember that the prices we pay per kilowatt hour of electricity do not cover the externalities such as; carbon dioxide, sulfuric acid, etc. Those externalities are costing all of us; not now but later.

There is much more information one should know about the capacities and hindrances providing energy derived from the sun and wind but to know more you need to ask.

Today with the U.S. Army battling with supposed terrorist in a foreign country that does not have any other national resource but oil and, with the major investors wanting to recover their moneys from the infrastructures to recover the oil from the earth in Iraq, is it any wonder that the U.S. ordered the Armed Forces gain control in Iraq. I can hear our Leader state in a television broadcast that “…it’s not about oil.”

Delivering electric current on a massive scale such as our existing electrical grid system is the most efficient electric power distribution ever. Yet the efficiencies in the grid system are mainly in how the consumer receives it. But the inefficiencies far out weight the economic efficiencies of delivering electric power.

Most electric power is produced via combustion. Burn Technologies is what powers our industries today. The machine is to the heart as the oil is to blood of our bodies. The giant electric turbines that supply your electric energy require steam.

Steam is boiled water vapor boiling water requires heat; Lots of heat. The steam then contains the heat required to boil it. This energy is distending to rise as fast and furious as the laws of physics predicted.

The force and speed of the heated water vapor in huge proportions push against the wheels that drive the turbines. The inefficiency of electric generation via fossil fuels is the release of the combustion by-products.

Incorporating a small wind turbine and/or photovoltaic to your home or business will assure that you continue producing via electric current when the old grid system collapses or the lakes and water ways become ecologically inhabitable to our own food and the powers that be order disconnection of all small electric users because oxygen to breath is of such low value that people are dropping dead.

The last statement may appear extreme but look at our present clear skies. Remember the Sky Blue? It’s not blue anymore it’s gray - blue. Just look...