Windmills Solar Panels and Propane Power
When we came to this ranch 5.5 years ago, we had no electricity. Of course, being 30+ miles to the closest electric pole had something to do with that. But we had no solar power either. Now we didn’t have to carry water or use an outhouse. A windmill pumps water to a storage tank as long as the wind blows and water gravity flows to the barn, bunkhouse, and cabin. Plus we have a propane tank that gets filled about twice a year. So we had propane heated hot water, propane fridge, and cooked on a propane stove. We still cook on propane and use propane to heat our water- but with an on-demand, efficient water heater now. We still fire up the old pot belly wood stove when it gets cold.
But we got solar panels after 18 months! We really thought that was the best thing since sliced bread – we still think so. Now we have a solar tracker with panels and an ELECTRIC refrigerator – even a small freezer. Doug and I were like kids in a candy store – flipping lights off/on and dancing a jig!
My mother used to always wake up if the power went off in the night. I never understood how she would wake up when no lights were on anyway. Now I know. Electricity is noisy. With no electric appliances, all we would hear at night was wind or maybe coyotes. The noise from that electric refrigerator was huge after 18 months of no electric. Funny how you never notice that when you are used to electric appliances.
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