Cost Efficient

Steam, as with other forms of alternate energy has its realm. Where steam excels above the other common systems, is in an application that requires large quantities of controllable, useable heat. Common applications that are just a few ways that a person could actually make quite a profit from a steam system include:

• Wood kilns and wood bending
• Food processing and refining, i.e. cooking, canning, making of vegetable byproducts
• Chemical refining such as the conversion of coal to alcohols, etc.
• Heating of dwellings and commercial buildings

All this of course requires also a certain amount of capital investment and this is another area that steam has an edge. A small steam system of up to 5,000 watts will cost $3-$5/watt. A system of 10-20,000 watts will cost $2-$3/watt. Larger systems are $1 or less per watt. And, good quality, used equipment costs much, much less! Compare that with solar cells ($9/watt) and wind ($2-$4/watt).

First of all, any form of alternate energy is going to require various amounts of your time and attention. Buying from the electric company means they do all the material handling of the energy and you simply use it. That suits most folks, but others may have a different agenda. Many people strive to achieve total freedom in their lives. Remember, you are not free until you are self-sufficient. Period. Since freedom is not free, be prepared to spend money, serious money, on your energy production and of course, be prepared to break a sweat now and then. Generally speaking, the less automatic and more labor intensive your resource handling is, the cheaper it will be. You will have to decide for yourself just how far you want to go and how much you will spend to get there.

Offered by Glenna.