Janie McGhee Builds State’s First Home Hybrid Power-Generating System
Amit Chowdhry | Wednesday April 22, 2009 | 536 views| Add a Comment
In Clare County, Michigan, resident Janie McGhee is working on a project that involves making her home solar and wind powered. “If I don’t have wind, I have sun,” stated McGhee. “If I don’t have sun, I have wind.”
McGhee hopes that this will help her save money on her Consumers Energy electric bill. The whole system is costing her about $20,000 to have installed. The home is a 900 sq. ft. log cabin.
Contractors Building Supply in Copemish, MI is making the project a reality. There is a 1.2 kilowatt WindSpire placed on top of a 30 foot pole near the home. There is also a 1,000-watt ground-mounted solar array. The wind turbine was made by Mariah Power in Manistee, MI.
A solar water heater was installed last year in the home and it cut McGhee’s electric bills in half. The hybrid power-generating system owned by McGhee is believed to be the first in Michigan. Although the cost of the solar system and WindSpire was $20,000, the purchases are eligible for 30% federal tax credit. McGhee believes it will pay for itself in about 15 years.
[via MLive]
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