Resident of Palm Bay taps wind power to fight foreclosure
Terry Milam, a resident of Palm Bay is not to be deterred by either foreclosure or unemployment. He is tapping into unconventional sources of energy like wind an sun power to fight for survival. This feisty 35 year old is relying on a part time job as he cycles to work living without modern gadgets like microwave oven or refrigerator.
For six months he has been living without electric supply from the power grid. He has installed a water well and septic tank in the house where he has been living after buying it from his mother. He forced out bad tenants by breaking the electric meter but since then lacked the funds to get reconnected. Somehow scraping together money he has bought a 12 volt water pump and a set of solar panels. He then rewired the house to carry this current making use of a wind generator made from a ceiling fan.
Milam said, “Anywhere in my home if there’s light, I can switch on a light just like if I was on the grid, except my batteries supply all that power to the house”. According to his estimate the cost is below $1,000. He scraped together the dollars from unemployment cheques and a part time employment. Modest expenses included the buying of 12 volt appliances like some lights, a small sized fan, charger for cell phone and a small television set.
An antique stove (wooden) was gifted to him by a friend. With it he not only cooks food but heats up the house and gets hot water. The water bottle fitted to the stove allows the water to get heated when he lights the stove. This water passes through a pipe into a water heater for storage.
The owner of a small solar installation firm, Matthew Welch said that to switch off from the grid and not to suffer from any difference in supply of power is priced at $30,000. But anyone could start off with a single solar panel, one light bulb and a battery although it will not be any better than living in a tent. He explained that those without the grid supply have to be alert about their energy consumption because the supply is not unlimited. For instance if Milam uses up all three of his batteries he would have to wait for the wind to blow or the sun to come up to recharge these.
