Better Farming - August 2016

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Better Farming August 2016 Farm News First > 51
HOWITWORKS
vania. They milked almost 1,000
cows each day. At that time they
generated all of their electrical energy
using biogas. Their success was based
on the fact that they milked 20 hours
each day and spent the other four
doing cleanup.
Attempts to use biogas in Ontario
to generate electrical power on the
farm was thwarted at that time by the
fact that Ontario Hydro would only
pay one cent per kWh for power
inputted to its system. Storing biogas
for use as needed on the farm was not
practical or safe.
Phantom power usage
Hydro One notes these are the
energy uses by electronic devices that
are on standby but not in actual use.
This usage is nominal when com-
pared to other standby uses. For
example, when working in the shop I
would hear the air compressor start,
run for a few minutes and stop when
full pressure was restored. I could not
hear or establish any air leakage.
However, I soon found the automat-
ic/on switch and started to use it
regularly to provide compressed air
only when needed. I do not have
power usage figures available, but I
am convinced reducing the starting
and stopping of the two-horsepower
motor has made my efforts very
profitable.
Implications of a pricey power grid
With on-peak power costs of 17.5
cents per kWh, before the delivery
charges are added, it becomes very
clear that many larger electrical
power users will be generating their
own power or face going out of
business.
Just recently, I was talking to a
long-time friend who is a Hydro One
residential customer. He showed me
the “Home Energy Report” that he
was getting from Hydro One. It gives
him a “monthly neighbour compari-
son” of 100 neighbors who are not
individually identified. His rating was
good (in the centre slot) but stated
that he used 38 per cent more
electricity than his “efficient
neighbours.” The year-long graphic
comparisons were also very interest-
ing, telling him that he used 60 per
cent more electrical energy than his
“efficient neighbours.”
Do you all remember when
George Orwell wrote about “Big
Brother” watching? My friend
assured me that he was going to
continue to use his outdoor hot tub.
In an earlier article I noted a
constant velocity transmission had
been developed that would permit an
engine to slow down when driving an
electrical generator that must be
driven at a constant speed to main-
tain the frequency of 60 HTZ or
cycles per second. The present high
cost of electrical energy during the
day might well bring on-site electrical
generation to many farm and com-
mercial power users in Ontario. I, for
one, will be watching for the commer-
cial production of this type of
generating unit. BF