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Old 07-03-2012, 03:25 PM   #17 (permalink)
NachtRitter
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jtbo -

Someone once said something to the effect of "If you think you can or if you think you can't, you are right."

I am sure if you really wanted to move somewhere with more sun and with warmer weather, you would be able to do it.

And there are other ways to generate electricity efficiently besides sunshine. As you mentioned, there is wind. Of course that is not always available. Another option that seems as if it could serve a dual purpose is biogas / syngas generation. This approach burns organic material (wood, for instance) under controlled conditions, with the byproduct being a flammable gas (syngas). The heat from the burning could be used to warm the home, and the syngas can be used to fuel an ICE or gas turbine generator.

One summer I went to visit my cousin living in Sweden near 65* latitude and I understand what you mean about the summer sun... it seems like the sun is a heavy ball that can't make it up into the sky... it climbs so slowly in the mornings and then drops slowly in the afternoon but never goes all the way down. To me, it seemed like it was always either time to have breakfast or time to have dinner... never time to sleep or time to do work.

Even so, I think there are options...
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