I have the overhead portion of my powerline for my spec house complete. 385 feet of 4/0 X 4 overhead quad cable and 6 utility poles total. It was quite a project winching the heavy cable up and lifting the cable up to the tops of the poles and connecting the hardware. (4/0 wire weighs about 1 pound per foot)
I connected one end to the first pole and hooked the truck to the other end and tightened it initially, then used a come-along to tighten it.
this if the last pole where the run will go underground to the house. I am using heavy rope attached to a come-along in the back of the truck to tension the cable:
this is the middle of the line in the swamp with the house slightly visible in the distance:
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here's the service pole I installed complete:
What's this "powerline" stuff, Perry? - I thought you were Mr. Off Grid...
Next project we want to see is sustainable off-grid power generation via organically grown sawdust and maple syrup 😉
Nah, hold that... waste of syrup. That's better used in ingestion and gastric generation of biological energy.
I don't think he's buying the power Dave, I think he's selling it;-)
Gunter
It doesn't take much research to determine that buying power from the grid is the cheapest way to go unless you are at a remote site where a grid connection is not cost-effective, like say; more than $20,000-$30,000).
The only Photovoltaics system that is (somewhat) cost-competitive is a grid-tied system and only because of the government incentives. (a grid-tied system needs no batteries)
I am still running the house on solar right now, but my current system puts out 1 KW-HOUR on a good day; about 18 cents worth of electricity. That's enough for a few lights, table saw & power tools, but forget about a fridge or a well pump.
I may still get a grid-tied inverter just to see the meter spin backwards but don't tell my power company.
You need some Kudzu growing on those poles.....I send some up...
D.I.Y. powerline
A few installers have a plan now whereby you can have a grid connected system installed for very little down, and then monthly payments which are often less than your current monthly electric bill. Any extra is sold back to the grid.
I believe Sun City is one such installer.
Looks like a real nice system.
Why did you choose not to use the trees to hang the wire on?
That was quite common in the rural area I grew up in, but there may be downsides I an unaware of.
