[ristad]

Oops! Sorry I meant 150 ft. This is for a micro-hydro fed by 2″ dia. pipe from a small creek and used to supply electricity for an entire house (15-20 kw). The actual formula is:

P = 9.8 x Q x H x e, where P = power in kw, Q = Flow rate in m3/s, H = head in meters and e = efficiency, which is around 50-70%.

The larger the pipe the less head you need but the cost increases. Don’t forget the water has to go somewhere after passing through the generator.

Edited on May 26, 2008 13:07

Edited on May 26, 2008 13:09

[ristad]

I use solar and wind power for cellular telephone repeaters and wireless Internet access points and have done quite a bit of research on all types of alternative energy. This is what I have found:

– Solar power is still prohibitively expensive. I use it on my cell and wireless Internet repeaters because these are located on hill tops where it would be very expensive to run a/c power lines. Solar panels only generate electricity during daylight hours and generate little or no electricity when it is cloudy.

– Wind power is viable only in a few select locations. A typical small wind turbine requires a minimum wind speed of 12 mph in order to generate any electricity.

– Micro hydro is by far the cheapest source of electricity and it generates electricity 24 hours a day. It requires a creek, stream or river approximately 150 meters higher in elevation than the generator.

Nearly everybody living in Costa Rica should have a solar hot water heater. I’ve seen people who got their hot water from a coiled garden hose on the roof. A batch solar hot water heater is cheap and easy to construct. It consists of a water tank in an insulated box with plexiglass top and side. The radiate energy from the sun passes through the plexiglass and heats the water in the tank and the insulated box prevents the convective heat from escaping. The only limitation is that you may not get much hot water until late morning or early afternoon but it can be tied in with a conventional tank or tankless hot water heater and save quite a bit of electricity.

[ristad]

I imported my used Jeep Cherokee a couple of years ago. Cost $495 to ship from Tampa to Limon, which includes all the paperwork. Shipping costs about the same from Miami. Costs more if you want to ship it in a container.

Tip #1: Remove your radio. Otherwise it will probably get stolen.
Tip #2: Get a Costa Rican customs broker to handle getting it through Costa Rican customs.

It costs me $5,500 for the car (book value was around $8,000) and $6,400 for customs.

You can buy a new car in Costa Rica much cheaper than buying in the U.S. and importing it yourself.

I would never buy a used car in Costa Rica. Costa Rican dealers buy high milage used cars at auctions in Tampa, cars U.S. dealer won’t touch. Discovered this when I went shopping for a used car for a friend. I wrote down the VIN’s at the cars we looked at a checked them out with Carfax.

Pro of buying a new car in Costa Rica is that is the most economical.
Con of buying a new car in Costa Rica is the high cost of insurance and the difficulty of getting paid if the car is in an accident or is stolen. Most people in Costa Rica don’t have auto insurance. I don’t, although I do carry the the towing insurance. $52/yr and well worth it.

RonR

[Author]

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