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Author Topic: Power of the people: Solar farm helps individual investors Post a Reply Back to Topics
REPLIES (newest first)
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bcok
Champion Author Los Angeles

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:34:22 AM

Good stuff.
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must87searcher
Champion Author Maryland

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:31:10 AM

This solar farm is s sure making business.
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Mowerman08
Champion Author Milwaukee

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:21:39 AM

My have to take a road trip to Delavan.
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TXGasPriceSpy
Champion Author Fort Worth

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:16:32 AM

That's wonderful.
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Bald1usa
Sophomore Author District of Columbia

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:16:29 AM

That is the way it is supposed to be...PRIVATE investors...NOT paying foot loose and fancy free with our tax dollars. Bless those investors that take a chance and make money.

My feeling are that if it is a worthwhile, reliable, HAS a market, and can produce a profit; investors will flock to it, oh, btw they may make a dollar or two on it. Then again, they could lose. Government has NO business in the venture capital business. We have seen it fail time and time again.

Look at all the great industrialists of this country...they had a dream, invested in that dream, produced a product, and became RICH, without Government help.
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beck12j
All-Star Author Dayton

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:14:20 AM

thanks
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Colts13
All-Star Author Indiana

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:13:59 AM

ok
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el_fr
Champion Author Massachusetts

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:13:24 AM

That's nice
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hubcapLA
Champion Author Louisiana

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:12:14 AM

New approach
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KnoxGasPriceSpy
Champion Author Knoxville

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:10:51 AM

big cost...
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joezIN
Champion Author Gary

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:10:48 AM

real cool
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Charley_7
Veteran Author New York

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:10:26 AM

Great for the investors, not quite so sure for the electricity prices...
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dlzastera
Champion Author Minnesota

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:10:19 AM

How much???????????
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Bigtex09
Champion Author Dallas

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:09:58 AM

great
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amgine27
All-Star Author New York

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:09:14 AM

ok
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marlita
Champion Author Dayton

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:08:26 AM

Great, would love to have solar panels hooked up at my home.
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N5EXY
Champion Author Austin

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:07:01 AM

Solar and wind sounds like a bunch of hot air.
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wrunner
Champion Author Virginia

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:06:20 AM

Fascinating!
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Tundralimited2009
Champion Author Dallas

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:05:36 AM

Interesting
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APlus
Champion Author San Antonio

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:05:07 AM

Great when can I invest in these?
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Ron77095
Champion Author Houston

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:04:54 AM

meh.
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onegiraffeAL
All-Star Author Alabama

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:04:00 AM

ok
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aquarinut
Champion Author British Columbia

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:03:41 AM

From article: The brainchild of Convergence Energy of Lake Geneva, the networked solar farm has taken shape in the last couple of years as a green-power investment for people who want to invest in solar energy

From article: Depending on the specific investor agreement, the assets revert to Convergence at the end of either 11 or 20 years

Great investment... Pay lots, never own it and whoever the poor SOB that owns the land is TOTALLY screwed!!
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joel27nc
Champion Author Raleigh

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Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 12:01:14 AM

Interesting.
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pgerassi
Champion Author Milwaukee

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:58:22 PM

Solar just doesn't pay currently unless heavily subsidized.
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no8c
Champion Author Ohio

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:57:46 PM

Thanks for posting this article!
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Rooster922
Champion Author Wilmington

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:57:34 PM

Great, spread you knowledge around.
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ssect8
Champion Author Hartford

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:57:08 PM

Solar and wind are not the way of the future.
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915Chief
Champion Author San Diego

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:53:21 PM

still cost prohibitive....
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nztyraider
Champion Author Nevada

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:51:01 PM

Good for the investors but expensive for the buyers.
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chuckwthompson
Champion Author Charlotte

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:50:22 PM

Great if you own a farm!
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Mariuxus
Champion Author Chicago

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:47:38 PM

Good....but still too expensive...
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onegiraffeAL
All-Star Author Alabama

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:46:06 PM

ok
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Bonito
Champion Author Dayton

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:42:42 PM

Solar rocks but it needs to be made cheap and well!
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Blue_Cruzer
Champion Author Lexington

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:41:34 PM

Sounds good to me.
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momma2011MI
Rookie Author Michigan

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:41:30 PM

good, but there has been a lot of solar powered items being cought on firer.
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RAE344
Champion Author Virginia Beach

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:41:20 PM

That looks better then putting the solar cells on my roof.
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unicornpmb
Champion Author Buffalo

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:38:31 PM

This will be great once the cost comes down on solar power.
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TommyTraveler
Champion Author Cincinnati

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:37:31 PM

Good!
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firasatali
Champion Author Toronto

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:37:20 PM

ok
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30mpg80
Champion Author Lexington

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:36:45 PM

Go for it!
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SUPPER
Champion Author San Bernardino

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:35:57 PM

Green cost $$$$$
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NightBoy
Champion Author San Diego

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:34:50 PM

Saw some solar cars in the community...well, 1 solar car...not sure if it is "Highway-approved". Find it funny that now the electric companies want to charge solar households for NOT using their electricity...a surcharge to save energy use.
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Hoporrene
Veteran Author Mississippi

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:34:42 PM

We should have been thinking about going green in the 80's...but better late then sorry huh
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vtroger
Veteran Author Vermont

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:34:18 PM

Love solar farms...just put then in the middle of a field not roadside.
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Mnbncounter
Champion Author San Jose

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:32:48 PM

Excellent!!
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1momsunshine
Champion Author Ottawa

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:30:40 PM

good
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amerk73
Champion Author Dallas

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:28:12 PM

good project
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teafortwo
Champion Author Washington

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:27:30 PM


This is an intriguing project.

FROM THE ARTICLE:

The farm, which is now complete, is a series of 33 individual, limited liability companies. Each totals about 80 solar panels on three tracking towers that rotate to follow the sun from east to west. That generates about 30 percent more power than a more conventional system affixed atop a roof.

Each LLC produces up to 20 kilowatts of electricity, and the combined solar farm is the second-largest project in Wisconsin, trailing only the massive setup at Epic Systems' corporate campus in Verona.

It is the first in the state, however, to allow individual investors.

The first LLC went online in April 2010, while the last was finished just before Christmas 2011.

"We're now totally closed to new investors," Johnson said. "It was a combination of market demand, grants and incentives and the investors that led to this project.

"There seemed to be more interest toward the end of the cycle, and lots of folks were approaching us as we sold out."

Convergence Energy is a full-service provider of solar energy products, primarily focusing on every aspect of design, construction and administration. Based on a similar solar garden in Colorado, the Delavan project received funding from the state's Focus on Energy program, as well as money from the federal stimulus package.

At the farm, Convergence makes its money on the equipment and its installation. It became the first customer of Helios Solar Works, which opened last year in Milwaukee.

Depending on the specific investor agreement, the assets revert to Convergence at the end of either 11 or 20 years.

In the meantime, investors get quarterly checks for the power generated at the farm and sold to We Energies.

Johnson said individual investments ranged from $15,000 to $50,000, and investors can reasonably expect to recoup their investment in seven to 10 years. Beyond that, the quarterly checks are profit.

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HKL
All-Star Author Wilmington

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Message Posted: Feb 4, 2012 11:24:04 PM

ok
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