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2008 Minnesota Solar Tour
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Project
Licht 'n Stein
100 Hidden Valley Drive
Lanesboro, MN 55949
 
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Project Licht 'n Stein is an off-the-grid,
off-the-furnace, off-the-well year-round residence in southeastern
Minnesota with a wind generator and photovoltaic cells with batteries,
passive solar design with radiant heating and rainwater harvesting.
Call it a Passive House, call it a Green House — this is not
your father's off-the-grid cabin. Rather, Project Licht 'n Stein
is a house with a modern design and 21st Century amenities like
wireless Internet, a whole-house audio system, a dishwasher, washing
machine, garage door openers and a (planned) home theater with a
120" projection screen. Yet the house does not need any fossil
fuels (like coal, oil, or gas) for its electricity or heating. In
fact, as energy prices are increasing at a rate of about 10% per
year, this house will save about $300,000 in utility bills over
the next 25 years when compared to an average American household.
System Components
    
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1 kW Bergey XL.1 wind generator
on 85-foot tower |
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1.2 kW solar PV array on top of pole mount
(in planning/construction) |
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33 kWh Solar Hup battery |
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Outback inverter |
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Solar hot water system with two 40-square-foot
panels for domestic hot water and radiant in-floor heat (in
construction) |
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Takagi on-demand tankless water heater |
Additional Sustainable Features
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Passive solar design |
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Masonry stove |
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Rainwater collection with 7,500-gallon
cistern |
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100%-recycled plastic decking with aluminum
and steel cable railing |
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ICF construction with Icynene and cellulose
insulation |
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Fibercement siding |
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Milk and clay paint |
Designer/Engineer
Christian Milaster
Installer
Christian Milaster and Dennis Pottratz
Date of Installation Completion
November 2005–August 2006
System Cost, Payback, and Financial Incentives
Utilized
Electrical: $25,000
Solar Hot Water: $5,000
Percentage of Total Energy Needs Delivered
100%
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