Had an idea earlier today... I guess I had it first when I was in the tub, maybe one of those crazy idea/"Eureka" thingees that some Greek guy had once upon a time. My understanding is, ya got to have lots of ideas. The tricky part is to separate out the good ideas from the bad/dumb ideas (most ideas are bad/dumb). And no, it's a bit too chilly - read "bloody cold" - to run naked all the way to Syracuse NY at the moment.
Re an "ES Investor Club".
I am currently in the process of restoring an old, unused wooden shed (see above). My intention is to use that old garage as a "drop in" center for ebike folks (and the ebike curious) in the east end of Toronto. Sorta close to downtown, really close to Lake Ontario (in the summer, the lake makes for a really big "pool"), and also close to that annual International Ebike Uphill Challenge/Race thingee.
I'd also like to have classes (guest instructors) in ebike care and feeding, riding safety, converting an ("antique"?) pedal-only bicycle/trike to electric assist, etc, etc.
But the garage currently has no "hydro" (no nuclear/hydro etc electricity supplied). Think heat and light, recharging/repairs to electric vehicles, searchlight shone into the air at night as a beacon, etc, etc.
So I need a couple of things. At first, at least a way to generate electricity, plus some way to store it for later use.
And yeah, I know about that yummy silicone dioxide stuff (think photovoltaic cells/panels. Yes ladies, there ARE other uses for sillycone!). But being an old half dead white sailor guy currently stuck onshore on the hard, my thoughts lean towards windmills (I blame the Dutch), and wind vane/generators. And to store the "energy" produced as electricity, good old lead and diluted sulfuric acid (thank you, Monsieur Gaston Planté). Not EVen the "absorbed glass mat" or "valve regulated lead-acid" varments, but the raw, sorta tricky stuff (the garage is already sorta well "ventilated", with holes in the roof and no door on the front "door").
So I am currently "in the market" for at least a wind genny, plus some lead-acid batts. And I am leaning towards Surrette Rolls for batts. Maybe a string of six volters strung together to up the volts to maybe 48. But this is kinda "rich" for my budget right now (it's been a looong time since I had to live waaay below the "poverty line", courtesy the Ontario Disability Support "Plan").
But watt if an "ES Investment Club" were to buy memberships in the Toronto Electric Riders Assoc. (a Canadian federally chartered Not-for-Profit corp, aka "TERA", not to be confused with TERRA), and TERA were to keep track of the money and buy this stuff? For the use of THEIR Members (and TERA guests). Ultimately to promote electric traction (primarily the EPAC or pedelec in Europe, in Canada and most provinces, including Ontario, the "power-assisted bicycle", both two and three wheeled) to folks in North America (things are a bit "sticky" at the moment for the "ebike" in cities like Toronto and NYC, etc).
If my whole little experiment "goes south", the wind generator and lead-acid batts, PV panels etc could be sold off as "slightly used".
Just ONE annual membership in TERA right now costs $25 (Beaver Bucks) as I recall. We might expect regular reporting from the TERA Treasurer (I myself am immediate past Treas of TERA. Only stepped aside "for health reasons"), and dozens or hundreds of TERA folks are welcome to drop by anytime to check on our/their investment. Get a free recharge, etc.
Does this idea EVen sound plausible? Usually this is the time for some folks to dream up the most unimaginable calamity. As "investments" go, I kinda hope at $25, is a tiny one for most. Would anyone here care to name how much they spent in lottery tickets this year just ending? And how much money they won?
For one local lottery, as I recall, if you were to put the odds of winning on a roulette wheel, it'd mean a wheel maybe 240 MILES IN DIAMETER. I would hope the odds/risk in an ebiker charge station/hangout (the first in a series?) are waaaay better for a "ticket" buyer? There IS a "down side", but it is kinda tiny?