Posts belonging to Category 'Solar Panel Inverter'

Nuclear power is not needed.Solar Panel Inverter design

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Some of you say that nukes will supply ‘more’ power than Renewable sources will. need THAT much power. Renewable energy sources can provide all the power that humanity needs,Solar Panel Inverter design and when enough renewable energy collectors are built to supply all of that power we will simply not need Nuclear Energy anymore. I went looking around and I found a wonderful site that has a lot of good information about PV. You have probably heard of this organization before it is called: THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY!!! **background trumpets** You can find their PV division here: http://www.eren.doe.gov/pv/ I READ THROUGH ALMOST THEIR ENTIRE PV DIVISION AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO ALSO. these are a few highlights I found there: Each second, the sun releases an enormous amount of radiant energy into the solar system. The Earth receives a tiny fraction of this energy; still, an average of 1367 watts (W) reaches each square meter (m2) of the outer edge of the Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere absorbs and reflects some of this radiation, including most X-rays and ultraviolet rays. Still, the amount of sunshine energy that hits the surface of the Earth every minute is greater than the total amount of energy that the world’s human population consumes in a year! PV modules covering 0.3% of the land in the United States, one-fourth the land occupied by roadways, could supply all the electricity consumed here.Solar Panel Inverter design The combined efforts of industry and the Department of Energy have reduced PV system costs by more than 300% since 1982. The PV market is estimated to be growing at 20% per year today. The number of U.S. companies producing PV panels has doubled since the late 1970s to about 20 today. *(Research projections from the DoE predict a further 10 fold decrease in PV costs in the next 25 years (It was on their site))* The cost of larger PV systems (greater than 1 kW) is measured in “levelized” costs per kWh–the costs are spread out over the system lifetime and divided by kWh output. The levelized cost is now about $0.25 to $0.50/kWh. At this price, PV is cost effective for residential customers located farther than a quarter of a mile from the nearest utility line. Reliability and lifetime are steadily improving; PV manufacturers guarantee their products for up to 20 years. OFFICIAL NAME: United States of America CAPITAL: Washington DC SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: Federal Multiparty Republic AREA: 9,372,608 Sq Km (3,618,784 Sq Mi) *(0.3%=28117.824sq mi would equal a space 167.683-mi by 167.683-mi OR less then 3.5sq mi per state.)* ESTIMATED 2000 POPULATION: 271,290,000 The conversion efficiency of a PV cell is the proportion of sunlight energy that the cell converts to electrical energy. This is very important when discussing PV devices, because improving this efficiency is vital to making PV energy competitive with more traditional sources of energy (e.g., fossil fuels). Naturally, if one efficient solar panel can provide as much energy as two less-efficient panels, then the cost of that energy (not to mention the space required) will be reduced. For comparison, the earliest PV devices converted about 1%-2% of sunlight energy into electric energy. Today’s PV devices convert 7%-17% of light energy into electric energy. *(This means “”WHEN”" efficiency levels reach 20-35% the us will need only 0.15% surface area to power the entire US)* Most importantly, many renewable energy sources, such as wind power and solar thermal, are already cheaper than conventional fuels– even though the price of fossil fuels and nuclear power does not reflect their full environmental and economic costs. Many of these renewable energy options can be designed, built, and exploited locally and at less costs than conventional systems. They contribute significantly to national economies because they exploit indigenous labour and materials. In Kenya more rural households obtain their electricity from solar energy than from the official policy of grid extension. The European Commission’s ‘Power for the World Program’ (a global photo voltaic action plan) estimates that providing solar electricity to a billion people in the developing world would cost $60 billion ($3 billion a year for 20 years). This is only 3% of annual energy investments in developing countries and less than 0.5% of current military expenditure. **(This says “”DEVELOPING”" countries annual energy investments. That means it would equal even less than that % for developed countries. Let me do a little math here: if $60 billion=1 billion people when 6 billion people would mean 6*60=$360 billion. Round it up to $400 to be sure. This means $20 billion a year for 20 years and the entire worlds population can be living off of Solar power, and believe me $20 billion is chump change to the ENTIRE world’s economic markets)** http://www.nrel.gov/ncpv/powerout.html http://www.nrel.gov/ncpv/spectrocell.html http://www.eren.doe.gov/pv/ Building Opportunities in the United States for Photovoltaics. Buildings use about two-thirds of the electricity generated in the United States. There is also a great deal of space on the roofs and walls of these buildings that could support PV generation capacity. According to one study, between 270 and 320 megawatts of PV would be cost-effective on buildings at a system cost of $3000 per kilowatt. Incorporating PV into buildings at the design and construction stage lowers costs and increases the value of the electricity generated. Although BOS components (such as inverters, batteries, support structures, junction boxes, and control systems) represent just half the cost of PV systems, they are responsible for as much as 99% of system failure and repair problems. The goal here is to increase the efficiency of these components, increase their reliability through optimized designs, and reduce their costs through mass production. Solar Panel Inverter design

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Renweables except hydro can only provide a maximum of 6% of the gloabl power load, hydro could give us another 5% at best. You are not going to be able to save enough power to get by using only those power sources,Solar Panel Inverter design what about all those people in the third world, do you think they will be content to live like they are forever becasuse we want to save power? Do you think that a person who can only just live would be offended by you saying that they will have to do with less? Do you think those yet to be born would like to grow up in a world where they can only use their computer 15 minutes per day and can’t have an conditioner in a hot climate just to save power? People wont stand for it and most people would rather build nuclear plants then try to save power. Solar Panel Inverter design

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Are you for real? Third world is going solar. BP is supplying 40,000 panels to the Philippines alone. Lets get closer to home (my home) My power use is currently 600-700 Watt hours per day. I don’t go without but I certainly do with less… PSolar Panel Inverter design Renweables except hydro can only provide a maximum of 6% of the gloabl power load, hydro could give us another 5% at best. You are not going to be able to save enough power to get by using only those power sources, what about all those people in the third world, do you think they will be content to live like they are forever becasuse we want to save power? Do you think that a person who can only just live would be offended by you saying that they will have to do with less? Do you think those yet to be born would like to grow up in a world where they can only use their computer 15 minutes per day and can’t have an conditioner in a hot climate just to save power?Solar Panel Inverter design People wont stand for it and most people would rather build nuclear plants then try to save power.

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You are kinda narrowing your vision of renewable energy there, my friend.Solar Panel Inverter design You are not counting all renewable energy. Renewable energy is based on solar input which is way more than we need if totalled. We, of course, can harvest only a fraction of all the solar energy entering the planetary system, but we can harvest more than wind and PV. There are other ways of harvesting this power,Solar Panel Inverter design like Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), which uses the heat stored in the surface water of the oceans to generate steam like any other steam plant. (Except that it would be less than atmospheric pressure inside the system.) More energy is absorbed by the oceans of the world than we could use. Our current means of harvesting this energy is rather inefficient, but the world has yet to start working on this problem. There has been some initial research, (Like the NELHA site on the big island of Hawaii, which is quite sucessful for other reasons than power.) but with a little more investment, the technologies could improve the efficiencies greatly. Check out: www.weeei.com . When you have a collector the size of the ocean, you have quite a bit of solar power. We already have a nuclear reactor, the sun.Solar Panel Inverter design Renweables except hydro can only provide a maximum of 6% of the gloabl power load, hydro could give us another 5% at best. You are not going to be able to save enough power to get by using only those power sources, what about all those people in the third world, do you think they will be content to live like they are forever becasuse we want to save power? Do you think that a person who can only just live would be offended by you saying that they will have to do with less? Do you think those yet to be born would like to grow up in a world where they can only use their computer 15 minutes per day and can’t have an conditioner in a hot climate just to save power? People wont stand for it and most people would rather build nuclear plants then try to save power.

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Need is one thing, I want, I want, I want is another.Solar Panel Inverter design but you are telling those that need more power to cut down on their power usage. Are you for real? Third world is going solar. BP is supplying 40,000 panels to the Philippines alone. Lets get closer to home (my home) My power use is currently 600-700 Watt hours per day. I don’t go without but I certainly do with less… Power that is. Stop hogging power George Renweables except hydro can only provide a maximum of 6% of the gloabl power load, hydro could give us another 5% at best. You are not going to be able to save enough power to get by using only those power sources, what about all those people in the third world, do you think they will be content to live like they are forever becasuse we want to save power? Do you think that a person who can only just live would be offended by you saying that they will have to do with less? Do you think those yet to be born would like to grow up in a world where they can only use their computer 15 minutes per day and can’t have an conditioner in a hot climate just to save power? People wont stand for it and most people would rather build nuclear plants then try to save power.

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Renweables except hydro can only provide a maximum of 6% of the gloabl power load, hydro could give us another 5% at best.

Wind from the mid-west could supply the whole US of A.Solar Panel Inverter design Add a little solar for air conditioning peaks and no more nucs. You are not going to be able to save enough power to get by using only those power sources, what about all those people in the third world, do you think they will be content to live like they are forever becasuse we want to save power?

Wind will drive down the cost of generation and distribution. Do you think that a person who can only just live would be offended by you saying that they will have to do with less?

Wind will allow them to do more because the energy will ultimately be cheaper than nuclear. Do you think those yet to be born would like to grow up in a world where they can only use their computer 15 minutes per day and can’t have an conditioner in a hot climate just to save power? Solar Panel Inverter design

Computer power could be reduced 1,000 X with better designed hardware and software. Solar calls will support the air conditiioner nicely. People wont stand for it and most people would rather build nuclear plants then try to save power.

No need to do either. M. Simon Space-Time Productions http://www.spacetimepro.com Free CNC Machine Control Software Free Source Code Control the World From a Parallel Port

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You are kinda narrowing your vision of renewable energy there, my friend. You are not counting all renewable energy. Renewable energy is based on solar input which is way more than we need if totalled. We, of course, can harvest only a fraction of all the solar energy entering the planetary system, but we can harvest more than wind and PV. There are other ways of harvesting this power, like Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), which uses the heat stored in the surface water of the oceans to generate steam like any other steam plant. (Except that it would be less than atmospheric pressure inside the system.)

OTEC is not a high gain system. And so far only suited to special locations. More energy is absorbed by the oceans of the world than we could use. Our current means of harvesting this energy is rather inefficient, but the world has yet to start working on this problem. There has been some initial research, (Like the NELHA site on the big island of Hawaii, which is quite sucessful for other reasons than power.) but with a little more investment, the technologies could improve the efficiencies greatly. Solar Panel Inverter design

The problem is low delta T. We already have a nuclear reactor, the sun. Now all we have to do is use the power it puts out.

Wind is growing at 50% a year. Solar at 20%. Wind currently has 14,000 MW installed. Solar a few hundred MW at most. Wind will be providing most of our renewable energy for quite some time.

Are you for real? Third world is going solar. BP is supplying 40,000 panels to the Philippines alone. Lets get closer to home (my home) My power use is currently 600-700 Watt hours per day. Solar Panel Inverter design We, of course, can harvest only a fraction of all the solar energy entering the planetary system, but we can harvest more than wind and PV. There are other ways of harvesting this power, like Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), which uses the heat stored in the surface water of the oceans to generate steam like any other steam plant. (Except that it would be less than atmospheric pressure inside the system.) More energy is absorbed by the oceans of the world than we could use. Our current means of harvesting this energy is rather inefficient, but the world has yet to start working on this problem. There has been some initial research, (Like the NELHA site on the big island of Hawaii, which is quite sucessful for other reasons than power.) but with a little more investment, the technologies could improve the efficiencies greatly. Check out: www.weeei.com . When you have a collector the size of the ocean, you have quite a bit of solar power. We already have a nuclear reactor, the sun. Now all we have to do is use the power it puts out. -=db=- Renweables except hydro can only provide a maximum of 6% of the gloabl power load, hydro could give us another 5% at best. You are not going to be able to save enough power to get by using only those power sources, what about all those people in the third world, do you think they will be content to live like they are forever becasuse we want to save power? Do you think that a person who can only just live would be offended by you saying that they will have to do with less? Do you think those yet to be born would like to grow up in a world where they can only use their computer 15 minutes per day and can’t have an conditioner in a hot climate just to save power? People wont stand for it and most people would rather build nuclear plants then try to save power.

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No, but you are telling those that need more power to cut down on their power usage. -Solar Panel Inverter design. I don’t go without but I certainly do with less… Power that is. Stop hogging power George Renweables except hydro can only provide a maximum of 6% of the gloabl power load, hydro could give us another 5% at best. You are not going to be able to save enough power to get by using only those power sources, what about all those people in the third world, do you think they will be content to live like they are forever becasuse we want to save power? Do you think that a person who can only just live would be offended by you saying that they will have to do with less? Do you think those yet to be born would like to grow up in a world where they can only use their computer 15 minutes per day and can’t have an conditioner in a hot climate just to save power? People wont stand for it and most people would rather build nuclear plants then try to save power.

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Yes it is. But did you know that higher power consumption goes together with high life expectancies. I would rather build a basement reactor then live 10 years less then I would with that reactor becasue some useless piece of shit decides that we must rely on renewables alone, when I claim that nuclear is a renewable and prove it they say that it isn’t small and therefore not renewable. When I claim that size has nothing to do with whether it can be renewed they just say that if it will meltdown it can’t be renewable, I point out that safety has nothing to do with that and also that nuclear is safer but then they just claim I own stock in nuclear reactor companies when I don’t. Some of the above is hypothetical, it hasn’t happened yet. Solar Panel Inverter design You are not going to be able to save enough power to get by using only those power sources, what about all those people in the third world, do you think they will be content to live like they are forever becasuse we want to save power? Wind will drive down the cost of generation and distribution.

It will never reach the cost of coal or nuclear Do you think that a person who can only just live would be offended by you saying that they will have to do with less? Wind will allow them to do more because the energy will ultimately be cheaper than nuclear.

No it wont. Do you think those yet to be born would like to grow up in a world where they can only use their computer 15 minutes per day and can’t have an conditioner in a hot climate just to save power? Computer power could be reduced 1,000 X with better designed hardware and software.

1000 times, I don’t think so,Solar Panel Inverter design 10 would be about the best we could do, look how much trouble they go to with laptops, and they only get 3 hours off their battery. Solar calls will support the air conditiioner nicely.

Air conditioners require a large amount of power, I doubt solar could give it. People wont stand for it and most people would rather build nuclear plants then try to save power. No need to do either.

Yes there is a need, you wont be able to save power, and you are too optimistic about wind.

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Need more power? Like a junkie needs more drugs,eh. Yes you may use more power than me and there is no real problem with that. But the choices you make about the products you use and their power consumption is pure choice and you are not required to one appliance over another. I do not ask that you go without just that you make a choice that is more in tune with energy conservation. In other words don’t be a power junkie. GSolar Panel Inverter design we could only hope to feed 5 billion people properly and bring them up to our standard of living if we increase power production. If we can get the power without damaging the environment (nuclear) and can get all we need (nuclear does this also) then I don’t see why we shouldn’t use it, the true art of conservation is using easy to access abundant resourses like Uranium to save less abundant resourses, it isn’t to cut down on everything we can regardless of whether it is abundant or not. -Solar Panel Inverter design. Need more power? Like a junkie needs more drugs,eh. Yes you may use more power than me and there is no real problem with that. But the choices you make about the products you use and their power consumption is pure choice and you are not required to one appliance over another. I do not ask that you go without just that you make a choice that is more in tune with energy conservation. In other words don’t be a power junkiSolar Panel Inverter designe.

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Wind currently has 14,000 MW installed. Solar a few hundred MW at most. Wind will be providing most of our renewable energy for quite some time. And that is _pitiful_, considering what a minute fraction 14,000MW is compared to total energy needs.

Quite true. But about 7,000 MW of wind will be added this year. How many nucs were built this year? Next year we will get about 10,000 MW of wind. 15,000 in 2002. etc Is the nuc building rate climbing at 50% a year? M. Simon Space-Time Productions Solar Panel Inverter design

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But our civiliasation can’t survive without power, we could only hope to feed 5 billion people properly and bring them up to our standard of living if we increase power production. If we can get the power without damaging the environment (nuclear) But nuclear power can and has damaged the environment…

And so has the harvesting/mining/manufacturing of materials to be consumed/used by mankind has damaged the environment…Even renewable energy devices require damaging the environment (to some degree). Just having mankind exist on earth has caused an enviromental impact on Mother Earth…. As the human race population increase, there is even more of a damaging impact on the environment… Just having 5 billion people breath in/out damages the environment… The only way NOT to damage the environment is to remove mankind from earth… Anything else is a compromise.

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-Solar Panel Inverter design Wind currently has 14,000 MW installed. Solar a few hundred MW at most. Wind will be providing most of our renewable energy for quite some time. And that is _pitiful_, considering what a minute fraction 14,000MW is compared to total energy needs. Quite true. But about 7,000 MW of wind will be added this year. How many nucs were built this year? Next year we will get about 10,000 MW of wind. 15,000 in 2002. etc Is the nuc building rate climbing at 50% a year?

Can you sustain 50% growth? Next period, can you get to 22,500? Next year get to 33,xxx? and so forth? What is your (wind) percent contribution of the energy pie? Pretty small the last I saw.

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Chernobyl – yes – a poorly designed, unstable reactor and a poorly planned experiment that wasn’t executed to plan did release a large amount of radioactivity – but no one is advocating more of this type of reactor. Three Mile Island

The releases at TMI were small. The containment building at TMI served to bottle up that accident. When access by personnel was required to certain areas of the plant – those areas were vented to the atmosphere in order to lessen radiation dose of the workers. However, the releases were controlled and within the limits the plant can release. Mother Nature releases more radioactivity to the environment – tritium and other radioisotopes for example – than did TMI. So while it is not desirable to release anything, the releases that did occur did not damage the environment to a significant extent. In India it is against the law to own a Giger Counter

What’s their reasoning for this? In California they built a reactor on top of a fault

Not quite true – the Hosgri Fault line is off-shore of where the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is located. The plant has been designed to withstand the maximum earthquake that could happen on the fault – and then some. Solar Panel Inverter design But our civiliasation can’t survive without power, we could only hope to feed 5 billion people properly and bring them up to our standard of living if we increas e power production. If we can get the power without damaging the environment (nuclear) Chenoble Chernobyl – yes – a poorly designed, unstable reactor and a poorly planned experiment that wasn’t executed to plan did release a large amount of radioactivity – but no one is advocating more of this type of reactor. And the one next door, the ones in India, the new ones being built in the third world….

India uses Candus and Candu clones, not Russian RBMKs. Solar Panel Inverter design. In India it is against the law to own a Giger Counter What’s their reasoning for this? Their reactors are not clean, but then people are expendable

What is the wording of the law against owning giger counters in India? Parts of India are more radioactive naturally than much of the evacuated zone around Chernobyl. In California they built a reactor on top of a fault Not quite true – the Hosgri Fault line is off-shore of where the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is located. The plant has been designed to withstand the maximum earthquake that could happen on the fault – and then some. So were the buildings in Alaska, the bridges in LA…

Safety systems in bridges tend not to be negatively reactive. This isn’t the same reactor where the buttress walls were erected facing the wrong way is it? An accident with a reactor has the potential to destroy life and environment over a very large area,

The Chernobyl accident was about as bad as a nuclear accident could get. Small scale loss of life and a large area kept evacuated for political reasons. second guessing mother nature is a game that man has played and LOST since we first thought. Years ago I thought that Nuclear was the best thing ever. Almost unlimited power. What it realy is is a growing amount of radioactive waste, poorly designed and run installations, and weapons of mass destruction.

They make weapons grade fissile materials with uranium centrifuges and weapons grade plutonium production reactors. Basically the biggest problem is MAN driven by greed and a lust for power. Nuclear Power is a toy that mankind is not mature enough, at this time, to play with.

So, if that’s true (not saying it is or isn’t), and if it’s true that wind energy is cheaper than nuclear (not saying it is or isn’t), then mankind isn’t mature enough for even cheaper power like wind then. Nuclear Power in itself is not the problem. George

– Karl Johanson, Victoria B.C. Canada -It’s okay to disagree with me. However, once I explain where you’re wrong you’re supposed to become enlightened & change your mind. Congratulating me on how smart I am is optional.

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Solar Panel Inverter design But our civiliasation can’t survive without power, we could only hope to feed 5 billion people properly and bring them up to our standard of living if we increase power production. If we can get the power without damaging the environment (nuclear) Chenoble Chernobyl – yes – a poorly designed, unstable reactor and a poorly planned experiment that wasn’t executed to plan did release a large amount of radioactivity – but no one is advocating more of this type of reactor.

And the one next door, the ones in India, the new ones being built in the third world…. Three Mile Island The releases at TMI were small. The containment building at TMI served to bottle up that accident. When access by personnel was required to certain areas of the plant – those areas were vented to the atmosphere in order to lessen radiation dose of the workers.

I notice that the key word here is lessen and not prevent However, the releases were controlled and within the limits the plant can release. Mother Nature releases more radioactivity to the environment – tritium and other radioisotopes for example – than did TMI.

Yes just not all in one place So while it is not desirable to release anything, the releases that did occur did not damage the environment to a significant extent. In India it is against the law to own a Giger Counter What’s their reasoning for this?

Their reactors are not clean, but then people are expendable In California they built a reactor on top of a fault Not quite true – the Hosgri Fault line is off-shore of where the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is located. The plant has been designed to withstand the maximum earthquake that could happen on the fault – and then some.

So were the buildings in Alaska, the bridges in LA… This isn’t the same reactor where the buttress walls were erected facing the wrong way is it? An accident with a reactor has the potential to destroy life and environment over a very large area, second guessing mother nature is a game that man has played and LOST since we first thought. Years ago I thought that Nuclear was the best thing ever. Almost unlimited power. What it realy is is a growing amount of radioactive waste, poorly designed and run installations, and weapons of mass destruction. Basically the biggest problem is MAN driven by greed and a lust for power. Nuclear Power is a toy that mankind is not mature enough, at this time, to play with. Nuclear Power in itself is not the problem.Solar Panel Inverter design But our civiliasation can’t survive without power, we could only hope to feed 5 billion people properly and bring them up to our standard of living if we increase power production. If we can get the power without damaging the environment (nuclear) Chenoble Chernobyl – yes – a poorly designed, unstable reactor and a poorly planned experiment that wasn’t executed to plan did release a large amount of radioactivity – but no one is advocating more of this type of reactor. And the one next door, the ones in India, the new ones being built in the third world….

The Russians are in the process of shutting down the RBMK reactors like Chernobyl – but they do need alternate sources to replace the power before they shutdown the RBMKs. I don’t believe anyone is building any new RBMK reactors. Three Mile Island The releases at TMI were small. The containment building at TMI served to bottle up that accident. When access by personnel was required to certain areas of the plant – those areas were vented to the atmosphere in order to lessen radiation dose of the workers. I notice that the key word here is lessen and not prevent

Yes – I’m being accurate and honest. The radiation exposure to the workers was not zero. However, radiation workers do get exposed to radiation as part of their jobs. There are other people who get exposed to radiation as a part of their jobs – like airline pilots, or anyone who travels by airliner as part of their business. In fact, pilots and frequent flyers get more radiation than radiation workers in nuclear plants do. However, the releases were controlled and within the limits the plant can release. Mother Nature releases more radioactivity to the environment – tritium and other radioisotopes for example – than did TMI. Yes just not all in one place

The releases at TMI diffused very quickly to cover a large area – so in essence, you have what Mother Nature does – radioactivity spread over a large area – with the exception that Mother Nature spreads more radioactivity than TMI did. So while it is not desirable to release anything, the releases that did occur did not damage the environment to a significant extent. In India it is against the law to own a Giger Counter What’s their reasoning for this? Their reactors are not clean, but then people are expendable

You are saying that they won’t let the people have Geiger counters so they won’t know the reactors leak? I’m sure some neighboring country will detect the plume from a leaking reactor and the word will get out to the Indian people. In California they built a reactor on top of a fault Not quite true – the Hosgri Fault line is off-shore of where the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is located. The plant has been designed to withstand the maximum earthquake that could happen on the fault – and then some. So were the buildings in Alaska, the bridges in LA…

Buildings in Alaska and bridges in L.A. are not designed to the same earthquake standards as nuclear power plants. This isn’t the same reactor where the buttress walls were erected facing the wrong way is it?

This is one of those urban myths told about Diablo Canyon by people who don’t understand what the concern really was. Let me explain what happened. Diablo Canyon has two reactors and associated equipment. The two reactors are built as mirror images of each other. If you have reactors that are mirror images – you don’t have to analyze both of them – you can analyze only one – and use symmetry. The laws of physics don’t care what we humans call north, and what we call south, for example. Therefore, you only need to analyze one of the two reactor units – in this case I believe it was Unit 2. You compute the response of Unit 2 for earthquakes coming from all directions. Now to get the response of Unit 1 from a certain direction, you mirror image the position of the earthquake epicenter in the symmetry plane – and then look at the response of Unit 2 to that earthquake. Since Unit 1 is the mirror image of Unit 2, Unit 1’s response to a given earthquake will be the same as Unit 1’s mirror image, i.e. Unit 2 – to an earthquake that is the mirror image of the Unit 1 earthquake. This scheme will work if the two reactor units are exact mirror images of each other. However, a PG+E engineer noted that the two units are not exact mirror images to each other – they are 99% of mirror images of each other. Therefore PG+E had to do a complete analysis for Unit 1 just as they did for Unit 2. However, this whole scenario is complex, and as the story was told and retold – it turned into stories, like they installed the safety systems all backward and they buttressed the wall backward, and such. You are merely repeating a nonsensical urban legend. Do you really think no one in the construction company would notice that a wall was buttressed the wrong way? An accident with a reactor has the potential to destroy life and environment over a very large area, second guessing mother nature is a game that man has played and LOST since we first thought.

We’ve been “playing this game” in the U.S. for over 40 years – and have not been losing to Mother Nature. No – scientists and engineers use Mother Nature and her laws to keep nuclear reactors safe. Yes – TMI was a bad accident that destroyed the reactor core, but due to good engineering and forethought – like providing a containment building, the consequences of the accident were bottled up by the containment building. Chernobyl didn’t have a containment building for the reactor, and we saw what happened. Years ago I thought that Nuclear was the best thing ever. Almost unlimited power. What it realy is is a growing amount of radioactive waste, poorly designed and run installations, and weapons of mass destruction.

Commercial nuclear power and nuclear weapons have absolutely nothing to do with each other. In the U.S., nuclear weapons are built at the behest of Congress and the President, by companies and Universities that are not affiliated with nuclear power. Utilities and nuclear reactor companies have no stake in nuclear weapons. Basically the biggest problem is MAN driven by greed and a lust for power. Nuclear Power is a toy that mankind is not mature enough, at this time, to play with. Nuclear Power in itself is not the problem.

Then MAN can’t do anything – you can’t trust man to build buildings that won’t fall down, airliners that won’t all fall out of the sky, ships that all don’t sink… Of course all this happens at a low level. We have had low level nuclear accidents. But if you are talking about a massive reactor accident in a well designed western power plant – the probability is so remote that you are better off worrying about ALL the airliners falling out of the sky at a given moment. Solar Panel Inverter design

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RE Survey Solar Panel Inverter setup

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On 1/28/99 I posted:Solar Panel Inverter setup These 3 newsgroups seem to have a lot of Renewable Energy (RE) system users. Please take a few moments to answer this survey. Solar Panel Inverter setup I will compile and post the results in one week (2/5/99). I think the results would be of interest to some of us.Solar Panel Inverter setup The purpose of this survey is to get a feel for the type of RE systems internet people use. The response was underwhelming. 11 people wrote in.Solar Panel Inverter setup The unedited responses are summarized below. Make of the results what you will. Some thoughts come to mind.Solar Panel Inverter setup RE people and people in general don

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generator reocomendations sunny Solar Panel Inverter

Question:

I’ve had a Generac 3000XL for 3 years now, for emergency back up`and it has been excellent.sunny Solar Panel Inverter The XL models have extedned duration tank, ~15 litres or so, auto voltage reg and auto idle when load is off. It’s not the quietest of machines but is fine for daytime use At night if the power is still off i use 2 x 1KW inverters fed by 2 x 300Ah carbon fibre batteries works for me!!sunny Solar Panel Inverter

- sunny Solar Panel Inverter Consider Generac for a generator, usually available at Home Depot. You will need an approved DPDT (Double Pole, Double Throw) switch to change between generator power and utility. The switch will prevent damage to the generator and house wiring in the event both power sources are on at the same time. Your local utility company will be the approving authority for your DPDT switch. They may require either a 2, 3, or 4 pole switch depending upon the type of service they are providing you. The DPDT switch in this case is used as a manual transfer switch. House wiring in the center, utility on one end and generator on the other endsunny Solar Panel Inverter.

sunny Solar Panel Inverter I was out of power for about 5 hours today, and it might go out again with the trees still covered with ice. And, I have wanted to start a solar panel system, but may have to start at the other end and build a battery/charging system. Never the less, I was wondering what gasoline gerators other have had or could suggest to provide emergency power. I would like to run the gas furnace off of it and a light or two. I could build one if it were to be cheaper than a complete unit. I like quality over quanity. Thanks

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I am grateful to you for this heads-up about the RS12000. I have since cancelled my order and am looking for an alternative to it: a water-cooled slow-speed 1800rpm propane fueled unit but have not found anything interesting yet. Do you have any recommendations? What did you end up buying for your off the grid system, if anything? Many thanks again, Lawrence Lawrence F. London,sunny Solar Panel Inverter

I have purchased a Kohler 12KW unit.sunny Solar Panel Inverter I think the designation is 12RY or 12RZ. It is an 1800 rpm, water-cooled unit with a fan. It has a 4 cylinder Ford industrial engine; and is designed for prime power. It has a two thousand hour (2000) one year warranty, whichever comes first. It weighs about 400-500 pounds more than the Onan, and was more expensive. www.norwall.com does sell the model. But I purchased mine from a company in Massachusetts (Buxton Service, Inc; (978) 263-2543; salesman was Craig Buxton) because they included delivery and start-up services with their price. Of course, they service my area — Downeast Maine — and I would not expect them to provide these services outside of whatever area it is that they service. They delivered the unit themselves and set it in place. It then took us a few weeks to get things set up. I decided to put the unit in a corner of my garage (less expensive than setting it up outdoors, although they do sell an enclosure — we would have had to pour a concrete pad). We had to install a vent for the radiator cooling air exhaust as well as install the engine exhaust. We set up a propane line from my tank, and wired it into my system. That all took about a month. Then they came back, inspected (and completed) the hook up; started it up (they really want to do this themselves the first time) and activated my warranty effective with the date of the startup. Which coincidentally happened to be today. Good luck with your system.sunny Solar Panel Inverter

sunny Solar Panel Invertert. You will need an approved DPDT (Double Pole, Double Throw) switch to change between generator power and utility. The switch will prevent damage to the generator and house wiring in the event both power sources are on at the same time. Your local utility company will be the approving authority for your DPDT switch. They may require either a 2, 3, or 4 pole switch depending upon the type of service they are providing you. The DPDT switch in this case is used as a manual transfer switch. House wiring in the center, utility on one end and generator on the other end. Ron Myer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was out of power for about 5 hours today, and it might go out again with the trees still covered with ice. And, I have wanted to start a solar panel system, but may have to start at the other end and build a battery/charging system. Never the less, I was wondering what gasoline gerators other have had or could suggest to provide emergency power. I would like to run the gas furnace off of it and a light or two. I could build one if it were to be cheaper than a complete unit. I like quality over quanity. sunny Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

sunny Solar Panel Inverter has excellent deals on this unit which frequently include a transfer switch. From personal experience, I would recommend them as a very reliable dealer. I doubt there is a better unit available for the money. It would integrate well into an off the grid system using photovoltaic panels, batteries, inverter and wind or water power. I plan to buy 16 Trojan batteries with a Trace 4000 watt, 48 volt inverter and use the RS12000 to keep the batteries charged. It can be operated remotely to accomplish this with no modification. BEWARE: I would not recommend this unit in an off grid system UNLESS your system is sized for minimal use of the generator. I had ordered one for that purpose and sent it back. My calculations show possible generator run time, in my system, of 50-300 hrs/year (certain of my assumptions have a great deal of variability) — assuming that my wind-battery-inverters have no down time. First of all, it is an air-cooled 3600 rpm generator, so it’s predicted life span will be less than a water-cooled 1800 rpm unit. Second, and most important, although it comes with a two year warrantee, the run time is limited to two hundred (200) HRS PER YEAR. At first, both I and the dealer (and the factory rep) thought the 200 hrs/yr was a misprint, and it should have been 2000 hrs/yr. But after attempting for several months to get the revision in writing, it turns out that the 200 hrs per year is correct. The unit is designed for standby power at an on-grid home. The 200 hrs/yr is greater than they expect the home to be without grid power. They might make an adjustment if the homeowner experienced a prolonged black out; but they were not prepared to extend the warranty for use in an off-grid system. It was a very nicely packaged unit, however, and should work well for it’s designed purpose.

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I was out of power for about 5 hours today, and it might go out again with the trees still covered with ice. And, I have wanted to start a solar panel system, but may have to start at the other end and build a battery/charging system. Never the less, I was wondering what gasoline gerators other have had or could suggest to provide emergency power. I would like to run the gas furnace off of it and a light or two. I could build one if it were to be cheaper than a complete unit. I like quality over quanity.sunny Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

The Cummins/Onan RS12000 12 kilowatt home standby power unit would be a good choice and it is on sale (usual price is $6000) at $4699. See: http://www.cummins.com/na/pages/en/products/powergeneration/homestand… and for a list of dealers: http://www.cummins.com/na/pages/en/distributors/distributor_map.cfm You may need a transfer switch, which includes a battery charger. They offer 60/100/200 amp models. The 100 amp is $1000. A 7-Day Exerciser Clock Kit (for the transfer switch) at $204 will be necessary. If you don’t need the transfer switch you will need a separate battery charger at $215. You will also need a battery at $75 and startup/warranty inspection by their service technician at around $400, depending on your proximity to their dealership. I doubt there is a better unit available for the money. It would integrate well into an off the grid system using photovoltaic panels, batteries, inverter and wind or water power. I plan to buy 16 Trojan batteries with a Trace 4000 watt, 48 volt inverter and use the RS12000 to keep the batteries charged. It can be operated remotely to accomplish this with no modification. Lawrence F. London, sunny Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

www.norwall.com has excellent deals on this unit which frequently include a transfer switch. From personal experience, I would recommend them as a very reliable dealer. I doubt there is a better unit available for the money. It would integrate well into an off the grid system using photovoltaic panels, batteries, inverter and wind or water power. I plan to buy 16 Trojan batteries with a Trace 4000 watt, 48 volt inverter and use the RS12000 to keep the batteries charged. It can be operated remotely to accomplish this with no modification.

BEWARE: I would not recommend this unit in an off grid system UNLESS your system is sized for minimal use of the generator. I had ordered one for that purpose and sent it back. My calculations show possible generator run time, in my system, of 50-300 hrs/year (certain of my assumptions have a great deal of variability) — assuming that my wind-battery-inverters have no down time. First of all, it is an air-cooled 3600 rpm generator, so it’s predicted life span will be less than a water-cooled 1800 rpm unit. Second, and most important, although it comes with a two year warrantee, the run time is limited to two hundred (200) HRS PER YEAR. At first, both I and the dealer (and the factory rep) thought the 200 hrs/yr was a misprint, and it should have been 2000 hrs/yr. But after attempting for several months to get the revision in writing, it turns out that the 200 hrs per year is correct. The unit is designed for standby power at an on-grid home. The 200 hrs/yr is greater than they expect the home to be without grid power. They might make an adjustment if the homeowner experienced a prolonged black out; but they were not prepared to extend the warranty for use in an off-grid system. It was a very nicely packaged unit, however, and should work well for it’s designed purpose.sunny Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

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Photvoltaic Dreamers, Rip into this:off grid Solar Panel Inverter

Question:

It does seem that photovoltaic power is getting closer to being coemptive with conventional sources.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

Personally I don’t believe in large solar farms but expect that household rooftop generation is the way to go. When photovoltaics becomes economical there will be an excess of energy in the summer.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

what will we do with it? Consider some estimates: Mean solar equatorial solar flux 860W/square meter. This would provide at least 5kWh/square meter per day if properly inclined without tracking. The best monocrystaline cells are 25% efficient. Assuming 15% conversion efficiency for economical cells we get to extract 750Wh/square meter per day. Even on the cloudiest day we can get 22% energy by diffuse radiation. Which drops that figure down to 165Wh/square meter per day (on a bad day) In very northern climates we can halve these figures. Bad day in the north gives us 82.5Wh/square meter per day. On a bad northern day with 100 square meters we get 8.25kW/h. On a good northern day with 100 square meters we get 37.5kW/h. That is enough for a house. Heating hot water + heating would have to be accomplished by heat pumps which use heat exchangers just mounted on the roof, buried in the ground horizontally or drilled vertically. These intercept the earths heat flux and you get 5:1 advantage so that way we get 15kWh of ‘heat’ for hot water out of only 3kW hours electricity, the remaining 5kWh for lighting, cooking and refrigeration We are a bit short on bad days for home heating in winter.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

But OK for airconditioning in summer. Hot water is simply stored in a insulated tank. Photovoltaic cells now cost less than US$ per peak watt so that 100sq m installation would be worth $US65000 probably less because of the quantity involved When the price gets down to $US1.00 per watt the installation would cost $13000 dollars. which would be competitive with conventional technology. The most expensive part of monocrystaline cells is the wafer after it is sawn from the crystal itself. The ANU (Australian National University) has developed a clever process for growing a layer on a wafer and then peeling that layer of. This may be the breakthrough we need. I believe that storage over the 24 hours cycle could be achieved economically with the new hypercapacitors or flywheels (buried in the back yard). On good days there is so much excess energy we can sell it and share it over the existing grid, or charge our electric vehicles for a 200km trip. off grid Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

If you think there is excess energy in the summer, you have obviously never looked at any of the sunbelt states. I also found a lot of your cost figure to be wildly optimistic. And hoping for solar panels at $1.00 per watt is a pipe dream for the foreseeable future – the frames alone cost almost that much, and I see nothing coming up that might reduce the cost of producing high purity silicon. And the best solar cell is not even close to the 25% you quoted.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

It has been asked, “What do we do with excess energy in the summer?’ In the sunbelt, there is no such thing as excess capacity for summer production of solar energy, be it thermal or photovoltaic. We need all we can generate to cool and dehumidify our indoor environments, so that comfortable people can produce more. Anybody who doesn’t understand that must be living in an igloo somewhere. I feel sorry for them.

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Sorry about bombing the news group, I added a file that I did not edit.:( Harbin

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I also found a lot of your cost figure to be wildly optimistic.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

And hoping for solar panels at $1.00 per watt is a pipe dream for the foreseeable future – the frames alone cost almost that much, and I see nothing coming up that might reduce the cost of producing high purity silicon.

Actually, I’m told that if Evergreen solar can raise their efficiencies to around 12-13% they can probably sell for around $1 per watt. I *think* they’re around 9% right now, but don’t quote me on that. They use relatively low quality, thin silicon that is grown in flat ribbons, so none of the silicon is lost in wafer slicing. This combination of factors makes the silicon cheap, but it’s also hard to make a high efficiency cell on it. As for modules, I’ve been told by Solarex that labor is the primary cost in module assembly, and that if volumes increase to the point that automated assembly becomes economical the cost of the frames should drop significantly. off grid Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

(snip) : On a bad northern day with 100 square meters we get 8.25kW/h. : On a good northern day with 100 square meters we get 37.5kW/h. (snip) : Photovoltaic cells now cost less than US$ per peak watt so that 100sq m : installation would be worth $US65000 probably less because of the quantity : involved : When the price gets down to $US1.00 per watt the installation would cost : $13000 dollars. which would be competitive with conventional technology. But that’s just for the PV cells. And that’s assuming IF the price drops to that point. You forgot to include: Inverters, installation costs, electric wiring, heat pump purchase and maintenance of all these components. Heat pumps alone cost thousands. Are you going to have to shovel the snow off 100m2, or are you going to hire someone to risk his own neck for it? Will it damage the cells if someone walks on them? Time for an economic analysis: Suppose your northern grid-connected array (no batteries) 13kW peak power, by being extremely cost-effective and inventive, costs a ridiculosly low 30 000$ US. Let’s say you dance around your house and the sun gods reward you with sunshine every day for the rest of your life. By your own estimates: 37kWh per day = 3.7$ per day of electricity (at 10c the kWh, in some areas of the US, it’s cheaper). That means that payback time is 22.5 years which is pathetic. Most of the equimpent you use is not designed to last 20 years. And PV output wanes after a few years. Now suppose that the sun gods were mad at you. Suppose you only made 82c a day worth of electricity, still by your own estimates. Payback time would be 100 years. Overall, we can say that the payback time will be between 20 and 100 years. Of course, we’ve barely scratched the surface. off grid Solar Panel Inverter

and I see nothing coming up that might reduce the cost of producing high purity silicon. And the best solar cell is not even close to the 25% you quoted. — www.windsun.com Electricity from the Sun When photovoltaics becomes economical there will be an excess of energy in the summer. what will we do with it? off grid Solar Panel Inverter

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off grid Solar Panel Inverter

Electricity from the Sun When photovoltaics becomes economical there will be an excess of energy in the summer. what will we do with it?

The real problem with terrestrial solar is that we are way to far from the source! Must I quote the equation for illimanation of an object?

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And note that many PV manufacturers provide a 20 year warranty, off grid Solar Panel Inverter

what will we do with it?

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And note that many PV manufacturers provide a 20 year warranty,off grid Solar Panel Inverter

contrary to your opinionoff grid Solar Panel Inverter

. Lets assume the photocells are integrated into a roof tile as a module and this tile also contains integral connectors. Perhaps a ‘rail’ could be also integrated so that some sort of cleaning/sweeping robot can clear of snow or bird droppings as required. something like a pool cleaning robot. Or a rail mounted boom that sweeps across as required? Regards Bernhard(Wotan) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : When the price gets down to $US1.00 per watt the installation would cost : $13000 dollars. which would be competitive with conventional technology. But that’s just for the PV cells. And that’s assuming IF the price drops to that point. You forgot to include: Inverters, installation costs, electric wiring, heat pump purchase and maintenance of all these components. The prices above include inverters, installation, etc. Heat pumps alone cost thousands. That assumes that heat pumps are not already in use. Geothermal heat pumps have a payback period of 5 to 10 years.

<snip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Cheers, — Will Stewart To reply, remove “_spam” from the reply line Member American Solar Energy Society Member Electrical Auto Association of America “The truth will set you free: off grid Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

: : When the price gets down to $US1.00 per watt the installation would cost : : $13000 dollars. which would be competitive with conventional technology. : : But that’s just for the PV cells. And that’s assuming IF the price drops : to that point. You forgot to include: Inverters, installation costs, : electric wiring, heat pump purchase and maintenance of all these : components. : The prices above include inverters, installation, etc. Really? The original poster claimed 100m2 of PV cells, assumming 130 W peak per m2, that makes 13000$ IF the PV cells are 1$ per watt. : Heat pumps alone cost thousands. : That assumes that heat pumps are not already in use. Geothermal heat : pumps have a payback period of 5 to 10 years.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

If you live in a volcano, maybe. If any kind of machine would be that practical and economical for common situations, it would have been widely used and exploited everywhere in the world. Don’t pretend that geothermal energy is ‘new technology’ barely discovered. It’s old news. : Are you going to have to : shovel the snow off 100m2, or are you going to hire someone to risk his : own neck for it? : You neglect the obvious methods; a long handled broom (similar to the : long-handled squeegees used to window wash low-rise office buildings) : will take off most of the snow, and the collected heat from the sun will : take off the rest. I suggest you look at a couple of back years worth : of Home Power magazine instead of wondering how it is done. I admit I’m not familiar with home power magazine. However, living in Montreal, Canada, I can tell you that in northern regions, snow can remain on the roof for months, despite the sun’s warming rays. And what if you live in a two-storey house? Not so easy to clean the roof with a long handled boom. You may have to walk on the roof. Of course, we haven’t even mentionned *ice* … After the Ice Storm ‘98, some people had to spend around 500$ to have their roofs cleared by professionals. : Time for an economic analysis: Suppose your northern grid-connected array : (no batteries) 13kW peak power, : 13kW peak power is extremely overkill in a PV powered home. Such homes : take measures to conserve energy through simple techniques. Most : off-grid homes are in the 1.5kW to 4 kW range. If we want to save energy, why don’t we lower our consumption to 1.5 kW in the first place, while remaining connected to the grid, without spending on PV cells. THAT would make a difference in emissions, and reduce our energy spending. But for a northern house, that just won’t work. Electric energy requirements per person in Canada are on average 50% higher than in the US. and that includes the fact we use less AC. At least 10 kW peak would be required per house for decent heating and common appliances. : by being extremely cost-effective and : inventive, costs a ridiculosly low 30 000$ US. Let’s say you dance around : your house and the sun gods reward you with sunshine every day for the : rest of your life.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

By your own estimates: 37kWh per day = 3.7$ per day of : electricity (at 10c the kWh, in some areas of the US, it’s cheaper). That : means that payback time is 22.5 years which is pathetic. Most of the : equimpent you use is not designed to last 20 years. And PV output wanes : after a few years. : Please provide references on your claims of PV cell output by year. And : note that many PV manufacturers provide a 20 year warranty, contrary to : your opinion. I don’t have any data on output per year. And when I say ‘wanes’ I mean goes down a bit, I don’t mean blanks out completely (Sorry, english is my second language). I think it goes down to 90% after a few years, If I’m not mistaken. And by equipment, I don’t mean only the PV cells, also inverters, but mainly heat pumps. off grid Solar Panel Inverter

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I admit I’m not familiar with home power magazine. However, living in Montreal, Canada, I can tell you that in northern regions, snow can remain on the roof for months, despite the sun’s warming rays. And what if you live in a two-storey house? Not so easy to clean the roof with a long handled boom. You may have to walk on the roof.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

Of course, we haven’t even mentionned *ice* … After the Ice Storm ‘98, some people had to spend around 500$ to have their roofs cleared by professionals.

At the optimum collection angle for winter solar collection in Montreal (45.5 deg. latitude) not a whole lot is going to stick to the PV’s. Ice I don’t know about. Folks often set the PV’s at an even steeper angle than optimum for this reason. It must work, there are a whole lot of commercial commumications sites on mountains that have used PV for years. PV’s work great in cold snowy areas. Friends tell me during winter they make more energy with their PV’s per unit time than during the summer. The cells are cold which helps efficency and getting reflected sun off the snow pack. The biggest problem I hear of is putting the PV’s high enough so that the snow doesn’t build up in front of them. A roof is one of the last places you should be putting your PV’s anyway. Ground mounts are much better in general. You should checkout Home Power.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

The webpage is referenced in my sig below and I believe you may find it at the library (call around). Canada is a hotbed of renewable energy….we have lots of subscribers there. If we want to save energy, why don’t we lower our consumption to 1.5 kW in the first place, while remaining connected to the grid, without spending on PV cells. THAT would make a difference in emissions, and reduce our energy spending. But for a northern house, that just won’t work. Electric energy requirements per person in Canada are on average 50% higher than in the US. and that includes the fact we use less AC. At least 10 kW peak would be required per house for decent heating and common appliances.

It’s a tough sell. Sure it would make a difference. But folks would need to replace their 20 year old refers that use 3-5kW per day, replace all their consumptive incandescent light bulbs, not leave lights on all the time or leave their TV’s on all day. In general folks are programmed to use up lots of energy. The only thing that will make a difference I fear is 2X or 3X times higher electric rates. Case in point…you’re convinced it seems that you have to use 50% more energy in Canada that in the U.S. Didn’t see that as a requirement on the entry permit when I crossed the border.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

Just because this is currently “generally” the case (if it is) doesn’t mean it has to stay that way I don’t have any data on output per year. And when I say ‘wanes’ I mean goes down a bit, I don’t mean blanks out completely (Sorry, english is my second language). I think it goes down to 90% after a few years, If I’m not mistaken. And by equipment, I don’t mean only the PV cells, also inverters, but mainly heat pumps.

Heat pumps maybe (I don’t do heat pumps). For PV and inverters not that I’ve heard of. You really need to check out the mag. Philippe if someone told you the erroneous info you’ve been putting in your posts you need to find a better source of info. I know of a Professor at a nearby university that claims renewable energy, solar in particular, is totally unworkable…his mind is set and nothing will change it. Not even the 400kW solar array nearby in Davis California. Please don’t be put off that folks take exception to the data in some of your posts. Nothing personal here…We’re just trying to set the record straight and share information. That’s how we all learn.off grid Solar Panel Inverter

.Where are you getting your info? From HMFNP no doubt. I don’t know what HMFNP is. Anyway, I did the quick econo analysis with the data posted by the original poster. They seemed like perfectly reasonable numbers to me. : The best analysis I’ve seen is that PV generated power will cost 16 cents : per kW amortized over 20 years figuring at that point you throw away the : panels. That would be a silly thing to do figuring that Siemens gives a 25 : year warranty on their current line of PV’s. Is it the best analysis because it gives the cheapest energy? There are hundreds, no, thousands of factors to consider when building or designing any strucure or energy system. Almost all these factors involve additional expenses to the system. The problem is, that sometimes the best possible system is shown as an example of quality and the cheapest possible system is shown as the costs. We mustn’t forget that these are two different systems. If a PV array costs ‘as little as’ 20000$ and can perform ‘up to’ X standards, chances are, you won’t get both qualities at the same time. off grid Solar Panel Inverter

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Small inverter question? Solar Panel Inverter setup

Question:

Hi Nero…Welcome to the fray… I recently picked up a Consci portable power pack () from C.Crane to run a scanner, SW radio, and CB during emergencies. I will soon pick up 10watt solar panel to keep things topped off. I am now looking for a small power inverter that will fit inside the power pack to keep things all together. The inverter will be used to run a small b&w TV and possibly some other small appliances in a pinch. In the future I will put together a larger setup for the house, but right now I need small, light weight, and portable.Solar Panel Inverter setup

Size cannot exceed 5″x5″x2″. Trying to stay around $100 or less, if possible.

The only thing I can recall seeing that might fit in your space requirements was (I think) a small Statpower unit that was intended to power laptops…Think it was only 85 watts so it would power a small TV, fluorescent light, etc. but don’t expect it to power your drill. Pretty tiny unit….For your portable stuff why not run it all DC?Solar Panel Inverter setup

A 5 inch Radio Shack AC/DC colr TV uses about 15w on DC and 45w on AC (including inverter losses) I hate buying cheap stuff that breaks. What brand or model is rugged enough for long term use? What brands to avoid?

I see a lot of folks I respect offering the AC Genius line. I’d avoid the Power to go/Whistler brands personally, heard a few bad stories bout them. Were it me I would be buying an Exeltech 125 sine wave but I don’t think it’s going to make your space requirement or meet your budget. I don’t have much experience with the small square waves to be honest. Is true sine wave necessary for my purposes? Will the modified sine waves cut it? Are there differences between the modified sine wave of different brands?

Yes, there are differences. No, a sine wave unit isn’t absolutely necessary. Folks have used mod sine, which really should be called “modified square wave”, for some time. I’m convinced they are hard on electronics though. I’ve had problems with dataloggers on mod-square power and had a friend who talked glowingly about his PTG inverter only to mention in the next breath his new TV that died mysteriously along with two sega system that died rather quickly. If I HAD to buy a small mod square wave inverter I’d likely buy Statpower (i haven’t heard anything bad about them). I lent my old Powerstar 140w to a gal friend and it’s still going strong. She uses it for her answering machine…I cautioned her to avoid using it with anything expensive Because I listen to radio a lot,Solar Panel Inverter setup

What brands or models are quieter (RFI)? What brands or models to avoid?

Most of them generate noise on the DC buss….As mentioned above why not go DC all the way for the portable unit. Any places to buy inverters that has good prices and customer service?

All of us have our favorites. I’m sure Warren Luzon would take good care of you as would Alternative Energy Engineering, Steve and Elizabeth at Backwoods Solar,Solar Panel Inverter setup

Planetary Systems in WY, etc. Go to the Home Power website and download the electronic edition of the latest issue…you’ll have lots of folks to chose from. I know this is a lot to dump in one post. I did some searching, but was unable to pull together answers for all these questions. I am hoping this will also help other newbies needing similar info.

Sokay….We love to help. We all started somewhere and had to get the help of others. Solar Panel Inverter setup

I’ve also heard bad stories about AC Genius, and have used a Power To Go full time (on 24 hours a day) with no problems. INHO, all the inverters in this size range a equivalent in quality, and luck (or lack thereof) will determine you experience with the unit. Solar Panel Inverter setup

They are very inexpensive (300 watts under $100). I also agree with you that Nero should consider using a DC TV for the lowest power draw, but check the draw on identical models, as they can vary wildly. Solar Panel Inverter setup

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12VDC Lighting Questions Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram

Question:

I am trying to get a PV system setup for my camp, and have a few questions about the setup.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram I live in Atlantic Canada, and I’m having trouble finding good 12V lighting products, so now I am considering using an inverter with 120V fixtures. The question is, which setup would drain less power from my battery — 60W/12V incandescent lights connected directly to the battery, or 13W/120V compact fluorescent lights connected through an inverter? I also want to connect a 15W Solar Panel from ICP Global Technologies Inc. to serve as the trickle charge, since the camp is only used on the weekends. Also, I’m only planning on using 4 or 5 lights, and maybe a radio. Those are my options at this point. Any ideas, tips, or other options are certainly appreciated. Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram

Response:

Obviously, the flourescent is a more efficient light, using less than 25% of what the incandescent uses for about the same amount of light. As far as inverter efficiency, I usually figure 80%, assuming a load of 50-100% of inverter rating. Most of the cheap inverters draw fairly large idle currents, so the efficiency sucks at no (or low) load. You also need to figure that the ballast may use aditional power, and it could overheat on a square wave inverter. I haven’t had that problem, however. At any rate, I’d expect a 13w flourescent to draw 2amps or less compared to about 5amps with the 60w/12vdc bulb.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram I use a mix of flourescent and incandescent light bulbs in both my RV and at a cabin. The best incandescents are the automobile type 1156’s (normally used for backup lights). They are rated 15w (12v, compared to 750hrs. for 120vac light bulbs. Obviously, they do not put out anywhere near as much light as a 60w bulb, I just find it to be enough in most cases. When it is not, then I prefer the 13w compact flourescents on 120vac. One of the advantages of the 1156’s is that all kinds of auto (also RV and marine) housings are made for them and they are readily available and cheap. 1141’s (?) will also fit these fixtures if even lower power usage and light output are needed. I don’t like 12v flourescents – they cost 10 times as much and last 1/10th as long. In other words, the fixtures don’t last as long as the flourescent bulbs. I’ve been using a 15w PV panel as a trickle charger for 2 Trojan T-105’s. It’s plenty for the few days a month we average at the cabin. Obviously the 2-4 ah per day (it doesn’t get sun all day for the trees) charging it can provide is not enough to recharge from a heavy discharge, but it makes a good trickle charger. We find the batteries fully charged and not using up the water, provided that we don’t run them down too much at any given time. Lighting (incandescent), water pumps, and fans work well on 12vdc. Any other appliance is likely to be much better in several ways at 120vac. I mainly decide which to use based on convenience, price, and power usage. Note that the inverter (especially modified sinewave) may cause interference on TV or radio. That problem is easily rectified by using filters, sheilding, or simply locating the inverter away from the radio or it’s antenna. I really like having both AC and DC power available. We started with 12vdc and added the 120vac inverter later. However, we planned on both at the time we built the cabin. Most of the rooms have both 12vdc & 120vac lights (switched seperately, either can be used) and 120vac outlets. HTH Russ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am trying to get a PV system setup for my camp, and have a few questions about the setup. I live in Atlantic Canada, and I’m having trouble finding good 12V lighting products, so now I am considering using an inverter with 120V fixtures. The question is, which setup would drain less power from my battery — 60W/12V incandescent lights connected directly to the battery, or 13W/120V compact fluorescent lights connected through an inverter? I also want to connect a 15W Solar Panel from ICP Global Technologies Inc. to serve as the trickle charge, since the camp is only used on the weekends. Also, I’m only planning on using 4 or 5 lights, and maybe a radio. Those are my options at this point. Any ideas, tips, or other options are certainly appreciated.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram

Before you buy.

Response:

Obviously the 13W power usage is less than the 60W lamps. Even with 5-8% inverter losses. There are however lots of compact fluorescent DC lights that can be powered directly from a battery. The equivelent is a 13W lamp in DC too. One source is: http://www.jademountain.com/lightingProducts/dcltsCFs.html There are also White LED lights available now. They are expensive but use extremely low amounts of electricity.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram The Light Emitting Diodes can provide for low amounts of light for long periods of time. The LED flashlights run scores of times longer than regular flashlights. see: http://www.hollysolar.com I suggest for a small part time cabin to use a small portable modified sinewave inverter if you need to run a small AC item (like elecrtic shaver). You can get these all over the place and cheap. Good Luck Russ

Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram I am trying to get a PV system setup for my camp, and have a few questions about the setup. I live in Atlantic Canada, and I’m having trouble finding good 12V lighting products, so now I am considering using an inverter with 120V fixtures. The question is, which setup would drain less power from my battery — 60W/12V incandescent lights connected directly to the battery, or 13W/120V compact fluorescent lights connected through an inverter? I also want to connect a 15W Solar Panel from ICP Global Technologies Inc. to serve as the trickle charge, since the camp is only used on the weekends. Also, I’m only planning on using 4 or 5 lights, and maybe a radio. Those are my options at this point. Any ideas, tips, or other options are certainly appreciated. Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram

Response:

Good info by Greg and Russ. I’ve checked a couple of my modified sine/square wave inverters, both 300 watt, and get about 0.3 to 0.4 amps draw at idle. Call it 4-5 watts. So add a 13 watt c.f. at 85% efficiency at 12.5 volts and call it 1.6 amps draw. This gives (close to) 60 watts worth of incandescent light at 1/3 the drain on the battery. The light is much better than the cheap 12v fluorescents I’ve seen.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram Just remember to set up a switch that kills the inverter too when you want the light(s) out. I’ve used the inverter with a fluorescent trouble light when camping a few times. The cool-white light quality isn’t so good, but the convenience is great and it makes a good area light. BTW, my 1100 watt Exeltech sine wave inverter draws only 1.2 amps at idle. That means it still draws less juice from the battery with 3 13 watt c.f.’s than 1 60 watt incandescent at 12 volt!Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram

Response:

In am in the field of fishing and hunting camps or cabins since many years and noticed that the best results with 12 vols is accomplished by using 6 o7 halogen lamps (draw 20 watts) that you can find at Reno depot for 15$ can. If you use as much as possible 12 volts equipment that you can find easily in marinas or in the motor homes suppliers. They have fans, TV, lights. If you use fluorescents your face will look blue like frankeinstein. So with 12 volts halogen without using the transformer that takes the 120 Ac to 12 Ac you will be OK. Also do not forget that you are not in Florida (sunshine state) In the maritime you have plenty of wind and you should use a small wind generator.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram 15 watts PV just makes a trickle charge in heavy sun and is not worth their use. We sold over 1000 units in Quebec to hunters and fisherman that go to their camps once in a while like you and they kept their PV for summer days in july where there is no wind. It happends during only 15 days where the sunset is late. With 2 or 3 good deep cycle batteries and a good wind generator you will have more than enough energy for your needs. Do not spend your money….. just make an investment for good equipment. You will even be able to recharge the batteries of your trolling motor while you will sleep.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram

Response:

Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram I’ll have to try a bit of both (12V and inverter) and decide which application works better. I suppose, I could always add additional batteries & charge panels if needed. Thanks again. Greg.

Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram In am in the field of fishing and hunting camps or cabins since many years and noticed that the best results with 12 vols is accomplished by using 6 o7 halogen lamps (draw 20 watts) that you can find at Reno depot for 15$ can. If you use as much as possible 12 volts equipment that you can find easily in marinas or in the motor homes suppliers. They have fans, TV, lights. If you use fluorescents your face will look blue like frankeinstein. So with 12 volts halogen without using the transformer that takes the 120 Ac to 12 Ac you will be OK. Also do not forget that you are not in Florida (sunshine state) In the maritime you have plenty of wind and you should use a small wind generator. 15 watts PV just makes a trickle charge in heavy sun and is not worth their use. We sold over 1000 units in Quebec to hunters and fisherman that go to their camps once in a while like you and they kept their PV for summer days in july where there is no wind. It happends during only 15 days where the sunset is late. With 2 or 3 good deep cycle batteries and a good wind generator you will have more than enough energy for your needs. Do not spend your money….. just make an investment for good equipment. You will even be able to recharge the batteries of your trolling motor while you will sleep. Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram Thanks for all the excellent advice. I’ll have to try a bit of both (12V and inverter) and decide which application works better. I suppose, I could always add additional batteries & charge panels if needed. Thanks again. Greg. In am in the field of fishing and hunting camps or cabins since many years and noticed that the best results with 12 vols is accomplished by using 6 or7 halogen lamps (draw 20 watts) that you can find at Reno depot for 15$ can. If you use as much as possible 12 volts equipment that you can find easily in marinas or in the motor homes suppliers. They have fans, TV, lights. If you use fluorescents your face will look blue like frankeinstein. So with 12 volts halogen without using the transformer that takes the 120 Ac to 12 Ac you will be OK. Also do not forget that you are not in Florida (sunshine state) In the maritime you have plenty of wind and you should use a small wind generator. 15 watts PV just makes a trickle charge in heavy sun and is not worth their use. We sold over 1000 units in Quebec to hunters and fisherman that go to their camps once in a while like you and they kept their PV for summer days in july where there is no wind. It happends during only 15 days where the sunset is late. With 2 or 3 good deep cycle batteries and a good wind generator you will have more than enough energy for your needs. Do not spend your money….. just make an investment for good equipment. You will even be able to recharge the batteries of your trolling motor while you will sleep.

If you study the mid-1976 Mother Earth News for an article on the MINTO WHEEL as devised by Wallace Louis Minto, and then put into the public domain , you will learn of a device you can run year round. Call it a low-gradient Geothermal Energy Convertor. I inventied one independently, and then found out he had beaten me to it by several years. Get an Aqua-Thaw heat pipe and copy it in large size, and use it to move ground heat from 100 feet down if you can get that deep, and make a Minto Wheel to use that heat in winter, and solar heat in summer (clouds don’t matter very much for this) , and it will use exactly ZERO fuel once set up and running. Kinda like a water wheel in reverse. Every adult middle class North American has seen the proof of this, in the “Drinking Bird” toy that one may buy in any large city and most small ones. A study of the automotive alternator and how to convert it to use for running appliances etc, will also be a benefit. And yes, by all means, a windmill. The amateur radio magazines periodically (no pun intended) print an article on how to make a windmill from an alternator. If you have any questions, feel free to E-mail me. Unlike many, I do ot ruin my rely address. I prefer to report spammers, and that costs them much more than just rejection by a phoney address. Have fun. “The learned Fool writes his nonsense in better language, but ’tis still nonsense.” B.Franklin ‘Poor Richard Improved’ (1754) Lou H. Semi-Learned, and very foolish, Prolific inventor, now on VP prop and cheap jet for GA Lousy Salesman, Incompetent businessman. (Typical of the Breed) Looking for both around Tulsa OK, USA (need working partner)

Response:

YOU try to get useable power out of a minto wheel, Lou. Please, try it, then come back and advise people on it’s efficiency. — Steve Spence Subscribe to the Renewable Energy NewsletterSolar Panel Inverter wiring diagram I could always add additional batteries & charge panels if needed. Thanks again. Greg. In am in the field of fishing and hunting camps or cabins since many years and noticed that the best results with 12 vols is accomplished by using 6 or7 halogen lamps (draw 20 watts) that you can find at Reno depot for 15$ can. If you use as much as possible 12 volts equipment that you can find easily in marinas or in the motor homes suppliers. They have fans, TV, lights. If you use fluorescents your face will look blue like frankeinstein. So with 12 volts halogen without using the transformer that takes the 120 Ac to 12 Ac you will be OK. Also do not forget that you are not in Florida (sunshine state) In the maritime you have plenty of wind and you should use a small wind generator. 15 watts PV just makes a trickle charge in heavy sun and is not worth their use. We sold over 1000 units in Quebec to hunters and fisherman that go to their camps once in a while like you and they kept their PV for summer days in july where there is no wind. It happends during only 15 days where the sunset is late. With 2 or 3 good deep cycle batteries and a good wind generator you will have more than enough energy for your needs. Do not spend your money….. just make an investment for good equipment. You will even be able to recharge the batteries of your trolling motor while you will sleep. If you study the mid-1976 Mother Earth News for an article on the MINTO WHEEL as devised by Wallace Louis Minto, and then put into the public domain , you will learn of a device you can run year round. Call it a low-gradient Geothermal Energy Convertor. I inventied one independently, and then found out he had beaten me to it by several years. Get an Aqua-Thaw heat pipe and copy it in large size, and use it to move ground heat from 100 feet down if you can get that deep, and make a Minto Wheel to use that heat in winter, and solar heat in summer (clouds don’t matter very much for this) , and it will use exactly ZERO fuel once set up and running. Kinda like a water wheel in reverse. Every adult middle class North American has seen the proof of this, in the “Drinking Bird” toy that one may buy in any large city and most small ones. A study of the automotive alternator and how to convert it to use for running appliances etc, will also be a benefit. And yes, by all means, a windmill. The amateur radio magazines periodically (no pun intended) print an article on how to make a windmill from an alternator. If you have any questions, feel free to E-mail me. Unlike many, I do ot ruin my rely address. I prefer to report spammers, and that costs them much more than just rejection by a phoney address. Have fun. “The learned Fool writes his nonsense in better language, but ’tis still nonsense.” B.Franklin ‘Poor Richard Improved’ (1754) Lou H. Semi-Learned, and very foolish, Prolific inventor, now on VP prop and cheap jet for GA Lousy Salesman, Incompetent businessman. (Typical of the Breed) Looking for both around Tulsa OK, USA (need working partner)

Response:

YOU try to get useable power out of a minto wheel, Lou. Please, try it, then come back and advise people on it’s efficiency.

Did you read until you saw a word you recognized? Then stop? I SAID I had done it. I built a tiny one and got enuff numbers off it to make a big one. I didn’t make the big one but I did do the math. i could have made (at that time, 1975 or so) a 1000 HP wheel using four abandoned shallow oil wells (4000′) near the west border of Kansas. The cost would have been, turnkey for a small town that I did the design for , about 125,000 bucks. I couldn’t even get an appointment to tell them about it. Naysayers again. The world is infested with y….them. Efficiency? Same efficiency as Hoover Dam. Measure the ouput and the maintenance costs. THERE IS NO FUEL INPUT. It can be enhanced many ways but the basal process is 2-phase weight-shift, and can be done with as little as a 20′ dia wheel driving a car alternator putting our about 3500 W. Hole needs would be dependent on area of operation. Every 5 years IIRC, you will need to dismantle and repack the bearings. Unless you use sooper-dooper sealed ones. Have you ever made one? Did you ever get any numbers? Do you even know what a GOI book is? Ashrae book? Or do you just figger if there ain’t a book of tables in your shelf, then it cain’t be done? Sheesh. “The learned Fool writes his nonsense in better language, but ’tis still nonsense.” B.Franklin ‘Poor Richard Improved’ (1754) Lou H. Semi-Learned, and very foolish, Prolific inventor, now on VP prop and cheap jet for GA Lousy Salesman, Incompetent businessman. (Typical of the Breed) Looking for both around Tulsa OK, USA (need working partner)

Response:

Hey Lou, I built a an automobile that only needs water poured in the gas tank to run from LA to NYC. now, does my saying it make it so? not at all. you can claim that you can get useful power from a minto wheel, and I’m supposed to believe you? show the math son, show the math.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram YOU try to get useable power out of a minto wheel, Lou. Please, try it, then come back and advise people on it’s efficiency. Did you read until you saw a word you recognized? Then stop? I SAID I had done it. I built a tiny one and got enuff numbers off it to make a big one. I didn’t make the big one but I did do the math. i could have made (at that time, 1975 or so) a 1000 HP wheel using four abandoned shallow oil wells (4000′) near the west border of Kansas. The cost would have been, turnkey for a small town that I did the design for , about 125,000 bucks. I couldn’t even get an appointment to tell them about it. Naysayers again. The world is infested with y….them. Efficiency? Same efficiency as Hoover Dam. Measure the ouput and the maintenance costs. THERE IS NO FUEL INPUT. It can be enhanced many ways but the basal process is 2-phase weight-shift, and can be done with as little as a 20′ dia wheel driving a car alternator putting our about 3500 W. Hole needs would be dependent on area of operation. Every 5 years IIRC, you will need to dismantle and repack the bearings. Unless you use sooper-dooper sealed ones. Have you ever made one? Did you ever get any numbers? Do you even know what a GOI book is? Ashrae book? Or do you just figger if there ain’t a book of tables in your shelf, then it cain’t be done? Sheesh. “The learned Fool writes his nonsense in better language, but ’tis still nonsense.” B.Franklin ‘Poor Richard Improved’ (1754) Lou H.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram Semi-Learned, and very foolish, Prolific inventor, now on VP prop and cheap jet for GA Lousy Salesman, Incompetent businessman. (Typical of the Breed) Looking for both around Tulsa OK, USA (need working partner)

Response:

Steve Spence Hey Lou, I built a an automobile that only needs water poured in the gas tank to run from LA to NYC.

I’m supposed to believe you? show the math son, show the math. and show your car. Why YOU are NOT a multi billionaire ?. H.G.

Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram I built a an automobile that only needs water poured in the gas tank to run from LA to NYC. now, does my saying it make it so? not at all. you can claim that you can get useful power from a minto wheel, and I’m supposed to believe you? show the math son, show the math.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram. Did you read until you saw a word you recognized? Then stop? I SAID I had done it. I built a tiny one and got enuff numbers off it to make a big one. I didn’t make the big one but I did do the math. i could have made (at that time, 1975 or so) a 1000 HP wheel using four abandoned shallow oil wells (4000′) near the west border of Kansas. The cost would have been, turnkey for a small town that I did the design for , about 125,000 bucks. I couldn’t even get an appointment to tell them about it. Naysayers again. The world is infested with y….them. Efficiency? Same efficiency as Hoover Dam. Measure the ouput and the maintenance costs. THERE IS NO FUEL INPUT. It can be enhanced many ways but the basal process is 2-phase weight-shift, and can be done with as little as a 20′ dia wheel driving a car alternator putting our about 3500 W. Hole needs would be dependent on area of operation. Every 5 years IIRC, you will need to dismantle and repack the bearings. Unless you use sooper-dooper sealed ones. Have you ever made one? Did you ever get any numbers? Do you even know what a GOI book is? Ashrae book? Or do you just figger if there ain’t a book of tables in your shelf, then it cain’t be done? Sheesh. “The learned Fool writes his nonsense in better language, but ’tis still nonsense.” B.Franklin ‘Poor Richard Improved’ (1754) Lou H. Semi-Learned, and very foolish, Prolific inventor, now on VP prop and cheap jet for GA Lousy Salesman, Incompetent businessman. (Typical of the Breed) Looking for both around Tulsa OK, USA (need working partner)

Response:

You have made such a good imression on me that I will gladly give you the information if and AFTER you fork over a pile of loot. As for the math, you can do it if you know any. 1) Ground phonon thermal conductivity 2) R-22 heat pipe transfer rates. 3) Wheel size, torque/weight, rotational speed. They say a word to the wise is sufficxient and I feel I have wasted enuff words on a fool. If’n y’all gots enuff money, I will e=mail you’ns a picture or the wheel I had, or what was left after the storm. Sh** Sheesh again. “The learned Fool writes his nonsense in better language, but ’tis still nonsense.Solar Panel Inverter wiring diagram , not DC vs AC – low voltage bulbs produce more candle-power per watt. This is due to the heavier (comparably) filament being able to run hotter without structural failure (read that as burn-out) than the relatively light, high resistance filaments of a high voltage bulb. If you need a good 12 volt lighting system go to Home Depot (or your local equivalent) and buy the low voltage halogen lighting kits produced for accent lighting etc – you don’t need the chintzy, noizy solid state “transformers” – just the fixtures. I use them in my camping trailer .

Response:

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Does any make a low-cost,fypes of Solar Panel Inverter integrated electric-start generator/inverter/controller?

Question:

I had in mind something (in size and cost) like the Honda 1000W portable generators,fypes of Solar Panel Inverter but which can be used for low-average, medium-peak power applications (like remote telecomm equipment.) I have a a wireless broadband connection on a hilltop, which forwards the data to a (powered) house via a 802.11b link. It uses about 5-20 watts of power when active and 1-5 watts while inactive (most of the time). Using a generator, even at idle only last 10 hours or so. We’ll putting in a solar panel, but a cheap generator/invertor would have been much simpler.fypes of Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

why not a motorcycle engine with belt drive generator? — Steve Spence Subscribe to the Renewable Energy Newsletter: http://www.webconx.com/subscribe.htm Renewable Energy Pages – http://www.webconx.com Palm Pilot Pages – http://www.webconx.com/palm X10 Home Automation – http://www.webconx.com/x10 (212) 894-3704 x3154 – voicemail/fax We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. –

fypes of Solar Panel Inverter I had in mind something (in size and cost) like the Honda 1000W portable generators, but which can be used for low-average, medium-peak power applications (like remote telecomm equipment.) I have a a wireless broadband connection on a hilltop, which forwards the data to a (powered) house via a 802.11b link. It uses about 5-20 watts of power when active and 1-5 watts while inactive (most of the time). Using a generator, even at idle only last 10 hours or so. We’ll putting in a solar panel, but a cheap generator/invertor would have been much simplerfypes of Solar Panel Inverter.

Response:

Try Trace Inverters, I think they are in Washington State…

fypes of Solar Panel Inverter I had in mind something (in size and cost) like the Honda 1000W portable generators, but which can be used for low-average, medium-peak power applications (like remote telecomm equipment.) I have a a wireless broadband connection on a hilltop, which forwards the data to a (powered) house via a 802.11b link. It uses about 5-20 watts of power when active and 1-5 watts while inactive (most of the time).fypes of Solar Panel Inverter Using a generator, even at idle only last 10 hours or so. We’ll putting in a solar panel, but a cheap generator/invertor would have been much simpler. fypes of Solar Panel Inverter

Response:

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Newbie: Home Backup Power System Questions Solar Panel Inverter battery

Question:

Solar Panel Inverter battery I am new to the world of renewable energy, and I hope I come to the right newsgroup and appreciate if I could get some help from the experts. I used to own a gasoline generator (Honda EU1000i) to provide back-up power during power outage, or when I was too far away from an AC outlet. However, since I rent an apartment, keeping a gasoline generator either inside or outside at the balcony isn’t a good idea, and I don’t want to keep breathing gasoline vapor. As a result, I sold it and tried to go for the battery/inverter solution. The back-up power system is mainly for obtaining some AC power (probably about 1000W) when there is a power outage under severe weather condition.Solar Panel Inverter battery I am NOT looking for a solution to run my complete apartment for several days. Also, I am trying to setup the system without emptying my bank account, and would like to have one which costs about the same as the Honda generator. When I read a recent issue of Home Power, I found out that most systems are huge (solar, wind, hydro, etc.), or is more suitable for homeowner rather than a person trying to build a small back-up power system for a rented apartment. I did some researh and found some information from the internet, and I’d like to get some opinion from the experts. Inverter: What are some of the disadvantages of a modified sine-wave inverter? I looked at the Portawattz 1000 and the PROsine 1000 by Statpower, and the difference in price is closed to $400. What kind of appliance cannot be run on a modified sine-wave inverter, e.g. TV, light, computer, radio, etc.? Is it worth spending that extra $400 to get the ultimate pure AC power? Could I get cleaner AC by running the output of a modified sine-wave inverter to a 1:1 transformer, or is it better to go directly to the PROsine series? Battery: Are those deep-cycle batteries at Wal-Mart good enough for the system? The one I found is rated at about 110Ah, and is roughly $60-70, and I could run two in parallel to give me roughly 220Ah. I also found some from the web, and they are rated at over 300Ah, but is rather expensive. What are the differences between those deep-cycle batteries that I could find in Home Power magazine, and those that I could find from a local auto store? Will those from Wal-Mart survive, and what kind of maintenance I should perform to length its life? Is there a good brand that you recommend? I know that lead-acid batteries should not be kept inside my apartment, so I intend to keep it at my balcony. However, I am quite concern about the temperature variation, as it gets quite hot during a summer afternoon due to direct sunlight, and it gets pretty cold during winter. What kind of option do I have? Also, what are the advantages and disadvantages between 12V and 24V systems? Charger: What kind of features should I be looking for when purchasing a charger? At this point I only have a small 6A auto-battery charger for charging a dead car battery, and I know that it is not good enough to properly treat the batteries for my back-up power system. I came across the TRUECharge 10 from Statpower. Is it good enough for my application? Or should I get one with higher amp rating and better functions like the TRUECharge 20+? Any recommendation? Is equalization mode a real necessity? Sorry for such a long post. I am really interested in learning more about this technology to set up my small system, but I am not able to find books on this topic, and I don’t have friends who have the knowledge to help me out. It is even worse that there is no local store specializing in equipment for this type of application. I really appreciate your help, and hope to hear some constructive suggestions. If you have a good on-line store to purchase the equipment at a good price, please let me know, too. Solar Panel Inverter battery

Response:

Start at the beginning. What do you want to run and for how long. How many watts for how many hours. I suspect that you may have in mind the fridge in this as well as some lighting. If you dont need the fridge, something like a 80 wat panel and 100 – 200 Ah of batteries will do. for days of light at 12 volt. If you want to run mains stuff then you will need an inverter. a modified sq. wave will do if you dont mind a bit of noise in your music or the possability of a line across your tvs picture. you will also need a charge controller (regulator). Being in a flat (apt.) you might want to look at gell cells for ease of storage and safty. the charger side will depend a lot on how often you need the back up power. rule of thumb is to charge your batteries at the 10 rate (C10) So a 100 ah battery will need a 10 amp charger to recharge your battery. OTOH if you have days or weeks to recharge your battery you could use something less. Solar Panel Inverter battery I am new to the world of renewable energy, and I hope I come to the right newsgroup and appreciate if I could get some help from the experts. I used to own a gasoline generator (Honda EU1000i) to provide back-up power during power outage, or when I was too far away from an AC outlet. However, since I rent an apartment, keeping a gasoline generator either inside or outside at the balcony isn’t a good idea, and I don’t want to keep breathing gasoline vapor. As a result, I sold it and tried to go for the battery/inverter solution. The back-up power system is mainly for obtaining some AC power (probably about 1000W) when there is a power outage under severe weather condition. I am NOT looking for a solution to run my complete apartment for several days. Also, I am trying to setup the system without emptying my bank account, and would like to have one which costs about the same as the Honda generator. When I read a recent issue of Home Power, I found out that most systems are huge (solar, wind, hydro, etc.), or is more suitable for homeowner rather than a person trying to build a small back-up power system for a rented apartment. I did some researh and found some information from the internet, and I’d like to get some opinion from the experts. Inverter: What are some of the disadvantages of a modified sine-wave inverter? I looked at the Portawattz 1000 and the PROsine 1000 by Statpower, and the difference in price is closed to $400. What kind of appliance cannot be run on a modified sine-wave inverter, e.g. TV, light, computer, radio, etc.? Is it worth spending that extra $400 to get the ultimate pure AC power? Could I get cleaner AC by running the output of a modified sine-wave inverter to a 1:1 transformer, or is it better to go directly to the PROsine series? Battery: Are those deep-cycle batteries at Wal-Mart good enough for the system? The one I found is rated at about 110Ah, and is roughly $60-70, and I could run two in parallel to give me roughly 220Ah. I also found some from the web, and they are rated at over 300Ah, but is rather expensive. What are the differences between those deep-cycle batteries that I could find in Home Power magazine, and those that I could find from a local auto store? Will those from Wal-Mart survive, and what kind of maintenance I should perform to length its life? Is there a good brand that you recommend? I know that lead-acid batteries should not be kept inside my apartment, so I intend to keep it at my balcony. However, I am quite concern about the temperature variation, as it gets quite hot during a summer afternoon due to direct sunlight, and it gets pretty cold during winter. What kind of option do I have? Also, what are the advantages and disadvantages between 12V and 24V systems? Charger: What kind of features should I be looking for when purchasing a charger? At this point I only have a small 6A auto-battery charger for charging a dead car battery, and I know that it is not good enough to properly treat the batteries for my back-up power system. I came across the TRUECharge 10 from Statpower. Is it good enough for my application? Or should I get one with higher amp rating and better functions like the TRUECharge 20+? Any recommendation? Is equalization mode a real necessity? Sorry for such a long post. I am really interested in learning more about this technology to set up my small system, but I am not able to find books on this topic, and I don’t have friends who have the knowledge to help me out. It is even worse that there is no local store specializing in equipment for this type of application. I really appreciate your help, and hope to hear some constructive suggestions. If you have a good on-line store to purchase the equipment at a good price, please let me know, too. Solar Panel Inverter battery

Response:

…since I rent an apartment, keeping a gasoline generator either inside or outside at the balcony isn’t a good idea…

A tiny Honda seems like a good idea, if you can use the heat. and tried to go for the battery/inverter solution. The back-up power system is mainly for obtaining some AC power (probably about 1000W) when there is a power outage under severe weather condition. I am NOT looking for a solution to run my complete apartment for several days. Also, I am trying to setup the system without emptying my bank account, If you dont need the fridge,Solar Panel Inverter battery something like a 80 wat panel and 100 – 200 Ah of batteries will do. for days of light at 12 volt…

Makes perfect sense. Why charge batteries with 8640 watt-hours per day from a $170 12V 30A Todd battery charger when a $400 PV panel that collects 400 watt-hours per day can make you feel ecological all over? Especially when the first gives you 8 kWh during a storm outage with a 1 day recovery time, and the second takes 20 sunny days to recover… …Are those deep-cycle batteries at Wal-Mart good enough… The one I found is rated at about 110Ah, and is roughly $60-70, and I could run two in parallel to give me roughly 220Ah.

Sounds OK, altho our local golf cart distributor sells Trojan T-105s for $65 each. They might be better batteries. …I know that lead-acid batteries should not be kept inside my apartment,

Why not? so I intend to keep it at my balcony. However, I am quite concern about the temperature variation, as it gets quite hot during a summer afternoon due to direct sunlight, and it gets pretty cold during winter. What kind of option do I have?

Some sort of Styrofoam box with white latex paint on the outside and a hole at the top to let cooler night air settle in summertime and a light bulb for wintertime heat as needed? Solar Panel Inverter battery

Response:

I am new to the world of renewable energy, and I hope I come to the right newsgroup and appreciate if I could get some help from the experts.

Solar Panel Inverter battery If you dont need the fridge, something like a 80 wat panel and 100 – 200 Ah of batteries will do. for days of light at 12 volt… Makes perfect sense. Why charge batteries with 8640 watt-hours per day from a $170 12V 30A Todd battery charger when a $400 PV panel that collects 400 watt-hours per day can make you feel ecological all over? Especially when the first gives you 8 kWh during a storm outage with a 1 day recovery time, and the second takes 20 sunny days to recover…

20 days to recover? What is the daily load? Battery charger. Will keep the battery charged but will not recharge the batteries until the power is restored. If the power only goes out once every two months who cares how long it takes to recharge the batteries, If the power is out for three days that panel will stretch the battery life while the charger is collecting dust. …Are those deep-cycle batteries at Wal-Mart good enough… The one I found is rated at about 110Ah, and is roughly $60-70, and I could run two in parallel to give me roughly 220Ah. Sounds OK, altho our local golf cart distributor sells Trojan T-105s for $65 each. They might be better batteries. …I know that lead-acid batteries should not be kept inside my apartment, Why not?

Its against the law most places. Its dangerous. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – so I intend to keep it at my balcony. However, I am quite concern about the temperature variation, as it gets quite hot during a summer afternoon due to direct sunlight, and it gets pretty cold during winter. What kind of option do I have? Some sort of Styrofoam box with white latex paint on the outside and a hole at the top to let cooler night air settle in summertime and a light bulb for wintertime heat as needed?Solar Panel Inverter battery

Response:

…since I rent an apartment, keeping a gasoline generator either inside or outside at the balcony isn’t a good idea… A tiny Honda seems like a good idea, if you can use the heat. What run it under the bed?

No. In a soundproof box on the balcony, with an auto radiator and fan inside, and a 50′ soft copper spiral for the exhaust. His 1 kW Honda makes about 3 kW of heat, ie 10K Btu/h, like a typical kerosine heater, which an 800 Btu/h-F auto radiator could collect with a 10K/800 = 12 F temperature rise. Keeping the box 132 F inside (with a $64 36 watt Grainger 4C688 500 cfm 160 F cooling fan and a $18 2E340 cooling thermostat) would allow collecting 120 F water. That may seem hot for the Honda, but it’s probably fine, in the fan airpath. As a check, he might measure the cylinder fin temp in the box and compare it to the fin temp in still air on a hot day. …The back-up power system is mainly for obtaining some AC power (probably about 1000W) when there is a power outage under severe weather condition. I am NOT looking for a solution to run my complete apartment for several days. Also, I am trying to setup the system without emptying my bank account,

George blithely replied: If you dont need the fridge, something like a 80 wat panel and 100 – 200 Ah of batteries will do. for days of light at 12 volt… Makes perfect sense. Why charge batteries with 8640 watt-hours per day from a $170 12V 30A Todd battery charger when a $400 PV panel that collects 400 watt-hours per day can make you feel ecological all over? Especially when the first gives you 8 kWh during a storm outage with a 1 day recovery time, and the second takes 20 sunny days to recover… 20 days to recover? What is the daily load?

Zero. A daily load would increase the recovery time– 80 sunny days at 300 Wh/day, 160 at 350, and so on… If the power only goes out once every two months who cares how long it takes to recharge the batteries…

So you’ve perfected weather control down under? …I know that lead-acid batteries should not be kept inside my apartment, Why not? Its against the law most places.

Perhaps that excludes North America. The BOCA code doesn’t mention batteries. Its dangerous.

Alas, so is life. Nick

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Hi Gig, Thank you very much for your information. I went to your web site and it’s great. By the way, what kind of batteries do you have (the red ones in one of your photos)? Do they produce fumes when charging? How safe are they to be kept inside an apartment? Also, I have been experimenting with compact florescent lights, and I bought a GE bulb from Wal-Mart, which is rated at 16W and 700 lumens. I used it to replace a 75W flood light in my bedroom.. However, the light output is not as bright as the flood light. Am I comparing apple to orange in this situation? How long do I need to wait for it to give full brightness, and how do I compare the two types of bulbs in terms of wattage translation? Artur 5.29.2000 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am new to the world of renewable energy, and I hope I come to the right newsgroup and appreciate if I could get some help from the experts. I did exactly what you are asking about, and didn’t use any solar panels… and spent only about $350 for a good, 50 hour, back-up power system… and it was very reliable.. Since I had a home with a yard… Iater.. I expanded this system and got some PV’s and became independent from the grid… but my start, was only for a backup for power outages… All you need are a few large batteries (golf cart or larger 6 volt batteries)… a good inverter… 600 watts… and a good battery charger… and you can have a good power backup system during power outages… I have a webpage with pictures, if you are interested in what I did… http://geocities.com/solarliving/OfftheGrid.html Gig

Response:

Thank you very much for your information. I went to your web site and it’s great.

Thank You… By the way, what kind of batteries do you have (the red ones in one of your photos)? Do they produce fumes when charging? How safe are they to be kept inside an apartment?

I have mine in the bedroom between the bed and the TV set… :-D and they are ‘US Battery 2200’s… I liked them better than Trojans mostly because they were a few dollars less… and had a full replacment 24 month warrenty… while Trojan only had a three month full replacement warrenty… If the system over charges… I do get a bit of Hydrogen smell… but it quickly dissapates… now… since I have the TC60 charge controller… there has never been an overcharge… so there is no smell anymore… I can go out of town for several days without worry of damange to the battery array… Also, I have been experimenting with compact florescent lights, and I bought a GE bulb from Wal-Mart, which is rated at 16W and 700 lumens. I used it to replace a 75W flood light in my bedroom..

The Home Depot had some EarthLights CF flood lights… and they were pretty good… I have used the specially made CF Flood lights and they were a good replacement for the hot lights… I also had coffee at Starbucks awhile back… and they had all of their ceiling lights replaced with the CF flood lights… It was nice, and cooler… However, the light output is not as bright as the flood light. Am I comparing apple to orange in this situation? How long do I need to wait for it to give full brightness, and how do I compare the two types of bulbs in terms of wattage translation? Solar Panel Inverter battery

I thought the special CF floods were about as bright or, almost as bright as the hot bulbs… and they should achieve full brightness in about a minute… the wattage was still low for the CF’s … less than 20 watts… and usually about 16 or 17 watts, was nominal… To show how complacent I have become… I no longer check the voltage in the batteries… I know that they will be fully charged by the PV’s… and I don’t even know if a power outage has hit the neighborhood… until I go to the kitchen and see the microwave clock blinking… And soon… my microwave will be off the grid, too… so I will not know when an outage hits… Gig

Response:

[batteries in the apartment] Its against the law most places. Perhaps that excludes North America. The BOCA code doesn’t mention batteries.

I’d think that worst case good sealed AGM or gelled batts would be fine. In fact, if you buy a UPS it is usually stuffed full of gelled batts so I can’t see how those would be illegal. Its dangerous. Alas, so is life.

Indeed. So far it appears that it has a 100% fatality rate. Typically the most dangerous things in a home (causing the most injuries) are stairs and bathtub/shower. I don’t think a sealed battery would be worse than that, unless the user mistreated it. If we include those kind of problems, then any electrical jumps to the top of the danger list. Solar Panel Inverter battery

Response:

: I am new to the world of renewable energy, and I hope I come to the : right newsgroup and appreciate if I could get some help from the : experts. : I used to own a gasoline generator (Honda EU1000i) to provide : back-up power during power outage, or when I was too far away from an AC : outlet. However, since I rent an apartment, keeping a gasoline : generator either inside or outside at the balcony isn’t a good idea, and : I don’t want to keep breathing gasoline vapor. As a result, I sold it : and tried to go for the battery/inverter solution. The back-up power : system is mainly for obtaining some AC power (probably about 1000W) when : there is a power outage under severe weather condition. I am NOT : looking for a solution to run my complete apartment for several days. I’m a bloke who owns an apartment emergency power supply. I use a 500 watt UPS and it takes 24 volts. (2 marine batteries) I made mine with a surplus computer UPS. As far as battery voltage, it’s your choice. I use 24 volts myself in my system. 24 volts has the advantage of smaller amps for a given power than 12 volts, but to run stuff directly, you need 24 volt stuff, harder to find. Charging is interesting. I use a car charger and relays to charge each battery one at a time. This has the advantage of a charger not tripping some “smart” circuit in a UPS. I discuss my system in my UPSer .FAQ which I randomly post to this newsgroup and sometimes others. Your kilowatt system is bigger than mine, but the same principles will apply.Solar Panel Inverter battery our power company warned the Chicago area that rolling blackouts may occur as they had some nuke plants down for maintenance. Becuse my neighbourhood had frequent blackouts I wasn’t happy to say the least. Unlike the Jobs(tm) thing, I decided to take matters into my own hands and build an emergency power supply. I did just that. I over time (and some money wastage) built a UPS that has 500 watts and can go for 3 hours. Not bad, eh? This .FAQ file is the result of my expierences with my machinery and my time in alt.energy.homepower where off-grid power comes up as the topic. As far as I know, I was the first one to intentionally buy a UPS for consumer use to modify it for blackout-proofing. I was always a fan of electrical technology. I always liked playing with electricity and I have a decent safety record for my personal experimentation. Becuse I tend to “fly by the seat of my pants” so to speak, it’s good to know electricity first! Q: How do you pronounce “UPS”? A: I pronounce it like the pachage company, spelling it out, while many computer professionals call it an “ups”, as in “life has its ups and downs”. Both pronunciations are found in the computer world, in some cases people will adopt the pronunciation used by the first person to bring it up. Since I have an accent-control mechanism, in a room of computer people, I use my pronunciation and others temporarily adopt it. Q: What’s wrong with normal UPSes? A: The average UPS for the average consumer is meant for a few minutes of power, just enough to save a file then cut off the computer and the UPS. If that’s all you want, that’s just fine. You can blow only $90 and get one. You get like 10 minutes of power to the computer which is enough to save a file and then some. As you can imagine, this wouldn’t be useful for those “mission-critical” mainframes or the like. But for most people, this will work fine to save a file. However, this only saves the file. But what about sitting around the house bored and sweaty? Q: So what if you get sweaty? A: Well, the UPS isn’t a UPS, is it? That’s why I own a 500 watter that runs for hours! I can at least run a fan, as well as a light and my computer… and my car stereo! There is in fact a medical reason I developed my UPS machinery. I have a medical condition known as “hyperhidrosis”. I get sweaty in certain areas and as a result I always sought out cold to control it. I plan on getting this fixed by surgery. Over time, I learned to shun heat, and my UPS is a direct result of this medical problem. This same medical condition is causing me to develop low-energy-use methods of keeping cool in blackouts, particularly the A/C Suit(tm) to be used during blackouts with the UPS. Take someone into homepower, and add a medical problem, and you will get innovation. It was this that caused me to create this .FAQ file. Q: OK, I’ve got this 1,000 watter that has a dead battery and I like this idea. How do I hook up bigger batteries to run for hours? A: This is why I wrote this .FAQ file. In my case I took an old 500 watt UPS and modified it to use an external battery. First you need to find out the original battery’s voltage. In my case I was able to tell my UPS takes 24 volts. I examined the battery pack and figured it out. It took 4 batteries of 6 volts each in series. In early times with a cheap consumer UPS I found it took a 12 volt battery by counting the seams of plastic separating the lead-scid cells of the battery. Most UPSes use lead-acid batteries much like a car but sealed. I took jumper cables and made holes in the case and ran them to the battery in question. Q: Your current UPS takes 24 volts. How do you make it with batteries? A: I hooked 2 12 volt marine/RV batteries in series and the UPS has the jumpers coming out of the intentional holes. Thus, I clip the jumpers to the 2 poles nicely. Come a blackout, it runs. Q: Aren’t the batteries a lot bigger than the original? A: Yes, by a large margin. By my extimates, about 6 times bigger if not more. If I had the money, I’d expand it! Q: Doen’t the original charger not charge them up right? A: Yes, that is a problem. This is why I use a car battery charger. Q: But wait! Doesn’t your car charger only charge 12 volts not 24 volts? A: Yes! That’s why I devised a system using relays so as to charge each battery one after a time. I use relays in my system to remote-control the changing of the clips from one battery to the other. That way, I can interface the car charger to the UPS for quicker charging after the blackout. The only problem is that at this time I must manually control the switches that control the relays in question. I have a third relay for blackout simulation, controlled by a separate switch. Q: So, why do you like 24 volts? A: There are two reasons. First, there’s that current infrastructure where I get 12 volt parts and that smaller wires are needed for 24 volts at a given power. At 500 watts, you’re talking 25 amps assuming some losses while at 12 volts you need 50. Although I use jumper cable wiring, smaller wire can be used at 25 amps and still not overheat. For battery charging, there’s an issue of some UPSes being sensitive to external chargers. With my setup, only half the battery cache is on charge at any time. Cheap UPSes will often trip off if you apply external charging. I adopted 24 volts as a standard as it’s rather common and you can by a centre-tap adapt 12 volt stuff. Just be careful about grounding. Q: Can you set up a bigger system for better run-time? A: Yes, and I’m planning on upgrading. I want a run-time of 10 hours at full power. That’ll take care of the garden-variety blackouts nicely. It’s probably best to design for a full-power run-time of half a day at least. Except for extreme cases, that’ll handle most blackouts nicely. Q: Can you parallel batteries in a large battery bank? A: Yes and no. When possible, it’s best to avoid paralleling battery caches. Instead, it’s better to buy the batteries with the desired amp-hour rating in the first place. For large ratings, you’ll have to get industrial batteries, like the ones used onboard electric forklifts. These are some MASSIVE “muthuhs”. One case where you have no choice but to parallel is the case of an apartment dweller. After all, you have to get the batteries up the stairs. Depending on your strength, a 70 pound cell should be manmageable. For 24 volts, figure on carrying 12 cells up the stairs to assemble the battery on-site. Future movers will HATE you! Q: Do landlords allow large batteries? A: So far, us UPSers are rare, so the default Lease has nothing to prevent it. This is unlike waterbeds, which most leases ban. Q: What about the actual weight of the battery pack? A: This is a good question. This is a good concern as it would be rather embarassing to have your battery cache fall through the floor! Happily, the average apartment will handle quite a bit of a weight load. For best results, you place the battery cache against a load-bearing wall. The average human weighs 200 pounds, and the average car battery or equivalent weight battery will weigh 70 pounds. You get 3 batteries to the human, so if you can have 5 humans you can have 15 batteries easally. The biggest problem is getting the cache up the stairs (and later moving). Getting a battery cache up the stairs in my case is the biggest limitation imposed on my using this technology. Q: What are the best UPSes/inverters to get? A: I use the cheapest … read more »

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Hi Check out my site at www.klis.com/solar and see how my house and shop are set up totally Off Grid ! The batteries…Go to a knowledgeable dealer for such things, not a toy store, what you see at those types of places are not True Deep Cycle batteries, True Deep Cycle Batteries are Expensive but they are the heart of your system. If you purchase Cheapies then the system will never do what you want. The old saying holds true: You Get What You Pay For Many small UPS type of systems are available from Renovated Grocery Stores, I purchased a used unit made by Emergi-Lite, a 48 volt unit with a 1500 watt sinewave invertor output and rated for 1 hour under full load, complete with automatic charger system and alarms and breakers all in a very nice factory built package. Check around to some electrical construction companies doing work in those types of places, you may find one cheap and then are High Quality. Got questions? Solar Panel Inverter battery

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12 volt irrigation clock/3.5 psi valve Solar Panel Inverter manufactures

Question:

Hi, I have a remote vacation home in Mexico.Solar Panel Inverter manufactures I have 1 solar panel (1.5amps) (12v dc) and two t 106 6 volt batteries that give me 12 volts. I have an 110 v ac inverter (300w), but I think leaving it on all the time would drain my tiny solar system. What I want to do is have my plants water automatically. I have a 300 gall tank that sits on the patio roof, it is about 7′ off the ground to the bottom of the tank, and about 11′ to the top of the water when it is full I figure that I have about 3 lbs/sq inch water pressure, which is too low for any battery powered valve I can find. . I have the option of leaving the pump on…since it uses no electricity while not in use. I am a little concerned that something will go wrong with the system while I am gone and it will pump away all my water.I do have the gray water plumbed separately, and I am considering a gray tank with its own separate pump. My local irrigation supply has a sylinoid that fits into almost any valve body,Solar Panel Inverter manufactures that runs on one nine volt battery, the valve bodies however operate at a minimum of 6 psi, at least the ones that I’ve found. I’m mostly going to just ‘drip’ a few trees, once a week, or so Any of you guys, or lades got any experience, or ideas for me. Solar Panel Inverter manufactures

Response:

top of the water when it is full I figure that I have about 3 lbs/sq inch water pressure, which is too low for any battery powered valve I

I used a motor-powered ball valve from (I think) McMaster-Carr, but it was an AC motor drive. Dunno if they make one with a DC motor, but you want something like that (a powered ball valve that doesn’t care about water pressure) rather than one of the typical sprinkler system valves that uses water pressure to amplify the solenoid action… Solar Panel Inverter manufactures

Response:

Thank you for the reply, I did check the McMaster…site, and the valves were in the $200+ range, and not DC. I am leaning toward having my whole trailer pressurized with the pump on all the time. Or Gray water separate source/pump with the pump on all the time. Comments most welcome! Thanks, Solar Panel Inverter manufactures top of the water when it is full I figure that I have about 3 lbs/sq inch water pressure, which is too low for any battery powered valve I I used a motor-powered ball valve from (I think) McMaster-Carr, but it was an AC motor drive. Dunno if they make one with a DC motor, but you want something like that (a powered ball valve that doesn’t care about water pressure) rather than one of the typical sprinkler system valves that uses water pressure to amplify the solenoid action… Solar Panel Inverter manufactures

Response:

…I did check the McMaster…site,Solar Panel Inverter manufactures and the valves were in the $200+ range, and not DC…

Can you use a bilge pump,Solar Panel Inverter manufactures eg the Rule 12 V 14 A 360 gph version, $28.99 with an automatic switch from www.boatus.com, (800) 937-2628? Nick

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call Surplus Center 800 488 3407 no web page but lots of cheap odds and ends.Solar Panel Inverter manufactures Timers valves ect.pumps motors

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I am looking for an irrigation clock with several circuits ( Valves) and adjustable ON/OFF times of very short open valves periods like 3 to 30 seconds and repeat every 1 to 10+ minutes. DOES ANY ONE KNOWS OF A SOURCE Please send info. Thanks H.G.

Solar Panel Inverter manufactures call Surplus Center 800 488 3407 no web page but lots of cheap odds and ends.Timers valves ect.pumps motors

Response:

what voltage are you looking for on the clock ? Solar Panel Inverter manufactures has some interesting appliances that are controlled by your computer. I think the software is the new Windows ME. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am looking for an irrigation clock with several circuits ( Valves) and adjustable ON/OFF times of very short open valves periods like 3 to 30 seconds and repeat every 1 to 10+ minutes. DOES ANY ONE KNOWS OF A SOURCE Please send info.Solar Panel Inverter manufactures

Response:

What I finally came up with was the cheapest and simplest solution. I got one of those hose bib timers that runs on one 9v battery, from Home Depot. I’m just going to tee it into the trailer pressured line, and add one valve to shut off everything except the irrigation when I’m gone. I did find a number of sources for 12vdc timers,Solar Panel Inverter manufactures if anyone is looking. Thanks, for your input ! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I have a remote vacation home in Mexico. I have 1 solar panel (1.5amps) (12v dc) and two t 106 6 volt batteries that give me 12 volts. I have an 110 v ac inverter (300w), but I think leaving it on all the time would drain my tiny solar system. What I want to do is have my plants water automatically. I have a 300 gall tank that sits on the patio roof, it is about 7′ off the ground to the bottom of the tank, and about 11′ to the top of the water when it is full I figure that I have about 3 lbs/sq inch water pressure, which is too low for any battery powered valve I can find. . I have the option of leaving the pump on…since it uses no electricity while not in use. I am a little concerned that something will go wrong with the system while I am gone and it will pump away all my water.I do have the gray water plumbed separately, and I am considering a gray tank with its own separate pump. My local irrigation supply has a sylinoid that fits into almost any valve body, that runs on one nine volt battery, the valve bodies however operate at a minimum of 6 psi, at least the ones that I’ve found. I’m mostly going to just ‘drip’ a few trees, once a week, or so Any of you guys, or lades got any experience, or ideas for me. Thank You !!! Solar Panel Inverter manufactures

Response:

drain my tiny solar system. What I want to do is have my plants water automatically.Solar Panel Inverter manufactures I have a 300 gall tank that sits on the patio roof, it is about 7′ off the ground to the bottom of the tank, and about 11′ to the top of the water when it is full I figure that I have about 3 lbs/sq inch water pressure, which is too low for any battery powered valve I

Right. So instead of using a valve to turn on/off the water, use a pump to water the plants and let your timer control the pump. No valves. sdb — More guns means less crime. ISBN:0-226-49363-6 *** Watch out for munged e-mail address. User should be sylvan and host is cyberhighway.net. Do NOT send me unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE)!

Response:

120 Vac is OK or Even 12 or 24 Volts AC/DC What I am looking for is for a timer I can adjust the ON period to Seconds to low minutes and the OFF timer from one minute to maybe 15 or 30 minutes. I am lousy in programming and my last resource would be a microprocessor with some small program to do those adjustable times. A computer ( PC or Mac) is out . Thanks H.G. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – what voltage are you looking for on the clock ? Solar Panel Inverter manufactures has some interesting appliances that are controlled by your computer. I think the software is the new Windows ME. I am looking for an irrigation clock with several circuits ( Valves) and adjustable ON/OFF times of very short open valves periods like 3 to 30 seconds and repeat every 1 to 10+ minutes. DOES ANY ONE KNOWS OF A SOURCE Please send info. Thanks H.G. call Surplus Center 800 488 3407 no web page but lots of cheap odds and ends.Timers valves ect.pumps motors

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Yes, the 12vdc valve at no pressure was the hardest part to find. 12vdc clocks are easy. Try to get a clock to power a 12vdc pump is a little harder. The easiest is a remote location clock powered by a small battery, that has it’s own valve that opens, and closes to control water under normal pressure. (10-80) psi. Thats what I will use. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – drain my tiny solar system. What I want to do is have my plants water automatically. I have a 300 gall tank that sits on the patio roof, it is about 7′ off the ground to the bottom of the tank, and about 11′ to the top of the water when it is full I figure that I have about 3 lbs/sq inch water pressure, which is too low for any battery powered valve I Right. So instead of using a valve to turn on/off the water, use a pump to water the plants and let your timer control the pump. No valves. sdb — More guns means less crime. ISBN:0-226-49363-6 *** Watch out for munged e-mail address.Solar Panel Inverter manufactures User should be sylvan and host is cyberhighway.net. Do NOT send me unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE)!

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Question about loads…Solar Panel Inverter efficiency

Question:

I know from past research that most gens and alternators require some load on them when you crank them up. So, I have this ‘really’ nice Inverter and a solar panel/batts… do I blow my fancy $5K inverter if I connect the batts/panels without a load and what happens if the load is removed before the inverter gets shut down?Solar Panel Inverter efficiency I just don’t want to destroy a lot of nice (expensive) equipment… ya know?!Solar Panel Inverter efficiency I appreciate ANY assistance in this.Solar Panel Inverter efficiency

Response:

News to me. Generators can run all day without load and in many hot standby situations (hospitals, etc.) they do just that. A CHEAP inverter may require a load to dampen the in-stabilities they couldn’t design out given the costs.Solar Panel Inverter efficiency I know from past research that most gens and alternators require some load on them when you crank them up. So, I have this ‘really’ nice Inverter and a solar panel/batts… do I blow my fancy $5K inverter if I connect the batts/panels without a load and what happens if the load is removed before the inverter gets shut down? I just don’t want to destroy a lot of nice (expensive) equipment… ya know?! I appreciate ANY assistance in this.Solar Panel Inverter efficiency

Response:

Only thing I can think of is the cylinders glazing up on the gen set run all day. Inverters should be designed to cope with anything you mentioned below, cheapies may have problems…. Solar Panel Inverter efficiency News to me. Generators can run all day without load and in many hot standby situations (hospitals, etc.) they do just that. A CHEAP inverter may require a load to dampen the in-stabilities they couldn’t design out given the costs.Solar Panel Inverter efficiency I know from past research that most gens and alternators require some load on them when you crank them up.

Response:

If I understand your posting correctly, There are two parts to your system. Before the inverter and after. Before would include the PV, The Regulator and the batteries. After would include the DC to AC transformer and the Inverter…Correct? If this is true. Then a load is not required on the After side of the inverter.Solar Panel Inverter efficiency I recommend that you think of the circuit as two parts. Like I said. If I understood it correctly. Cheers – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know from past research that most gens and alternators require some load on them when you crank them up. So, I have this ‘really’ nice Inverter and a solar panel/batts… do I blow my fancy $5K inverter if I connect the batts/panels without a load and what happens if the load is removed before the inverter gets shut down? I just don’t want to destroy a lot of nice (expensive) equipment… ya know?!Solar Panel Inverter efficiency I appreciate ANY assistance in this.Solar Panel Inverter efficiency

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