Good news for solar storage

[pbmaise]

I am always amazed at the expense and size some people go. Cutting back on electric consumption is my advice.

The biggest concept to overcome is living without a refrigerator.

I still eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit, eggs, and powdered milk. None need refrigeration.

My house bank is just 2 batteries.

Solar and wind keep them charged and a small portable Honda is used if alarmed at 12.2 volts.

During the day I still use power tools. I just run the Honda and charge bank same time.

Another savings is portable LED flashlights. These puppies put out a lot of light and charge during the day.

[terracore]

Modern refrigerators are "frost free" which means they spend nearly an equal amount of electricity heating the areas that would frost up only to use more electricity to add more cold to the fridge to keep the food cold. This is the same for the fridge and the freezer side of the unit. After Iselle I was astonished at how little power our chest freezer used compared to our "energy star" fridge/freezer combo. Many people off grid don't use refrigerators for this reason and instead use chest or upright freezers. They use much less power (yes, they may have to be defrosted a few times per year). SOME freezers you can adjust all the way to the warm setting and it will refrigerate but not freeze your food. Others will not. There is a gizmo you can buy that is a temperature probe on one end for inside the freezer and the other end goes into the power outlet and you plug your freezer into it. It kills the power before the freezer can freeze your food and restores it before it gets too warm (it essentially turns your freezer into a super energy efficient refrigerator). They are also popular amongst homebrewers who want a cheap way to keep their mini kegs cool.

ETA: http://www.amazon.com/Refrigerator-Freez..._2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426302735&sr=8-2&keywords=freezer+outlet+refrigerator+homebrew

[pbmaise]

terracore good advise
I read recently that Hawaiian households have both the lowest electric and water consumption. I found a chest freezer here in the Philippines with a refrigerator setting. Chests have added advantage that cold air sinks and stays inside when open. Air spills out of vertical units and is replaced by warm humid air.

I do have a chest freezer too built into my countertop. It is 12 volts and has 8" of foam all around. It is only good when using a lot of engine when the alternator is running.

I may not have said yet this is aboard my boat.

[MarkP]

I personally find that refrigeration is something I don't want to do without. I got a small half-height refrigerator with separate refrigerator and freezer compartments. It seems to work pretty well. It is not self defrosting.

[TomK]

How do people here keep their beer cold, for goodness sake?

Oh, wait, I'm British...

[Kapohocat]

quote:

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Originally posted by TomK

How do people here keep their beer cold, for goodness sake?

Oh, wait, I'm British...

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12 pk size ice chest - 2 bags ice.

[pahoated]

There are several solar generator and solar storage systems on the way. The lithium batteries with the capacity needed are still very expensive. The prices will drop with volume sales.

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEW...2/?ST=msbe
Omron to Launch Small-size, Light-weight Solar Power Storage System

There is a fixation that solar panels have to be mounted on the roof, and if yard space is more important, that may be the only option. But, putting them on a house roof is what makes the engineering approvals necessary. They can be put on racks on the ground, which makes them easier to keep clean and in Hawaii, can lay almost flat. The other option is put them on top of a strong carport. 4 panels will provide 1kW, which is enough for the day, and with a 5kW solar storage system, enough for evening activities and keeping the refrigerator going all night. There is also a standardized connection smart meter coming so the homeowner can decide to selectively go off-network when they feel there is enough solar power for their household needs.

"Mahalo nui Pele, 'ae noho ia moku 'aina" - kakahiaka oli

[PunaMauka2]

quote:

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Originally posted by terracore

Modern refrigerators are "frost free" which means they spend nearly an equal amount of electricity heating the areas that would frost up only to use more electricity to add more cold to the fridge to keep the food cold. This is the same for the fridge and the freezer side of the unit. After Iselle I was astonished at how little power our chest freezer used compared to our "energy star" fridge/freezer combo. Many people off grid don't use refrigerators for this reason and instead use chest or upright freezers. They use much less power (yes, they may have to be defrosted a few times per year). SOME freezers you can adjust all the way to the warm setting and it will refrigerate but not freeze your food. Others will not. There is a gizmo you can buy that is a temperature probe on one end for inside the freezer and the other end goes into the power outlet and you plug your freezer into it. It kills the power before the freezer can freeze your food and restores it before it gets too warm (it essentially turns your freezer into a super energy efficient refrigerator). They are also popular amongst homebrewers who want a cheap way to keep their mini kegs cool.

ETA: http://www.amazon.com/Refrigerator-Freez..._2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426302735&sr=8-2&keywords=freezer+outlet+refrigerator+homebrew

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thanks! i like the sound of this.

[kalakoa]

How do people here keep their beer cold, for goodness sake?

I simply keep my beer at J Hara Store.

[ericlp]

Personally, I don't like freezer chests. They are hard to organize unless you build some custom sliding racks, but even then... It's still hard to organize the food. Another is your always bending down and most the time the food at the bottom is frozen. It's really hard to regulate the frozen/fridge line in a freezer chest.

Best bet? skip all that and buy a fridge from cold stone (he advertises on craigslist). Right here in Hawaiian Beaches. It's only a 12CF fridge. Not bad... I could do it. Altho, I really like my 18CF. Perfect for us. But Stone Cold has no defrost. So, you gotta prop open the freezer door and defrost it yourself, no big deal.... Plus his fridge runs off 12V ~ 48V DC. So no need for an inverter. I think he said his fridge consumes about 500 watts a day. That is very dooable on todays panels. Only really down side is, he wants 1000 dollars for them.

But, as of today there are some really nice 18CF fridges that are about 370 Kwh a year. So that's about a 1 Kw a day. That alone is very dooable by itself on solar. But, if you swap out the light bulb with an LED bulb, and you keep the fridge full of bottled water or beer. You'll can do a lot better than the advertised government rating. Plus, you could kill the auto defrost circuit and save even more, probably be just as efficient as a chest freezer. What would be really cool, is if you put the defrost circuit timer to come on when the sun is blazing and the batteries are charged up. That way you'd never have to defrost it and the fridge wouldn't be trying to defrost itself at 2AM off the battery bank. Gotta be a way to do it!


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