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This is a great question, and if anyone has more info on the original idea of running wire on poles, it would be appreciated. I agree that the investment in solar is worth it if only to not be beholden to Helco for life, except that in rainy areas near Volcano, not enough sun to keep those batteries charged! I've heard there may also be issues with voltage loss over a long power line, if anyone has any knowledge about completing the long run of wire, pole options (wood vs. galvanized), etc. Thanks.
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with a long run your going to have problems with voltage drop, above and beyond the helco voltage roller coaster you get at the street. especially if you have any heavy loads or sensitive equipment. then you mite have to put a transformer near the house. but its goning to cost a lot more
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quote:
Originally posted by Seeb
with a long run your going to have problems with voltage drop, above and beyond the helco voltage roller coaster you get at the street. especially if you have any heavy loads or sensitive equipment. then you mite have to put a transformer near the house. but its goning to cost a lot more
I'm with you on this - a house we lived in HA had a line run 450 ft. Major issues with electronics and not big enough line and probably should have had a transformer some where along the way.
When we turned on our microwave, caused all the house lights to dim for a few seconds. Blew out out VCR, PC, and TV eventually. We thought it was just attrition at first (which it may have been speed along.)
What about a genny/solar combo ?
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me."
-Dudley Field Malone
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The KEY to cheaper solar is smart planning. Make a "load list" and figure out which items are drawing a ton of wattage and determine if you can switch to propane or more efficient models. Smart initial planning via energy efficiency, switching high draw items to solar, and having a generator for those rare times you want to run VERY high draw items makes solar very affordable, especially with the 30% tax credit from the feds.
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If you are in the initial stages of building, skip the HELCO and go solar with generator backup. Gas stove and water heater, all compact fluorescent lights. With the "new" curly bulbs CFL lighting is a lot easier than it used to be. Put in a lot of windows for natural lighting, perhaps even a skylight or two. Gas dryer if you are not using a clothesline to dry clothes.
Frequently, the folks selling a solar electric system use one of your electric bills to determine how big of a system to build. That means they get to sell you a much bigger system than you need, really since when you are on the grid you don't conserve power at all.
On a solar electric system, everything from the circuit breaker box on is "normal" wiring and such. You just aren't running appliances which draw a lot of electricity. If you are planning on going solar, it is nice to have several wall outlets with a switch to turn off the outlet. I've got all my electronics going to a switched power outlet so I can easily shut power off to everything since frequently electronics use power even when they are turned off. Considering the cost of the poles, it might be nice to just go solar now.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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quote:
Originally posted by TheYogi
The KEY to cheaper solar is smart planning. Make a "load list" and figure out which items are drawing a ton of wattage and determine if you can switch to propane or more efficient models. Smart initial planning via energy efficiency, switching high draw items to solar, and having a generator for those rare times you want to run VERY high draw items makes solar very affordable, especially with the 30% tax credit from the feds.
I'm on it....
working up a spreadsheet now.
I bought one of those gadgets that lets you plug in your appliances and stuff and it tells me how many watts and amps its pulling.
Chris
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A Kill-o-watt meter or some such, isn't it called?
If you have any appliances which make a lot of heat for rather a long time - stoves, clothes dryers, etc., then try not to use them at all. Appliances which make a little bit of heat for a long time such as electric blankets, small incubators, etc., are fine. Appliances which make a lot of heat for a small amount of time such as a popcorn popper are good for limited use such as when the sun is brightly shining.
We ran our house on four 150 watt solar panels for seven years before we doubled our solar array to eight 150 watt solar panels. Some of the panels may be 160 or 170 watts, I think they don't exactly match, but they are close. Much more power now so we don't have to run the "iron sun" (Honda generator) very often and we can plug in more things such as a freezer and that second incubator now. At the moment, there are eight 150 watt solar panels, eight 6 volt batteries wired in series parallel to feed 24V to the inverter which can put out 15 amps max. We do have a new inverter which will be able to put out more amps with a pure sine wave but haven't hooked it up yet. We may increase the battery bank size to twelve batteries pretty soon, too. I don't know if it was that we were so limited in power before that the new array seems plentiful but we like it. There is a constant awareness of power usage when you are off the grid, though. I would suspect if folks on the grid were as aware of power usage as folks off the grid there would be a lot less power used.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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quote:
Originally posted by Hotzcatz
We may increase the battery bank size to twelve batteries pretty soon, too.
This is a great discussion. Thanks to all who have contributed so far. Could somebody give me some idea what a battery costs, and how often are they replaced?
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quote:
Originally posted by Hotzcatz
We may increase the battery bank size to twelve batteries pretty soon, too.
You should never add new batteries to your old bank if the old batteries are older than 6 months or have undergone more than 75 cycles. Instead, get a new bank or utilize a good used battery. I personally would cycle my old batteries deeper and then replace the entire bank when the time comes.
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quote:
This is a great discussion. Thanks to all who have contributed so far. Could somebody give me some idea what a battery costs, and how often are they replaced?
The price will depend on the type of battery and how long they last will depend on the type of battery and most importantly, how well you take care of it. I like to see first time users get "trainer batteries" for their first bank. If they take care of them correctly and they last 5 years, then they can move on to more high end batteries. That way if they ruin a bank after a year, they're not ruining real high end batteries. I personally feel most new systems should be 48 volt as well. A WELL taken care of golf or rv/marine bank will last between 5 and 10 years. L16 batteries are essentially double size golf cart batteries which have twice the capacity and if well taken care of, twice the life span. You can also cycle them deeper.
A decent rule of thumb these days for solar is around $4.00 - $7.00 per watt hour as an end price for all the components.
Off grid battery based systems are much more expensive than grid tie systems.
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