Solar Power/How To

[HADave]

The LED bulbs are available here at very affordable prices. Amazingly enough they come in colors as well. Just think 1/10 the power comsumption to control bugs with yellow bulbs, red flood lights to keep your roosters quiet till sunup )), all kinds of fun colors. Plastic and frosted in cool white, warm white and regular. Globe type candle style, appliance bulbs and volume pricing.

http://www.ledlight.com/detail.aspx?ID=53

Incredible to think a lightbulb lasting 10 years. Too good to be TRUE ??? )

Aloha HADave

[HADave]

Here is another energy efficiency meter much more affordable than an earlier mentioned device. you could take it shopping, with you!

http://www.smarthome.com/9034.html

Aloha HADave

[haoleboy]

We, the good consumers we are, currently average about 30KW/day. I'm sure we could cut that in half, but on paper it's not cost effective for a store-bought system.

The obvious would be: get your consumption down, then start building an expandible system.

Any thoughts on propane refrigerators and freezers? My beer drinking buddy across the street is going to require a second fridge. Probably a second shift for the microbrewery, too.

Aloha
Richwhiteboy

"Electricity is actually made up of extremely tiny particles called electrons, that you cannot see with the naked eye unless you have been drinking."- Dave Barry

[Les C]

I saw a propane reefer at Hilo Propane(?) and it was small and expensive. It wasn't much in the way of reefer layout. I think it was about 16 cf and around $1200. Don't know how it rates efficiency-wise.

[Royall]

Pahoa Battery has had gas refers. I didn't see one on the floor last week but they do carry them. I think ther are too small and expensive though.

Royall

What goes around comes around!

[allensylves]

HADave,

Good post on the power meter.

When I googled it, Amazon.com came up with Sustainability Systems @$18.19 + $4.99 shipping, and it ships from HI!!

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

[sansei]

Second thoughts about LED bulbs:

60,000 hours under benign conditions is not unreasonable. All the bets would be off if there are power surges on the mains though.

It looks like marthome.com has the same bulb as gaiam.com (for about 15%less) and the 36 LED bulb is rated at 60 lumens. The bulbs at ledlight.com have 18 LED's and rated at 50 lumens - fishey?

For reference a 60W incondescent light = 13W CFL => 800 lumens.

I don't think LED bulbs are quite there yet and I would stick to CFL's for most applications.

[HADave]

bringing forward

[rbonplaza]

Thanks HADave for bringing this forward. I haven't had a chance to go back through the whole thing, but we're putting in an off-grid system in Orchidland and will hope to contribute our learnings. We are using a local electrician whom I will recommend when our system is up and running!

[sansei]

royal,
Here is site with a simplified schematic for close loop solar water heating system.

http://www.kingsolar.com/catalog/mfg/pac...-ecl4.html

A closed loop system refers to the loop to the solar collectors. It is isolated from the storage tank system by a heat exchanger. Needed when the panels may freeze and you have to run a propylene glycol solution in the outdoor parts or if you need to keep the water pressure from the storage tank plumbing from the panel. There are simpler systems if you don't fit either category.

One other important point. most people use a on demand tankless water heater as a backup when there is no sun. You need to make sure you get a tankless heater with a modulating burner. A modulating burner will lower the heat if the incoming water is already hot. Full blast on the tankless burner when the incoming water is already hot can burn up the heat exchanger and you will be buying new one.


Larry