Topics > TEOTWAWKI
Whole House Power
Weisshaupt:
Just thought I would share our findings on Alternate power sources
Wind: In short Avoid. I was unable to find any manufacturers with proven reliability and track records- from the Skystream 3.7 which is reputed to not work anywhere, to those that "suck the least" like a Belgey. A wind turbine in general needs to be at least 3Kilowatts to be cost effective - and towers are often more expensive than the turbines themselves, and WTs require a lot of maintenance- so plan on climbing towers with tools or using a "GIN POLE" to lower the tower. Before doing anything you should buy a weather station, and try to figure your average wind speed at the height you plan to put the turbine- you will need to know and predict the weather anyway, so this is not a bad purchase even if you don’t do wind in the long run . You need at least 8mph to even begin to generate power with most designs. There are two basic types, Horizontal Axis and Vertical Axis- The horizontal (HAWT) is the traditional design with airfoil blades - it needs to shift with wind direction, and variable winds cause wear and tear. The VAVT designs turn at the same speed as the wind, and require larger and heavier alternators. Both types will be $15-20K installed, which , IMO , is too much to pay for a high-maintenance, low reliability power source. If you do have a wind source, and the time and patience, at this point your best solution looks to be a DYI using some ready made components like these and only for the purpose of augmenting a Photovoltaic System during windy or stormy periods.
Photovoltaic Solar: We ended up purchasing a 4.4Kw system based on Solarworld 245 Mono Panels and a dual grid-tie Outback inverter with Battery backup capability from cosolar.com. Northern Arizona Sun and Wind and Wholesale Solar are two other reputable dealers with good technical support and staff. To size the system you need to investigate what loads you MUST have running ( Fridge, Freezer, Lights, Well Pump ( watch that one- surge current can be huge – its why I have to have two inverters) etc) - also check your solar irradiation so you know what you can expect. There is a lot of good info here – take a close look at the PVWatts tool on that link- I found it very helpful. Also, you can use Google Sketchup to do shadow studies by modeling your site and looking at the shadows plotted--plus sketchup is a useful CAD tool for any project- well worth looking at. Batteries are a tricky subject all their own, but generally you get what you pay for.. golf cart batts last 1-2 years, and industrial, heavier than your car, batteries can last for 20. Try to make sure you can loacte the inverter and battery shed as close to the array as possible - also try to make provision for keep ing the batteries warm.. Also check with your local utility to see what they offer in the way of “net-metering” and sell back rates, and possibly in assistance in subsidizing your system – also there is a 30% dollar for dollar credit on all INSTALLED systems on your taxes, even if they are installed at a second home- but that assumes your tax bill is greater than the credit you will get. Netmetering allows you to use your utility as a “long term battery” – storing the extra energy you create in summer and getting it back from them in the winter when the system produces less. Also consider Ground Mounting the panels – this allows you to re-position per season, and keep them cleaner and free of snow.
Solar Water Heating: There are a number of companies that make panels for heating water for home use.. some heat the water supply directly, and then feed it to the hot water tank, and others keep a secondary tank hot, and water for use is heated using a separate heat transfer coil in that tank. There are a number of fairly expensive panels for sale, but for this I recommend a DYI project as the most cost effective. Lots of good info here – I will probably be building a couple of systems using plans from the first project on this page to augment both House water heating ( while keeping propane as a backup) and to aid with Greenhouse heating/aquaponics temps for the fish, and for heating a tank that can be used to keep the PV batteries warm on cold winter nights
Solar Air Heating: Again, there are reputable manufacturers for heating air [ulr=http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200328805_200328805?cm_ven=Aggregates&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Alternative%20%2B%20Renewable%20Energy%3ESolar%20Panels%20%2B%20Accessories&cm_ite=456302?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=456302] like this one [/url] – these basically work by convection- drawing cool air from the floor of your house and pushing it back in at the ceiling warmed to a nice temp. This will augment a traditional heating system, or even a wood stove by raising temps into the 60s or so - It doesn’t take a lot of propane tank fill- ups to pay off a single or two panel collector of this type. However, again, there are cheaper DYI solutions to consider like this one – obviously this doesn’t nothing to store heat for later, so its only helping heat a structure during the day.
Conservation: Yeah, you have to reduce the power you use to make these technologies work for you. That means good insulation for heating, and more energy efficient appliances. One of the more fascinating things at the Self-reliance Expo was the mix of Greens and Conservatives. I am sure the greens were surprised to see so many “Don’t Tread on Me” t-shirts. It irks me somewhat to be pushed into doing exactly what they want me to do – by their deliberate sabotage of our currency and fuel production , but the hard economics of $120/barrel oil will do that to everyone. #1 is the fridge. It runs nearly constantly and is a huge energy draw. There are Fridges especially made for solar applications, and they are good- good and ugly. If you have a wife, don’t even bother looking. Get an energy star top/bottom freezer/fridge WITHOUT Ice in the door. It’s a reasonable compromise. Alternatively, you can MAKE a very efficient fridge from a Chest Freezer. if your wife will let you get away with that. Second you need to deal with the “heat bulbs” – I tried these recently and I am pleased with them – a little directional however, and it is a different color spectrum –more like a CCFL. However, these LED bulbs should last a lot longer than the CCFLs (in my experience the CCFLs don’t last if they are turned on/off too often) They are certainly bright enough- we usually dim them.
So that’s the basics.. if anyone has any questions or wants more detail just ask.. I might even know the answer at the point. :>)
Pandora:
There's a lot to digest there, thank you for the information, and glad to "see" you here.
Dan:
Thanks for the great info.
Glad to see you made it here from IAF.
Libertas:
Thanks Weisshaupt for the very worthy contribution to this thread! If one wants to end their dependency on the common grid, this kind of info is a gold mine. ;)
Weisshaupt:
Hi All, thanks for the warm welcome.
I have yet to install the PV System ( still learning how to navigate the State inspection system, the code book, and I am in need of a place to house the INverters and Batts still) but I will post more learnings with that as I get to them, and time permitting, the Solar Hot waten and Solar Hot air DYI.. of Course with silver at 41 and a dollar index drop last Friday I am questioning how much time we have left, and my fears of a sudden drop have been renewed ( I personally am hoping for long slow decline... )
Beleive it or not my first post is just an intro- the devil is in the details, so if anyone is working on similar projects and wants to pool knowlegde or just pick my brain its all good to me.
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