AMPd
Well-Known Member
Not to mention when oil prices rise so will the electricity rates.
Youre basically protected against the instability of oil prices!
Youre basically protected against the instability of oil prices!
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Alternative Energy Powered
- Thread starter Daniel Scherer
- Start date
rlpm
S P85 | Sig X _P90D_
Sweet systems! Go giant fusion reactor in the sky!
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We used CST (Consolidated Solar Technologies). I highly recommend them. They put in the large system over the parking lot at the VA hospital, and the immense 1MW, 5 acre array at Albuquerque Academy. We chose them because they're local & sell/install SunPower panels, which have excellent efficiency & warranty. The installation crew was great, as was the lead electrician. Plus, except for a few signatures, they handled everything w.r.t. the permits, power company, etc. They do business all over NM and around El Paso.
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The power company just installed the REC meter. Now we're powered by the sun. The meters are spinning like mad. :biggrin:
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rlpm
S P85 | Sig X _P90D_
Al Sherman
It's about THIS car.
htsai14752
Member
hans
P631
rlpm
S P85 | Sig X _P90D_
:wink: Thanks.
That's one of the reasons it's nice to have a fence around the entire property, with a gate. It won't keep the serious thieves out, but hopefully the small timers will move on to the next place. The three large dog theft deterrent system also works well. :scared:
And I'll have to check, but homeowner's insurance probably covers the panels.
I called my home insurance provider and had the replacement value of the entire system added to my policy. I hope they steal all of them very 5 years so I can upgrade to the next best panels
Thank you, Hans!
Here you go. Unfortunately, correcting sidewaysness remains beyond me.
First photo shows the heart of the system: nine tons of absorbed-glassmat batteries. 2 columns of 6V 1150Ah Absolyte IIPs, wired at 48 volts. As we are (way) off-grid, I had not the luxury of using those super-keen-o Enphase inverters, something that makes fantastic sense for those of you on grid who can throw electrons back to the utility company.
Second shot is of the two charge controllers for the two different banks of PV panels. A MidNite and an Outback FlexMax80. To their left are the 16kW Outback inverters.
Third shot is the proof of the pudding: yesterday, 4/4, sun gave me 49.92kWh, or 945Ah, of electricity (used 384; stored 561).
Fourth photo shows something else. We also have an array of solar heat collectors; these bring the heat to this Big Black Box, which is an 1,800-gallon (6800 liter) hyper-insulated water tank - heat is then dispersed to our domestic hot water, radiant heat in the shop/garage, our laundry system, the bathhouse, and soon, to radiator heat in our Great Room. To the right of the box is an auxiliary 30kW diesel generator. Of importance is that there is no radiator attached to this water-cooled engine. Rather, I plumb its cooling directly into the Black Box, and that includes a water jacket around its exhaust. That system is wondrously efficient: so little heat is lost to the atmosphere that I literally can hold the exhaust pipe with bare hands (albeit not for long). It immensely enhances the amount of hot water we have for use. Use of the generator varies: it's not been on for two weeks, as w've had a great spell of fine weather, and virtually no guests at this time of year. But on a cloudy summer day when we are full - say, 20 guests - we may run it for a four-hour stretch every other day.
Fifth photo shows two sets of panels (I was not able to crop the photos, either..... On the right is the small PV array atop a 65-foot tower I erected; these are on a passive tracker which works quite well in the NON-summer months. But during our endless daylight summers at 63ºN, the sun rises and sets in the north, swooping all around the sky during the day and the tracker's heat-seeking radiator gets confused. The second array, on the left, are the solar heat collectors, plumbed down through this structure to the Black Box in the prior picture.
Last photo is the ground-mounted array of PV panels. These are 280 feet away from Control Central, but I ran double 3/0 copper wire, and line loss is less than 3% - very acceptable. And in the foregroudn are our Official Cabin Greeters, Aurora and Borealis.
Since this is early April, we are still seeing daytime lows in the -12ºF/-25ºC range, with highs just under freezing, so the PV panels' efficiency remains optimum. That's ONE problem where we have AZ, NV and CA beat!
Here you go. Unfortunately, correcting sidewaysness remains beyond me.
First photo shows the heart of the system: nine tons of absorbed-glassmat batteries. 2 columns of 6V 1150Ah Absolyte IIPs, wired at 48 volts. As we are (way) off-grid, I had not the luxury of using those super-keen-o Enphase inverters, something that makes fantastic sense for those of you on grid who can throw electrons back to the utility company.
Second shot is of the two charge controllers for the two different banks of PV panels. A MidNite and an Outback FlexMax80. To their left are the 16kW Outback inverters.
Third shot is the proof of the pudding: yesterday, 4/4, sun gave me 49.92kWh, or 945Ah, of electricity (used 384; stored 561).
Fourth photo shows something else. We also have an array of solar heat collectors; these bring the heat to this Big Black Box, which is an 1,800-gallon (6800 liter) hyper-insulated water tank - heat is then dispersed to our domestic hot water, radiant heat in the shop/garage, our laundry system, the bathhouse, and soon, to radiator heat in our Great Room. To the right of the box is an auxiliary 30kW diesel generator. Of importance is that there is no radiator attached to this water-cooled engine. Rather, I plumb its cooling directly into the Black Box, and that includes a water jacket around its exhaust. That system is wondrously efficient: so little heat is lost to the atmosphere that I literally can hold the exhaust pipe with bare hands (albeit not for long). It immensely enhances the amount of hot water we have for use. Use of the generator varies: it's not been on for two weeks, as w've had a great spell of fine weather, and virtually no guests at this time of year. But on a cloudy summer day when we are full - say, 20 guests - we may run it for a four-hour stretch every other day.
Fifth photo shows two sets of panels (I was not able to crop the photos, either..... On the right is the small PV array atop a 65-foot tower I erected; these are on a passive tracker which works quite well in the NON-summer months. But during our endless daylight summers at 63ºN, the sun rises and sets in the north, swooping all around the sky during the day and the tracker's heat-seeking radiator gets confused. The second array, on the left, are the solar heat collectors, plumbed down through this structure to the Black Box in the prior picture.
Last photo is the ground-mounted array of PV panels. These are 280 feet away from Control Central, but I ran double 3/0 copper wire, and line loss is less than 3% - very acceptable. And in the foregroudn are our Official Cabin Greeters, Aurora and Borealis.
Since this is early April, we are still seeing daytime lows in the -12ºF/-25ºC range, with highs just under freezing, so the PV panels' efficiency remains optimum. That's ONE problem where we have AZ, NV and CA beat!
AMPd
Well-Known Member
That's is quite the system you've got there!
What do you mean by guests? Is this like a lodge?
Or is it just family/friends that visit?
What do you mean by guests? Is this like a lodge?
Or is it just family/friends that visit?
Yes, it's "like" a lodge...very, very much "like".
We are Denali Highway Cabins & Tours: Paxson Alpine Tours & Denali HIghway Cabins
That second-to-last photo, the second floor with the large windows, is the "Great Room" as mentioned on the website (completely new website should be up in a few weeks). The first floor is my shop/garage, where the electrical system also resides and is better known as Audie's Man Cave....
We are Denali Highway Cabins & Tours: Paxson Alpine Tours & Denali HIghway Cabins
That second-to-last photo, the second floor with the large windows, is the "Great Room" as mentioned on the website (completely new website should be up in a few weeks). The first floor is my shop/garage, where the electrical system also resides and is better known as Audie's Man Cave....
Papafox: nice system. Hawaii is a real no-brainer for both solar panels and electric cars. The economics of transport make fossil fuels incredibly expensive there, while there' always lots of sun.
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Head for your local government. A number of local governments have passed laws which require HOAs to allow solar panels whether they want to or not. (It's a bit like the way governments removed the "anti-black" deed covenants; the local government can simply declare certain restrictions to be against public policy.)
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Smallfootprint, I notice you're in NY state. Since I personally live in a shaded house with no good location for solar panels, I buy the '100% renewable' from "Energy Cooperative of America", which mostly operates in NY state. I'm actually paying less than I would by buying the default NYSEG fossil-fuel energy; the upcharge for 100% renewable is cancelled out by the savings from lack of profit motive in a co-op. I suggest you check it out.
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Head for your local government. A number of local governments have passed laws which require HOAs to allow solar panels whether they want to or not. (It's a bit like the way governments removed the "anti-black" deed covenants; the local government can simply declare certain restrictions to be against public policy.)
rlpm
S P85 | Sig X _P90D_
Thanks, rlpm. I tip my hat to your avatar - nicely done.
As some other remote lodges have done - I know of an "eco-lodge" on the west coast of South Island NZ, for example - I am thinking of augmenting the nature tours we do here to include one specifically showcasing our energy system here. The Tesla will be a terrific addition to it, won't it!!!!!!
Forgot to mention a datum most people use and talk about with their solar PV systems: our panels total a nameplate max of (230W x 18) +(130W x 4) = 4.66kW. We've maxed out at 5.2kW or so on some days. Curiously, I've noticed when we get a mostly cloudy day - but with a hole in the clouds providing full sun on the panels - this provides the highest numbers. I figure it has to do with photon backscatter from the white clouds upping solar insolation to a number higher than the putative maximum.
Of course, you folks in places like Albuquerque have to look up in a dictionary what I mean by the term "cloudy"......
As some other remote lodges have done - I know of an "eco-lodge" on the west coast of South Island NZ, for example - I am thinking of augmenting the nature tours we do here to include one specifically showcasing our energy system here. The Tesla will be a terrific addition to it, won't it!!!!!!
Forgot to mention a datum most people use and talk about with their solar PV systems: our panels total a nameplate max of (230W x 18) +(130W x 4) = 4.66kW. We've maxed out at 5.2kW or so on some days. Curiously, I've noticed when we get a mostly cloudy day - but with a hole in the clouds providing full sun on the panels - this provides the highest numbers. I figure it has to do with photon backscatter from the white clouds upping solar insolation to a number higher than the putative maximum.
Of course, you folks in places like Albuquerque have to look up in a dictionary what I mean by the term "cloudy"......
rlpm
S P85 | Sig X _P90D_
Thanks, rlpm. I tip my hat to your avatar - nicely done.
As some other remote lodges have done - I know of an "eco-lodge" on the west coast of South Island NZ, for example - I am thinking of augmenting the nature tours we do here to include one specifically showcasing our energy system here. The Tesla will be a terrific addition to it, won't it!!!!!!
Forgot to mention a datum most people use and talk about with their solar PV systems: our panels total a nameplate max of (230W x 18) +(130W x 4) = 4.66kW. We've maxed out at 5.2kW or so on some days. Curiously, I've noticed when we get a mostly cloudy day - but with a hole in the clouds providing full sun on the panels - this provides the highest numbers. I figure it has to do with photon backscatter from the white clouds upping solar insolation to a number higher than the putative maximum.
Of course, you folks in places like Albuquerque have to look up in a dictionary what I mean by the term "cloudy"......
Thanks for the note on my avatar. It took a few iterations to get the relative sizes just right.
I get mad every time I see the sun go behind a cloud here. :wink:
