Wolfpack 2,166 Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 Who are you addressing? Mine has already been listed, here. And here. what can you run on those gizmo's....ac units? still using any electric or 100 percent solar? Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 (edited) what can you run on those gizmo's....ac units? still using any electric or 100 percent solar? No. An A/C unit would be 1 horsepower. That is something like 2,640 watts, continuous. Not to mention start up wattage. And, I haven't used air-con in SE Asia for years - YEARS. I see no need to start now. Water heating, though, will be free - thanks to the Sun. No mains electric where the farm is. No utilities at all, in fact. --------------------- The one thing I like the most about going off-grid 100% is, no more power cuts / brown outs, and no more water pressure drops. As soon as I get everything set up as I want it, I will then start working on redundant systems. Nothing better than a back up for your plan. Edited December 13, 2013 by Paul Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfpack 2,166 Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 No. An A/C unit would be 1 horsepower. That is something like 2,640 watts, continuous. Not to mention start up wattage. And, I haven't used air-con in SE Asia for years - YEARS. I see no need to start now. Water heating, though, will be free - thanks to the Sun. No mains electric where the farm is. No utilities at all, in fact. hell, one thing I have NO desire any more for is water heating...today, I put ICE CUBES in my bath!!! all three of my ac units are currently down...2 of which died last week...this has been my first full week without ac...and let me say, it has been a long week!!! we have had constant brownouts since the typhoon hit...need some option for power...trying to decide between solar (which I know nothing about) and buying a generator... Link to post Share on other sites
SkyMan 23,692 Posted December 13, 2013 Author Share Posted December 13, 2013 I am on a list of people who will get the very first of these units when they are released, even before distributors are entitled to do so.How do I get on the list? Link to post Share on other sites
Woolf 8,550 Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 No. An A/C unit would be 1 horsepower. That is something like 2,640 watts, continuous. 1 hp = approx 735 watt + some loss in the aircon and you are right, then the start up current of the compressor is quite high 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 1 hp = approx 735 watt + some loss in the aircon and you are right, then the start up current of the compressor is quite high Maybe it was 2640 start up, then? I couldn't remember. I knew it was high, though, for sure. Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 How do I get on the list? Sent you a PM. Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 hell, one thing I have NO desire any more for is water heating...today, I put ICE CUBES in my bath!!! all three of my ac units are currently down...2 of which died last week...this has been my first full week without ac...and let me say, it has been a long week!!! we have had constant brownouts since the typhoon hit...need some option for power...trying to decide between solar (which I know nothing about) and buying a generator... Don't fix the air-cons. Learn to live without it. Trust me, anyone can. In fact, I can't stand walking into an area that has air-con. Then, I have to walk back into the heat - and I really don't like that. I would rather stay in the same climate all the time. Much easier on me that way. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
SkyMan 23,692 Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 (edited) Question on power transmission and loss: My array will be away from the house, maybe 30 meters. I see the array, batteries/sensors, and inverter all connect to the controller and are all DC while the inverter connects on the AC side to the house. Would the best idea be to have all that at the base of the array with just AC lines running to the house? Or would it make much difference, perhaps having the array output run to the controller, etc. at the house? Also, what's the best voltage setup? 12V, 24V, 48V? What are the trade offs? Edited December 28, 2013 by SkyMan Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 (edited) Question on power transmission and loss: My array will be away from the house, maybe 30 meters. I see the array, batteries/sensors, and inverter all connect to the controller and are all DC while the inverter connects on the AC side to the house. Would the best idea be to have all that at the base of the array with just AC lines running to the house? Or would it make much difference, perhaps having the array output run to the controller, etc. at the house? Are you going to put the array, controller, batteries, and inverter at the base of the array? And, can you not mount the array any closer to the house? That's a bit of a distance. On our array, I have less than four, maybe three meters from the array to the controller. The batteries are less than 1.5 meters from the controller. The inverter is less than 1.5 meters from the batteries. I am running #6 wire throughout the system, currently. In my case, #6 will be good enough for up to 50 amperes. That would allow me up to 200 amperes from the bank, which I know I will not be exceeding for some time to come. Also, what's the best voltage setup? 12V, 24V, 48V? What are the trade offs? The higher the voltage, the lower the amperes, the smaller the wire necessary to carry the same current x distance. I would say that :- Under 1,000 watts or so, 12vdc Under 2,000 watts or so, 24vdc Over 2,000 watts or so, 48vdc Feel free to verify that, though, with others more knowledgeable on the subject. Of course, I imagine it depends on WHAT you intend to run, mostly. If you are going to be doing DC appliances and lighting, 12vdc is much more common than 24vdc or 48vdc. So, it may be easier to deal with a 12vdc battery bank. If you go with high voltage battery banks, you are talking higher voltage input for the inverter, if you are going to run AC voltage appliances and lighting. Do keep in mind that, with an MPPT controller (Like the Midnite Kid), one plus over the PWM controllers is, you can run higher voltages on the array, while running lower voltage for your battery bank. If you have a PWM controller, the array voltage must match the battery bank voltage. Edited December 28, 2013 by Paul Link to post Share on other sites
SkyMan 23,692 Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 The place I want to put the array is the higher point on our lot so the best sun view and the most likely spot to not be blocked by future trees or neighbor's construction. I'm considering putting it on top of a small shed to house the batteries, etc. so I can just run the AC to the house. Sounds like I may want to go 24V as I'd like to be able to run my 2HP well pump with it. That pump will run little if at all at night and I might even consider putting a photocell on it to prevent that. Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 (edited) The place I want to put the array is the higher point on our lot so the best sun view and the most likely spot to not be blocked by future trees or neighbor's construction. I'm considering putting it on top of a small shed to house the batteries, etc. so I can just run the AC to the house. Sounds like I may want to go 24V as I'd like to be able to run my 2HP well pump with it. That pump will run little if at all at night and I might even consider putting a photocell on it to prevent that. You must be planning a pretty decent sized array? I doubt I will go over 1 Kilowatt for some time. In fact, it will probably take me until next April to do that, if I can do so by then. Realistically, I may be looking closer to the middle or end of next year. But, she wants a refrigerator. So, I may try to go to 2 Kilowatts or so, by that same time frame. (Amazing how fast things change when women are involved, eh?) Right now, I have to finish the toilet and get moved in to the house. That is priority number one. Then, we have to seriously increase our water storage capability before the heavy rains come again. (I have found a 5,000 liter tank for $365 USD. I am still looking though, to see if I can find one cheaper. I need one of them fairly soon, and then another 10,000 liters of storage, later.) Edited December 28, 2013 by Paul Link to post Share on other sites
NOSOCALPINOY 1,864 Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 That will be my priority pet project when I can absorb all the information in how to go about building and installing a solar power system in our home! Need to find out where to buy all the parts that is necessary to assemble and install such a system! I'm fed up with the ever rising cost of electricity here in NCR of Luzon! Our current electric bill for the past year averaged between P6,000 to P8,000 a month, but our December bill with the price hike it was P10,000. I already paid it before the SC's 60 day TRO was imposed on Meralco, but what good will that do! Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 That will be my priority pet project when I can absorb all the information in how to go about building and installing a solar power system in our home! Need to find out where to buy all the parts that is necessary to assemble and install such a system! I'm fed up with the ever rising cost of electricity here in NCR of Luzon! Our current electric bill for the past year averaged between P6,000 to P8,000 a month, but our December bill with the price hike it was P10,000. I already paid it before the SC's 60 day TRO was imposed on Meralco, but what good will that do! I would consider buying my panels locally. Price other parts locally. But, you may find that you can have them imported for even less. That is what I have learned, while working on my solar project here, anyway. These guys seem to have a good reputation in the industry, for sales: http://www.solar-electric.com These guys make some of the most reputable charge controllers around: http://www.morningstarcorp.com http://www.midnitesolar.com These, from what I understand, are some of the best batteries around: http://www.trojanbattery.com 1 Link to post Share on other sites
NOSOCALPINOY 1,864 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 I just had a ligth bulb momemt! What if I spent hundreds of thousands of pesos installing a solar powered system in our home and I kick the bucket all of a sudden? Would my surviving spouse have enough money to maintain such a system if it ever malfunctions or if mother nature blows away all of the outdoor mounted arrays of solar panels? In the past 15 yrs our area has been directly hit with strong winds from hurricanes and mounted solar panels would definitely not stay intact! Something to consider huh! I'll just have to think about some more before I make a final decision to install one! Anyways, there are other primitive alternative means to maintain our creature comforts! Use your own imagination on that thought! I saw a few on YouTube! Link to post Share on other sites
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