Interesting Solar Site

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windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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What's Your Solar Potential? - RoofRay

This site allows you to calculate your return on investment for a solar array to produce electricity.

Unfortunately, the Google coordinates don't cover my area in the DR, but I suppose you could use southern Florida for a reasonable approximation.

The "bad news" is that I just calculated for a comparable location (in Key West, Florida) and it would take 23 years for an installation that costs US $56,000 to start to pay back. Unfortunately, not something I would even remotely consider.
 
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gmiller261

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Dec 29, 2002
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Cost Analysis does not seem to be activated

What were your input parameters?

$56 K should get you in the 5,000 watt range, easily.
 
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windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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What I quoted was for a 9 KW array

gmiller261 said:
What were your input parameters?

$56 K should get you in the 5,000 watt range, easily.
Click to expand...

The example I mentioned above was for a 9 KW peak array. It is easy to change the parameters to say a 1 KW (at US$7.3K) system which takes 14 years to break even. A 2 KW system was 17 years to break even.
 
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Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
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windeguy said:
The example I mentioned above was for a 9 KW peak array. It is easy to change the parameters to say a 1 KW (at US$7.3K) system which takes 14 years to break even. A 2 KW system was 17 years to break even.
Click to expand...
When they calculate things like that, do they take into account, maintenance, repairs, replacing components like batteries, inverters & solar panels, for instance?
 
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windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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What it included in the calcuations

As far as I can see, it includes a percentage factor for the additional cost of energy year over year ( that you can change) and a degradation of 10% in the solar panels energy output that happens over time. It doesn't seem to have a maintenance/battery replacement factor.
 
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Rocky

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Apr 4, 2002
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windeguy said:
As far as I can see, it includes a percentage factor for the additional cost of energy year over year ( that you can change) and a degradation of 10% in the solar panels energy output that happens over time. It doesn't seem to have a maintenance/battery replacement factor.
Click to expand...
I have little experience in costing and comparing the returns, but it has been my understanding that unless you're living somewhere in the DR, where you're off the grid with little hope of ever being hooked up, then going solar is not a very viable solution, from the financial point of view.
Of course, that's only my opinion, and I don't discount the tremendous value of going green and helping to save the Planet.
 
Keith R

Keith R

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Jan 1, 2002
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My guess is that (1) the solar potential is greater in the DR than in South Florida; (2) the rise of electricity rate hikes is faster in the DR than in South Florida, therefore your time needed to get a return on the investment is shorter.

I also have to wonder at what level of efficiency they assume for the panels...
 
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gmiller261

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Dec 29, 2002
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I?d go half of that

With no electric water heater, stove or dryer.

Using all low consumption light bulbs (LED eventually) the big drain would be AC?s and pumps. I think I could live on 4500 watts of solar. It would be great to have monthly run rate of near zero for electricty. And not worry how high it will go.

Florida 10.19 cents per killowatt
EDNORTE 701-1000 kWh 8.57pesos ~ .25 USD per killowatt

So payback would be in the 4-5 year time, correct?


WINDOW/ROOM AIR CONDITIONER
12,000 BTU=1 TON 2,000/TON 2.0 kWh PER HOUR


NEW CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING
1,500 SQ. FT. HOME 3,000 3.0 kWh PER HOUR
2,500 SQ. FT. HOME 5,000 5.0 kWh PER HOUR
 
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georgios

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Oct 2, 2004
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Solar hydrogen concept

Keith R said:
My guess is that (1) the solar potential is greater in the DR than in South Florida; (2) the rise of electricity rate hikes is faster in the DR than in South Florida, therefore your time needed to get a return on the investment is shorter.

I also have to wonder at what level of efficiency they assume for the panels...
Click to expand...

It might be a better solar solution to use a small amount of solar panels
to produce hydrogen to be directly injected into the prime mover, the generator that is. Given the fact that approx 5 watts of power can produce 1 liter of H2 per hour - 300 watts of solar power can provide a moderate amount of H2 for a 20KW generator. The savings are yet to be determined.
Will post the test results when completed - projected 18% savings.
When the genset is turned off the solar panel production can be diverted to resume battery charging...

Georgios
 
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gmiller261

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Dec 29, 2002
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Georgios

Weren't you the one, a couple of years ago, that had a cheap efficient wind turbine?

If so, where is it?

If I was to generate hydrogen, which I would love to, I would go fuel cell.

A 20KW fuel cell today would run about 100K USD.

I hear a group at MIT have two (2) cheap compounds of chemicals that can be added to water to significantly reduce that amount of power necessary to split water.

One compound would facilitate generating Hydrogen and another compound Oxygen. Let?s see if the eggheads can commercialized it.
 
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georgios

New member
Oct 2, 2004
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H2 cont...

gmiller261 said:
Weren't you the one, a couple of years ago, that had a cheap efficient wind turbine?

If so, where is it?

If I was to generate hydrogen, which I would love to, I would go fuel cell.

A 20KW fuel cell today would run about 100K USD.

I hear a group at MIT have two (2) cheap compounds of chemicals that can be added to water to significantly reduce that amount of power necessary to split water.

One compound would facilitate generating Hydrogen and another compound Oxygen. Let?s see if the eggheads can commercialized it.
Click to expand...

I installed several wind turbines at Cabrera, Rio San Juan, Las Canas etc.
25 more wind turbines in stock at Cabrera, DR. PM me for more info.

A fuel cell cost a fortune. I am testing an electrolyser with KOH. Typical
separation of Hydrogen/Oxygen via electrolysis but based on solar/wind power. The system cost is estimated at approx $2,000 US for a 20-25KW genset.
Apparently, hydrogen injection/mix works very well with propane/CNG since
both fuels are gases. Mixing ratio can reach 50/50% without engine modifications - see Hythane specifications (Google it).

Georgios
 
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