Blackouts - Oh yeah baby!

[jsizemore]

Lets see when I bought a 2.4k inverter and four batteries I was told it was enough, When I bought a 3k planta I was told I did not need it. When I started installing extra battery racks for more batteries I was told I was nuts.
Before I got my extra batteries installed I had a black out long enough two days in a row to drain my bank completely.
I can say in the sates when we had a black out they did last for days but you could always cite a reason. Storm damage. Major malfunction or something. Also when there is a rise in births nine months after a stateside black out you have to ask how rare are they.
We do not even acknowledge individual black outs here. We talk about how many we have in a week and how many times they were long enough to require the planta.
We over come and adapt but each dollar spent on batteries, Fuel and so forth is one less dollar that gets spent on the local economy helping it rise. Yes this is paradise and yes I am glad to be here. With my back ground I can live with out power but why should I when I pay the power company for it.
When the average city dweller in America can count on their fingers the number of black outs in a decade, then there is no comparison.
John

 

[Criss Colon]

"Same Ol,....Same Ol"..In The DR!!!!!

You just have to see the political cartoon..."Boca Chivo"...inside the front page of "Diario Libre" today!!!

Shows a "Barrio" with the "NORMAL" thousands of wires from houses connected directly to an electric pole. The caption is: "Do you think the government will cut our power???.... Of course not,... a "Rich Guy" in Piantini is paying our bill!!"

The "Free Electricity" government program" in the DR,is like "Welfare" in the "UK",Canada,Europe,and the USA!! Make a "CUT",and the Welfare Generations" hit the bricks to protest!! The same people who "collect" for being "Disabled"..or having 6 kids (With 7 unknown fathers!) can suddenly walk 5 miles,stand on their feet in front of "Government House" for the entire day,carry huge banners,and still be home in their "Section 8",....(FREE!) apartment in time to watch "Jerry Springer".and get "HIGH" with the $$$$$ they save because they get.."Food Stamps"!!!!!


No Dominican Political Party will be the one to make the "Poor" pay for their electric power.It would be certain death to them!!!!

I say:..."When In Rome......!":cheeky:

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[batich]

Are you related to Nals?

Scandall

Unfortunatelly I do not know who is Nals.
But those grocery prices I see with my own eyes. And those figures I read in newspapers myself too.

Why not to buy a generator like all my friends did?
To get rid of the problem for $500 only. If someone offered me a guarantee against traffic for $500 I would jump at it in a blink.

You remember "No news - good news"?

Nothing changes to the better in our life and in our world.

After each change in US, DR or enywhere else people say - "Wow! It used to be so good before!"
But they did not see it before!

My advice, enjoy what you have now. Do not spoil your happiness thinking that it can be even better.

"Better is an enemy of good!"

The fact that you are in DR means that you are good man and deserved the privilege.

Keep beeing good and happy!
God bless you!

 

[batich]

All I can say is that most of the locals are pretty happy with the inflation rate the past year, especially those who survived the period when the peso traded at 56:1 against the dollar. Maybe you should really go by the screen name "cluelessinsosua".

I did not talk about inflation in DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

 

[Criss Colon]

"Son of Nals" Strikes Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a "GREAT IDEA"... Buy a generator for $500 Dollars and get "Free Energy
For Life"!!!!.......................................................................................

Reminds me of the "Hillbilly" who went to "SEARS" and told the salesman he wanted a saw that could cut down 50 trees a day!! The salesman sold him Sear's best chainsaw.He garenteed it could do the job!!! He even filled it with gas!!

A few weeks later the "Hillbilly" showed up back at Sears looking very tired!!
He found the salesman and told him that he was a; "Cheat and a Liar"! He had only sawed down 3 trees in two weeks working really hard!

The salesman told the guy to get the saw and come into the back room.The salesman put the saw on the table,gave the starter a "pull",and the saw "ROOOOOORED" to life!!!
"

The "Hillbilly" jumped about 3 feet in the air and yelled:..."What the heeeeaall is that noise"???????

"I gotta git me one o deem generatoors!! Save me a lotta money!


"Gasoil"????..."What in the name of "Sam Hell" is "Gasoil"????
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PS: In case you haven't noticed,this is "DR1",, we talk about the DR here!!!!!!

 

[HOWMAR]

I did not talk about inflation in DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

I guess I was talking to one of your other personalities. I know what happens when I assumed you were talking about the DR.
BTW, you can't possibly have been saying that prices have doubled in the US in the past year. If you weren't referring to the DR or the US, I guess you must have been talking about the price of tea in China. Probably more accurate and relevant than any of your statements about the DR.

 

[batich]

I guess I was talking to one of your other personalities. I know what happens when I assumed you were talking about the DR.
BTW, you can't possibly have been saying that prices have doubled in the US in the past year. If you weren't referring to the DR or the US, I guess you must have been talking about the price of tea in China. Probably more accurate and relevant than any of your statements about the DR.

Honest I did not understand much what you said about my personality and China, but anyway as soon as you are GOLD member it means that you good man and God bless you too!

 

[riravaga]

Yesterday only 2 hrs 30 minutes of blackouts here in El Seibo, read in Newspaper in other towns 12 hrs.

 

[Caden]

Hello fellow posters!

I am new to this forum but have been reading about concerns and concepts relative to batteries and inverters (some say invertors). I have yet to see invertors in technical or engineering papers so far.

But let's get beyond semantics.

An inverter is only as good as the batteries that propel it.

A 225 Amps hour battery is rated so at a certain rate of discharge. Usually expressed in minutes or hours. After all calculations are done, it boils down to this:

For every 730 Watts of (continuous) inverter capacity, Four (4) batteries are needed. This is because, as soon as the batteries are pressed beyond their rate of discharge, voltage drops and capacity is reduced. It is akin to a Marathonian being asked to sprint over 10 kilometers at flat-out speed. You know he won't make it.

So, one needs 8 225 amps/6V batteries for a 1500 Watts inverter, 16 for a 3KW and 32 for an 8KW unit.

It doesn't matter what brand they are. They will last very long if a suitable number is used.

It is also unhealthy for the batteries to sustain too robust a rate of charge from the charger.

Optimally, with new batteries, initial rate of charge should not exceed 25/amps per bank of batteries in series, notwhithstanding the voltage of the system. So if you have a two batteries 12V system, your rate of initial charge should be no more than
25 AMps. This should taper to become a trickle as batteries approach full charge.

It would be the same if you had four 6V batteries in series to have a 24 Volts system. Again, no more than 25 amps initial charging rate.

Too steep a charging rate will overheat the batteries, reduce their useful life and result in a superficial charge. The inverter or charger will reach the shutoff voltage
and stop the charge because the intensity of the charge will coax the batteries into and artificial voltage rise.

Upon stopping of the charge, the batteries will relax and, if tested, exhibit a lower percentage of charge that if they had been replenished at an adequate (slower) pace.

So if one needs to harvest a lot of amps in a reduced amount of time, a great number of batteries is needed so that the individual rate of charge for each is slow even if the pace is furious at charger output.

Regards

Caden

 

[gringosabroso]

Nuclear Power Plant! The "Solution"!

Isn't a [or perhaps 2] nuclear power plant the most realistic long term solution?
* Foreign owned & foreign operated! For the benefit of the Dominican people.
* The DR Gov't would play no role whatsoever!
* I'll put up the 1st $1,000 [US$] to buy common stock. Who will join me?

 

[J D Sauser]

Blackouts are just the tip of the ice berg.

I think in the next future, things will only get worse.
The DR is not only historically not doing enough about it, it is approaching the problem in a completely outdated manner. We are way too dependent on oil and coal for our energy production... fixing old and outdated oil burning systems which will soon not be operable because of raising fuel costs and environmental issue, is a thing they have failed at decades ago... it's too late to do it now.
The DR will have to find partners abroad to implement new ways of producing electric power using renewable and clean energy... and lot's of it so we can supply an industrial growth much needed if we don't want to see this country's frail economy falter for good soon.

Maybe the DR needs consider to adapt Franco's system of allowing foreign companies to build Spain's highway (motor way) network for the right to operate them (tolls) for two decades to a complete re-buildup of the electric supply system... nation wide(?).

... J-D.

 

[socuban]

I remember reading in one of the papers a couple of weeks ago about an underwater electric superhighway with Colombia as the generator and DR and Puerto Rico as recipients.

I guess the distribution/collections/maintenance will continue to be an issue irregardless of the total available national capacity.

 

[ExtremeR]

Are U kidding!!??!!

10-12 hours and you call it complete mess!
C`mon!

Same week or something ago people in NY were without electricity for 6 days (SIX DAYS). And they pay thousands of dollars a month real eastate taxes. Another thousands - other countless federal, state and local taxes. Another thousands - to Con EDison electrical company.

Be grateful to God that you are not in NY!

Trust me, you do not know what the real mess is!!

This is a joke right??

 

[bienamor]

probably not, but

This is a joke right??

being out of lights in NY is a rare thing, not like here where when you say something about it, the response is es la vida. To the point people dont even call the elec. company because they know it wont do any good.

In other words. don't happen all the time. you know like very day for 6+hours. To the point you need an inverter, a planta, and hook up to the grid. just to make sure you have lights, and can run your fridge. dont care about the air etc but would like to be able to buy more that one meal at a time.

 

[bpc1]

The joys of private electricity production, Las Terrenas (Samana) is the same.

Tell me, are these overseas companies? I mean, who started the electricity company in Bavaro/Punta Cana?

The power company in Bavaro is basically owned by the same group which is running most of the power plants in DR. The difference is that the same company distributes or "retails" the power to the end user.
Almost 100% of the people living here (even Dominicans) pay for their electricity so we receive more power than other parts of the country, however, lately we get short black outs, too, almost every day. I think they have a hard time to catch up with the growth of the areal although everybody pays his bills.
They even built a high voltage line all the way from San Pedro de Macoris to bring more energy to Bavaro.