- Thread starter jrhartley
- Start date
solar power - reviews
A friend of mine has a solar power company here - importing from Germany. He has negotiated with all of the electricity companies here to sell back to them.
I lived in the Maldives for a while and that country is 100% solar. The sooner it is implemented here the better.
I lived in the Maldives for a while and that country is 100% solar. The sooner it is implemented here the better.
Let's find out more about this net metering. Is anyone actually doing it with endonorte or one of the other distributors. I am curious.
LED is ready just expensive
You cannot go cheap though.
I bought two (2) types. Enlux flood lights (soft white, white and blue). They were $90 USD a piece five years ago. and a marine grade stainless steel low profile for kitchen accent lighting. They were $100 USD a piece but were stolen before I could install them.
They are still working even with the **** poor electrical stability. Oh, and the fins on the flood lights are necessary, they get HOT.
enLux Lightning
Apeiron Warm White LED - lightingfx.com
You cannot go cheap though.
I bought two (2) types. Enlux flood lights (soft white, white and blue). They were $90 USD a piece five years ago. and a marine grade stainless steel low profile for kitchen accent lighting. They were $100 USD a piece but were stolen before I could install them.
They are still working even with the **** poor electrical stability. Oh, and the fins on the flood lights are necessary, they get HOT.
enLux Lightning
Apeiron Warm White LED - lightingfx.com
Tom F.
I was also told by Richard at Soluz (not the owner) that you can get net meeting.
He wrote a letter to Ednorte to get me on the grid but he left the company before anything really happened. This was over a year ago.
I was also told by Richard at Soluz (not the owner) that you can get net meeting.
He wrote a letter to Ednorte to get me on the grid but he left the company before anything really happened. This was over a year ago.
Microinverter
Now this is the next thing.
MTBF is said to be several hundred years. All IC. Ultimate MPPT.
Only drawback is that
1) You have to be grid tied
2) The grid has to be stable.
That brings me to a question someone else asked. Where can you buy a whole house voltage regulator?
Microinverter - Products - Products - Enphase Energy
Now this is the next thing.
MTBF is said to be several hundred years. All IC. Ultimate MPPT.
Only drawback is that
1) You have to be grid tied
2) The grid has to be stable.
That brings me to a question someone else asked. Where can you buy a whole house voltage regulator?
Microinverter - Products - Products - Enphase Energy
stainless steel low profile
pucks were stolen.
The Enlux were the flood lights.
They are still working fine.
pucks were stolen.
The Enlux were the flood lights.
They are still working fine.
windeguy
There are cheaper LEDs, I just haven't tried them. LED as a technology is very solid, it is putting them together that appears to present an issue.
The LEDs on the flood lights are the size of a pen point. There had to be 300 hundred of them on a board.
In terms of the Microinverters, there is a way to 'make' them work, but the company does not support it.
They are also working on an off-grid model.
There are cheaper LEDs, I just haven't tried them. LED as a technology is very solid, it is putting them together that appears to present an issue.
The LEDs on the flood lights are the size of a pen point. There had to be 300 hundred of them on a board.
In terms of the Microinverters, there is a way to 'make' them work, but the company does not support it.
They are also working on an off-grid model.
I used to work for several years as Sales Director for Danfoss, one of the leading companies in the world in heating, and solar technology...
They do not fabricate the actual panels, but develop the steering technology behind those panels... Their opinion, through extensive studies, was quite simple...
The investment in the panels would take, on average, 10 years to pay itself back, at which point most of the panels would need renewal...
Having said that, I have to clarify that those studies involved Europe... with less sun so less efficiency of the panels, that those studies also included heating of houses..., but on the other hand also took the quite heavy subsidising of European governments into account, and selling excess power back to the grid...
If anybody is interested in wind turbines, please pm me, as I have quite a good contact with a producer, and for not a whole lot of money you could power your entire house, pool, ac, etc... (for those living in a rural area, as you have to remember that those things do take some place, and do make a little noise (not much, but still...))
They do not fabricate the actual panels, but develop the steering technology behind those panels... Their opinion, through extensive studies, was quite simple...
The investment in the panels would take, on average, 10 years to pay itself back, at which point most of the panels would need renewal...
Having said that, I have to clarify that those studies involved Europe... with less sun so less efficiency of the panels, that those studies also included heating of houses..., but on the other hand also took the quite heavy subsidising of European governments into account, and selling excess power back to the grid...
If anybody is interested in wind turbines, please pm me, as I have quite a good contact with a producer, and for not a whole lot of money you could power your entire house, pool, ac, etc... (for those living in a rural area, as you have to remember that those things do take some place, and do make a little noise (not much, but still...))
Danfoss also makes the best dc pumps used with the solar water pumping.
The use of small wind turbines is very sight specific and very few sights really make sense. From experience, most small turbines work best with a pv duel system. Unless you collected atleast a years worth of wind data, it would be very experimental.
The use of small wind turbines is very sight specific and very few sights really make sense. From experience, most small turbines work best with a pv duel system. Unless you collected atleast a years worth of wind data, it would be very experimental.
on both items I agree...
I was talking about the Danfoss studies regarding supplying power and heating to a house.... they do have favourable studies regarding other uses of solar energy...
About the wind turbines you are equally correct... I would also advise a serious study of any location where anybody would want to put a wind turbine... what is the use of a turbine if it does not turn because of lack of wind.... lol.... (for general info... the ones I'm talking about need about 0.2 km/h to turn and charge...)
Those numbers are correct using top-of-line equipment with guarantees.
The pay pack period may be correct if you do not focus on energy efficiency and conservation with the system. Payback periods are generally between 10 and 15 years. Subsidies in the states and Europe bring those periods down considerably.
The panels have found to produce at the same levels after 20 years. With battery and system maintanence, the pay back may be the same as the grid. The difference is reliable energy which has it's own value.
The pay pack period may be correct if you do not focus on energy efficiency and conservation with the system. Payback periods are generally between 10 and 15 years. Subsidies in the states and Europe bring those periods down considerably.
The panels have found to produce at the same levels after 20 years. With battery and system maintanence, the pay back may be the same as the grid. The difference is reliable energy which has it's own value.
Fascinating!
Renewables & off-grid living are my pet hobbyhorse. It is our plan to build a home eventually & design it to be totally off-grid. So as you can imagine I've been giving some thought to the alternatives.
Here are my thoughts.
At $30-50,000 the cost is totally prohibitive for an ordinary Joe like me, so I looked into ways to run a home more efficiently. There are certain applications where solar power combined with DC appliances are well suited to each other.
DC fans & pumps use approximately 30% of the power of AC units. Pumping & cooling are two of the major consumers of power for the average home so there are considerable power & hence cost savings to be made here.
Similarly LED lighting uses a fraction of the power of traditional lights & runs like a dream on DC power.
This still leaves us with the other household appliances & luxuries - refrigeration, entertainment systems, computers etc. It may take small compromises in lifestyle - do you really NEED a 48" TV? - but if you're serious about achieving a goal you will overcome any hurdles.
I'm still formulating my theories & admit I may be wrong, but that's part of the joy of thinking "outside the box". lol
Renewables & off-grid living are my pet hobbyhorse. It is our plan to build a home eventually & design it to be totally off-grid. So as you can imagine I've been giving some thought to the alternatives.
Here are my thoughts.
At $30-50,000 the cost is totally prohibitive for an ordinary Joe like me, so I looked into ways to run a home more efficiently. There are certain applications where solar power combined with DC appliances are well suited to each other.
DC fans & pumps use approximately 30% of the power of AC units. Pumping & cooling are two of the major consumers of power for the average home so there are considerable power & hence cost savings to be made here.
Similarly LED lighting uses a fraction of the power of traditional lights & runs like a dream on DC power.
This still leaves us with the other household appliances & luxuries - refrigeration, entertainment systems, computers etc. It may take small compromises in lifestyle - do you really NEED a 48" TV? - but if you're serious about achieving a goal you will overcome any hurdles.
I'm still formulating my theories & admit I may be wrong, but that's part of the joy of thinking "outside the box". lol
You are right on the money when you start from scatch. Looks like you have been doing your reading. I could live very well with a US$10,000 system and another $5,000 for efficient appliances. Computer and entertainment system would be extra.
Those numbers are high
4,840 watts for $14,935 and that is with an inverter.
4,840 watt Trina Solar Grid Tie Solar Power System
What typically boosts the price in the US is the installation costs which I cannot believe that installers in the DR get $100 USD an hour.
Most US installers try and get 60% of the equipment costs, knowing that the rebates will pay for it.
4,840 watts for $14,935 and that is with an inverter.
4,840 watt Trina Solar Grid Tie Solar Power System
What typically boosts the price in the US is the installation costs which I cannot believe that installers in the DR get $100 USD an hour.
Most US installers try and get 60% of the equipment costs, knowing that the rebates will pay for it.
windeguy
I'd have Soluz break that down because I have been told that the 16% is not applied on the solar panels if they are made in the USA. (Montero shipping)
So it is hard for me to believe that shipping and customs would be 100%.
I'd have Soluz break that down because I have been told that the 16% is not applied on the solar panels if they are made in the USA. (Montero shipping)
So it is hard for me to believe that shipping and customs would be 100%.
Tom
I run a bar here so I've had plenty of time recently to devote to reading lol.
Thinking of cooling, which is a major power drain here, I'm considering solar attic fans to extract hot air from vaulted spaces. If they can cool attics by up to 50F surely they can help keep living spaces cool too.
I run a bar here so I've had plenty of time recently to devote to reading lol.
Thinking of cooling, which is a major power drain here, I'm considering solar attic fans to extract hot air from vaulted spaces. If they can cool attics by up to 50F surely they can help keep living spaces cool too.
Those are great prices for Evergreen 200 watt modules. It is amazing the way prices are coming down over the last 10 years.
Are you close to the cut off level to pay the higher per/kwhr with grid electricity?
Are you close to the cut off level to pay the higher per/kwhr with grid electricity?