Solar Power ..what Would I Need?

[karlunity]

The hippy wants to get some solar power units for the house.

Any one know what I would need to run a few lights, a tv or radio, a computer, a fan, an ice box and a heater?

 

We were watching "The end is near Glen Beck show"

 

karl

[FC]

I spent a lot of time looking up stuff on the net. Unfortunately, if you put solar panels all over your roof it would take about 16-20 years for them to pay for themselves. I plan to get a solar water heater put in next year, which is a 3-5 year return on investment. Wind power is costly, and the small ones wear out due to the speed they turn. The companies that sell these things have you rely heavily on subsidies and tax credits to get a return on investment.

[gun nutty]

I'd rather try 12V in lieu of 120V. I'm guessing that's quite a few solar panels to run an AC fridge and heater.

 

Are you talking implementing solar into a household, or an "emergency" setup? When talking "a few", I'm guessing a focus on emergency. 12V has the advantage of also working with an automobile in the event that an emergency makes you "mobile". You could have a kit in a tote or rolling locker ready to either setup on-site or transport with you.

 

 

Three interesting links:

 

http://www.earth4energytalk.com/solar-power/how-do-i-convert-my-house-to-solar-energy

 

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/solar-power/

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=solar+panels&x=0&y=0

 

 

12V components:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_scat_172659_ln?rh=n%3A172659%2Ck%3Ahand+held+hdtv&keywords=hand+held+hdtv&ie=UTF8&qid=1289002195&scn=172659&h=1cbf31eb9a7690a0b60239303c6f710388db5ade

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1427&srkey=usb%20tv%20tuner

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=12v+auto+fan&x=19&y=20

 

http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-12v-Flexible-Reading-Light/dp/B000X40ZS0/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1289002968&sr=8-15

 

http://www.amazon.com/Camping-Fluorescent-Lantern-Rechargeable-Adapter/dp/B003NUO3Y8/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1289002968&sr=8-18

 

http://www.amazon.com/Signature-Enterprise-Landscape-Outdoor-Lantern/dp/B00386NFGE/ref=sr_1_49?ie=UTF8&qid=1289003071&sr=8-49

 

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Spotlight-Rechargeable-Belt-Pack/dp/B00339C2VU/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=1289003008&sr=8-35

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Atools%2Ck%3A12v+refrigerator&keywords=12v+refrigerator&ie=UTF8&qid=1289003285

 

 

With so many things already set up for 12 Volt, it should be fairly easy:

 

- Lights... automotive.

 

- TV - hand-held HDTVs go for under $130, all you need is a 12V car adapter. You could also use a usb tv tuner plugged into a laptop for under $50.

 

- Computer... laptop would be the way to go, preferably one of the Netbooks (Ex: ASUS eeePC) due to reduced power consumption and longer times needed between charges.

 

- Fan... again, automotive.

 

- Ice box... again, automotive.

 

- Heater? I'm seeing hot water heaters listed, but coil environment heaters really use much electricity. Blankets, alcohol stoves, and propane would work for the short term. A small cast-iron wood-burner stove, vented to the outside, would be much better. You can burn wood, paper, or just about anything combustible.

 

Probably not what you're looking for.

[karlunity]

Thank you sir.

 

karl

[dindvik]

all it takes is money, that doesn't pay of in the end.

[Dr.Hess]

Yeah, at current electricity costs, the payback is about 20 years. The panels have a 20 year life. Go figger.

 

Now, If you want something to play with, you can get a 45 watt panel kit with the battery charger and some lights at HF for about $150 when it goes on sale with a coupon. I bought one of these. Haven't played with it yet, as I don't have my batteries. My plan is to have a small battery bank and run a 110v inverter (1.5KW HF, have that now) off it, then use that to power lights, small appliances, charge small batteries like the cell phone, flashlights, etc., at night when my generator is off during a power outage. This HF set is about as cheap as you can get for a buy in. I really just want it to keep the battery bank (yet to be acquired) charged up, not to recharge it during outages, and just kinda play with it. 45 watts * maybe 8 hours is only 360 watt hours per day. That's not much. For comparisons, that would be approximately 3 cents worth of electricity at my current rates. Maybe 4 cents for you PRC people.

 

If you just want the bare photovoltaic cells, I have seen them as low as about $2/watt. But, you'll probably have to build your own panel and get or build a charge controller. Oh, and the time to buy cheap crap from China, like this panel, is now. China is about to decouple and dump the Dollar, as fast as they can. This will increase the cost to us peons of everything we buy from China, along with the cost of everything else we buy as Uncle Ben deliberately tries to decrease the value of any dollars we now have or may receive for our work in the future. I would love to have one of those Grizzly lathes, or maybe a mill, and the time to get it is now or never, basically. Just can't swing the buy in on it.

[99-100]

Take a look at these folks, they're not in stock yet but it looks like the price might be right http://www.clarianpower.com/

[Dr.Hess]

Take a look at these folks, they're not in stock yet but it looks like the price might be right http://www.clarianpower.com/

 

Not in stock = "vaporware." When they are in stock, 30KWH/mo = $2.40/month, with a cost of "under $1,000," which = $1,000 in my book. So, payback in about 35 years at my current electricity costs.

 

30KWH/mo = ~1KWH/day. Say, 10 hours of sunlight, you're talking a 100 watt panel. You can get that for about $300 from Harbor Freight with a charge controller, it just doesn't come with a 110V plug in the wall and sync to the power line thing.

[Sailormilan2]

While not exactly solar power, it might be closer to your price range, or at least give you an idea.

 

http://www.mdpub.com/Wind_Turbine/index.html

 

 

http://m14tfl.com/upload/showthread.php?t=88327