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Sun Volt

Sun Volt Solar

earth, the final frontier

Clean Energy, Clean Environment

We are at a cross roads in human history, we can choose to continue on as we have been, or we can make a change to improve our future and quite possibly the future for several generations to come. We are here to promote energy independence, a better environment, a secure future and a higher return on investment for your hard earned dollar. It is what I believe in, it is why I am in the solar business.

This is Solar Power, Part I

06 Jul 09 | Commentary, wind power

A review off all the energy systems powered by our sun, either directly or indirectly.

Part I: Wind Energy

Wind Energy is derived from the sun due to uneven heating of the earth’s surface.  This creates pressure gradients.  Because nature abhors a vacuum, air from high pressure areas moves toward areas of lower pressure.  From Wikipedia:

It is estimated that the total amount of economically extractable power available from the wind is more than present human power use from all sources.[12] An estimated 72 TW of wind power on the Earth potentially can be commercially viable,[13] compared to about 15 TW average global power consumption from all sources in 2005

Renewable: Yes
Environmental impact: Moderate
EIER: Moderate to high
Cost: Moderate
Maintenance cost: Moderate

Here are two videos of wind turbines in Portsmouth, RI.  These units are located about 2 miles apart, one was installed in 2005, the other in 2009.  The wind at ground level was low, but you would not know it watching these things turn:

Portsmouth Abbey, Vestas V-47 660 KW

Portsmouth High School, AAER A-1000S 1 MW:

The Vestas unit turns faster and is a little louder. They both look really cool, however, and both schools are saving a lot of money.

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06 Jul 09 | Commentary, wind power | Comments (0)

National Grid petitions to Raise Electrical Rates by 21.7 percent

04 Jul 08 | Conservation, Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water, wind power

Here it comes; the high price of fossil fuels are driving up electrical rates just like everything else.  I read that headline in Rhode Island over the holiday weekend.  How soon until Central Hudson and NYSEG follow suit? How will this impact your family’s budget? 

Current fuel prices in the Hudson Valley (via NYSERDA) are as follows:

  • Electricity: ¢17.1/kWh
  • Natural Gas: $1.68/CCF
  • Propane: $3.149/gallon
  • Home Heating Oil: $4.809/gallon
  • Kerosene: $5.077/gallon

I am very concerned about home heating this coming year.  Many families may need to choose between heating and eating.  Not a pleasant thought.

There are some things that can be done to reduce heating and electrical costs.  I strongly recommend that people start now by

  1. Adding insulation to the attics, walls and floors.
  2. Seal up any outside air infiltration with calks and foam fillers.
  3. Replace old single pane windows and doosr with new energy efficient units.
  4. Have you furnace or boiler serviced.
  5. Replace old inefficient boilers or furnaces with newer more efficient models.
  6. Replace old inefficient appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners and dishwashers with newer energy star rated models.
  7. Employ energy saving devices like programable thermostats.

Many of these items will pay for themselves with the money you save in a year or two.

If you have done all those things and still want to reduce you energy usage, look into renewable energy systems such as Solar Thermal, Photovoltaics and Wind Power to generate home energy.

Installing such systems can save you lots of money and free you from worrying about rate hikes and fuel costs in the future.  At current equipment and energy prices, a solar domestic hot water system (SDHW) will pay for itself in 4-5 years.  A photovoltaic system will pay for itself in about 8-9 years.

Interest rates are very low.  If you choose to finance you system, you loan payment will likely be lower than potential savings, meaning you will see a an immediate decrease in expenses.  You may also be able to write off the interest on a home equity loan as these systems are capital improvements.  Of course every situation is different and tax matters are best discussed with an accountant or tax preparer.

If you have any questions, contact us, I’d be glad to discuss your options over the phone.
 

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04 Jul 08 | Conservation, Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water, wind power | Comments (0)

Solar power backup for Critical Household Systems

06 Apr 08 | Solar Electric, wind power

Almost everyone has experienced a black out. Thankfully, they are often for short periods and the line men work hard to get the power back on to everyone as quickly as possible. However, if major damage is inflicted upon the power grid, it can take quite a while to repair. Are you prepared to live without electricity for days, weeks or even months?

Many people have installed gas or diesel generators to power their houses. These units can run reliably for days or even weeks at a time, but they also require refueling. After Hurricanes Ivan in Pensacola and Katrina in New Orleans, it was discovered that motor fuel can often be in short supply after major disasters as the electric transfer pumps required to move the fuel from storage to use are inoperative. It can also be difficult to deliver fuel due to blocked or flooded road ways.

Additionally, generators require maintenance, the engine oil needs to be changed, they need to be  exercised periodically.  Solar panels need almost no maintenance, perhaps in a prolonged dry spell, the dust could be washed off once in a while.  Even that is optional.

As solar powered backup system requires no fuel and if properly sized can run your critical household electric load indefinitely. These systems can be individually sized according to the load calculations. Additionally, they can be configured as a normally solar powered system that is backed up by the electrical grid. If a location has a good wind resource, a small wind turbine and be used to augment the solar system during inclement weather.

Instead of using the PV panels to merely to keep a battery bank charged, the PV panels and battery bank can be the primary source of power. The electrical grid can be used as a standby in case the batteries get too low. A reserve charge can be built in to the battery bank to run the critical loads in absence of both sun and grid power.

This is best of both worlds.

Critical loads

Indentifying critical loads is the first step. At my house we have a well pump to supply water, an oil fired boiler for heat, an electric refrigerator, two sump pumps to keep the basement dry, and two circulator pumps on the solar hot water system. I would also like to power the computer network and one or two outlets for lighting. All of these appliances have name plate information which give the power consumed. If the loads are given in watts, they need to be converted to amps. To do this, use Ohm’s law, which states:

P=I x E

where P is the power in watts, I is the current in Amps and E is the Voltage.

Thus if something if something draws 300 watts, you would divide that by 120 volts and get 2.5 amps.

Load Name
 Manufacture/Model
 Load Current @ 120 VAC (Amps)
 Load Power (Watts or VA)
 Duty Cycle (percent/hr)
 Amp/day (Amps x duty cycle x 24)
Well Pump
 Goulds 10GS10422
 7.9*
 948
 2
 3.8
Boiler, heating
 Dunkirk/Grundfos
 4.3
 516
 10
 10.32
Refrigerator
 Kenmore
 2.1
 252
 10
 5.1
Solar Hot Water Pumps
 Taco 009B and 006B
 1.8
 216
 20
 8.64
Computer Network
 Various
 0.3
 36
 100
 7.2
Water Filters
 Kenmore
 0.3
 36
 100
 7.2
Misc loads, lights, etc
3.0
 360
 40
 28.8

Total power required is 2364 watts, if all loads are one at the same time, which is unlikely. Additionally, the well pump requires a large starting load, something in the range of 5,000 watts. This will have to be figured into the sizing of the inverters.

Total storage is 71.06 Ah per day at 120 VAC. Some of these loads are seasonal, e.g. the boiler will not run in the summer, but the refrigerator will likely run more. Over all, I think this represents a good picture of my critical household loads.

I plan to have a 24 VDC battery bank running two inverters tied together to derive 240 VAC for the well pump. I estimate a 355.3 Ah battery bank will give me 24 hours, but there are other considerations:

I would like to run for several days without recharging because sometimes stormy weather lasts for quite a while. Therefore 355.3 x 3 = 1065 Ah.

A battery bank should never be discharged by more than 40 percent. Doing so leads to shorter battery life and increased operating expense. 1065 Ah x 1.4 = 1493 Ah.

Finally, the inverter has some losses. A good inverter usually operates at about 95 percent efficiency. 1493 Ah x 1.05 = 1567 Ah.

That is a pretty big battery bank

The inverter chosen is a Xantrex SW2524 Plus, which as an internal battery charger and an optional controller for starting a generator. I plan to use the generator starting contact to close a power contactor from our house panel, which will be used to recharge the batteries when they reach 55 percent discharge and grid power is available. If the grid is not available, we have a 15 percent reserve, which means I will load shed until the batteries can be recharged.

Next consideration is the size of the solar array charging this battery bank. The total daily storage from above is 71.06 Ah. All solar panels are sized in Watts, therefore, using Ohm’s law, we have P=71.06Ah x 120 Volts = 8,527.2 watts or 8.5 kW rounded total charging per day.  We have about 5 sun hours per day average, so 8.5 kW / 5 = 1.7 kW of charging power.

I will be using a MMPT charge controller to charge the battery bank, as well as tracking mounts for the panels, both of which will increase the efficiency of the system.

Finally, I will be using a 400 Watt Southwest Windpower wind generator to keep the batteries topped off during story conditions. Without the wind turbine, I would have to double the size of the Battery bank.

Here is a list of parts:

  • Batteries; Surrette 4-KS-21PS 4V 1557 Ah, 6 each
  • Inverters; Xantrex SW 2524 plus, 2 each
  • Inverters, Xantrex SWI stacking kit, connects two inverters to generate electric for 230 VAC loads
  • Inverters, Xantrex GSM generator starting module
  • Charge controller, Blue Sky Energy Solar Boost 3024i MMPT controller
  • Photovoltaic panels, Sharp NE-170U1 170 watt panel, 10 each
  • Tracking Mounts, Zomeworks URTF90, 2 each
  • WInd Turbine, Southwest Windpower Air X 24 VDC
  • Wind Turbine Tower Kit, Southwest Windpower 45 ft

Total cost, retail $26,000.00

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06 Apr 08 | Solar Electric, wind power | Comments (3)

Dealer Opportunities

12 Sep 07 | Business administration, Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water, wind power

I have been looking around at solar product manufacturer’s web sites and noticed that many of them have “dealer opportunities” links. This is also true of many online solar suppliers as well. I find this interesting because if you can become an equipment retailer, you have another good income stream for your solar business. Here is a brief list of solar manufacturer’s and online solar distributors which have dealer opportunities:

  1. Alternative Energy Technologies (AET), Manufacture of solar collectors, solar water storage tanks and parts.
  2. AEE solar, photovoltaics, microhydro, small wind
  3. SunWize, photovoltaices, small wind
  4. Evergreen Solar, Photovoltaic manufacture
  5. Solar Depot, Photovoltaics
  6. Bergey Windpower Co, Small wind
  7. Southwest Windpower, Small wind

I am sure that I missed a few others that are floating around. A good google search should turn up more if you are interested.

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12 Sep 07 | Business administration, Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water, wind power | Comments (0)