Wind and Solar Power

Submitted by Khomar on Thu, 04/09/2009 - 14:09

Living Off The Grid

I am going to start some serious research into this area, but I thought I would post a couple quick things as a placeholder for now. I will rewrite this section when I have more information. We can share our experiences here in setting up our own systems as well.

I came across this site that looked interesting. It details how someone built their own wind turbine for about $140, though it had problems dealing with high winds (50+ mph) -- namely, the blades snapped off! Still, it might be a place to start if you wanted to build your own.

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

This one I believe I had found promising (my research links are on another computer) is available at Sam's Club. It is more of a ready made kit that you just assemble and set up. It costs $2000 for the turbine and another $700 for the tower kit.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=366860

BigT Sat, 03/20/2010 - 00:37

I've been living off the grid for almost 12 years on solar power.
I have worked in the alternative energy field as a consultant and installer and system designer, so I can easily answer questions regarding getting off the grid, if anybody has questions about it.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Khomar Sat, 03/20/2010 - 01:42

Also, if you want to write up a new thread on wind and solar power, I would be more than happy to point to it on the front page.

BigT Sat, 03/20/2010 - 13:24

Khomar,
I think that this section serves the purpose just fine.
I had no trouble finding this, and it's easy to do it right here.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Khomar Sat, 03/20/2010 - 01:15

When I looked into solar power over a year ago, it seemed that the primary problem was that we used too much electricity. Either we would need a lot of solar panels or we would need to drastically reduce the amount of electricity we used. Devon, before he disappeared this last time, mentioned that he rewired the house or something (he was supposed to elaborate) to drastically reduce his electric use. Would you know anything about this?

BigT Sat, 03/20/2010 - 01:48

Yes, there are two segments to producing your own power.
And one is the amount of usage.

It is generally recommended to go as far as possible into energy saving appliances and other electrical things, because it's cheaper and better to do that, than it is to try to buy more panels to feed power-hog appliances. I typically recommend that electric heating not be considered because of it's power-hog nature, and I use wood-stove heat primarily. Air conditioning is usually out of the question, unless you have a boatload of money to spend on solar panels.
The basic equation is the less power you consume, the less you have to generate, and that equals less overall expenditure.

Then, after you reduce all your usage as much as practical, you can size the power production to fit the need, in the most economical fashion.

As far as re-wiring, this is simply a way to reduce power transmission losses over the wiring.
The typical approach would be to use short wiring runs where possible, and use thicker gauge wire for everything, to reduce power losses over the wiring distance. There are engineering wire-tables which will provide the loss per foot, for different wire gauges, and also appropriate gauge tables for the expected current handling needed for the wiring runs.

Wiring changes might not be "drastically" reducing power consumption, but it can help.

2 Chronicles 7:14

hawkiye Mon, 07/06/2009 - 00:27

If you want to build one this is the one.

http://otherpower.com/

These guys build these in colorado and sell and install them. They are very comprehensive even build thier own alternator that will charge in a 5 mile an hour wind. They have the book but this was developed open source so all the info is on the site too.

chiefronpaul Mon, 07/06/2009 - 03:04

Saved to favorites thanks, this is what I need.

PALIN-BECK
2011

chiefronpaul Mon, 04/20/2009 - 23:59

This is the one I will be working on this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHB4zxWd3Ls

PALIN-BECK
2011

Lisa Mon, 04/20/2009 - 23:40

The thing about the more expensive ones is that they come with a furling mechanism. When the wind hits a certain speed, they disconnect from the gearing mechanism and spin freely to minimize damage to the system.

Have you done a cost benefit analysis based on your avg. wind speed? I seem to recall somewhere online that could give you payback estimates. You might want to also consider having an energy audit, if you haven't done so already. You might not need as big a system as you think you might if you can play around with the energy you're already using.

I'm sure I'm not saying anything you don't already know.

see-thru Mon, 04/20/2009 - 22:27

Brilliant Newfoundlander Invents the Solution!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRZvAAqzXIw&feature=related

see-thru Sun, 07/05/2009 - 08:15

hawkiye...

mike lawson might be referring to this in his thread over on DP ... http://www.dailypaul.com/node/98421

chiefronpaul Mon, 04/20/2009 - 23:35

I made one last fall.

Works with the sun.
Well I get little sun in the winter.
I did get it to put out 148 for a couple of hrs. with the outside temp at 70.
So yes it works......sometimes.

PALIN-BECK
2011

Lisa Mon, 04/20/2009 - 23:46

Seems that it would lose heat as fast as it gains. What about at night? Does it work in reverse and suck the heat out of the house?

chiefronpaul Mon, 04/20/2009 - 23:58

I don't think it would.

I made mine on an old table tennis frame so that I could roll it in at night.
It held the heat longer than I thought it would.

PALIN-BECK
2011

see-thru Tue, 04/21/2009 - 02:32

that's frickin' brilliant dude.

Lisa Tue, 04/21/2009 - 00:34

Looks like his are permanently connected to an external wall and vent the hot air indoors. I'm assuming his using basic physics to draw the warm air into the cooler house but, unless he's got some great sealing system going on, it seems that it would leak back out at night.

How does your system work? I've only seen these panels permanently attached.

Did you add any thermal mass to your frame? I wonder if concrete backer boards painted black or tubes filled with water would help slow the heat exchange.

I have also seen people retrofit sunrooms to the back of their south-facing homes. They close off the room (black tile on slab) during the day and let it heat up then open the doors into the house in the evening. Sort of like a more useful version of a Trombe wall.

Best to get the right aspect and home design in the beginning. Will save a lot of money over time -- just ask my parents with their north-facing, all-glass family room.

krmaya Wed, 04/22/2009 - 03:00

Listen to you solar panel queen!!... and you say the solari cart is complicated. WTF!!??

chiefronpaul Wed, 04/22/2009 - 02:55

My unit.

Well I made mine so that I would'nt deal with the cold.
I put a solar panel with a inverter hooked up to a good exhaust fan.
It will work good for a small area if the sun is out.
I will show you what to do when the sun goes down this summer.
When I get it right.
Also I can post some pics if you would like.