An Oil Guy Likes Solar
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Wisneaky
Minister of Fire
In 2014, the World Health Organization estimated that indoor air pollution, caused mostly by unsafe cooking practices using wood, dung, or charcoal, kills 4.3 million people a year.
I estimate they are full of dung. But in all seriousness I wonder how they come up with those estimates. And by unsafe cooking practices. I didn't even know that people cooked with dung.
I estimate they are full of dung. But in all seriousness I wonder how they come up with those estimates. And by unsafe cooking practices. I didn't even know that people cooked with dung.
jharkin
Minister of Fire
Still over a billion people on this rock living without electricity. We often forget just how good we have it in this country...
Wisneaky
Minister of Fire
And getting cooking fuel puts a very heavy burden, in money, time, and toxic fumes, on struggling families.
Better stoves or solar cooking are a huge benefit.
Better stoves or solar cooking are a huge benefit.
Stop being coy BB, when are you getting solar installed? The fed rebate drops in 2017.
jebatty
Minister of Fire
Just finished a 10 day car camping trip and for the first time I put to daily use my rocket stove for cooking. These are in use in many areas with limited wood supplies, are very efficient, and are nearly smoke free.
I have the StoveTec Deluxe 1 door stove. This includes a pot skirt that further concentrates the heat around the pot. Hard to believe I am saying this, but the stove wood used was only small sticks picked up from the ground lying around the campsites and there was nearly no smoke. I used a Dutch oven as the pot, as well as a cast iron griddle for eggs and french toast.
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Started small this week. Tired of weekly topping off of the two battery banks in the basement. I have built the frame for the panels on top of the generator shed, installed two panels waiting on the third and installed the charge controllers and meters. Starting small to get familiar with the technology and not electrocute myself or burn the joint down.
And wouldn't you know it. Just as I finished the cable run and hooked up the panels the clouds rolled in and we aren't supposed to see the sun for a week.
spirilis
Minister of Fire
Same here, got a 50W 12V panel to play with... 1yr ago, haven't yet got the project assembled though
I am getting the process started with roof mounted solar, at least the big company-sold version... working with Sungevity (they had some dude at lowes) and soon Solarcity for some comparison. A coworker had Solarcity mount some panels and he says he doesn't really save anything, but it all works (he heats and cooks with gas though, power bill is only ~$80/mo if that).
Its a theme...I put a 60W panel on my roof, hooked up to a 100Ah lead-acid. Use the 12V to charge all our mobile electronics. Started as a kid science project ~5 years ago.
Where2
Feeling the Heat
I know this theme...
The 20W panel on the lower story roof charges a 17Ah SLA battery through a Morningstar charge controller,
The 4.4kW array on the upper story roof is grid tied.
That reminds me: I need to put my 50W panel on the lower story roof, and add a few more 17Ah SLA batteries to see if I can run either of my Engel fridge/freezers long term on sunshine. We get these pesky things called hurricanes, and knowing whether I can run an Engel for 5+ days would be good to know.
The 20W panel on the lower story roof charges a 17Ah SLA battery through a Morningstar charge controller,
The 4.4kW array on the upper story roof is grid tied.
That reminds me: I need to put my 50W panel on the lower story roof, and add a few more 17Ah SLA batteries to see if I can run either of my Engel fridge/freezers long term on sunshine. We get these pesky things called hurricanes, and knowing whether I can run an Engel for 5+ days would be good to know.
The battery banks are to let me go back to sleep and wait till morning to tramp out to the genny shack and pull the rope. 280 ah in one bank and 375 in the other should keep the fridge and LEDs happy until I am ready to slog outside. Since the banks and two 1,000 watt inverters were installed a year ago we have gone the longest without an outage ever.
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spirilis
Minister of Fire
Now that's a win! I had some crazy idea to build a solar-powered array of fans blowing through a woodpile to help season it faster.
I have actually had a solar powered attic gable fan blowing in my wood shed for two years. When I had the roof replaced I had them install ridge vents and that left me with a three month old solar gable fan and and ten watt panel on my hands. Works a treat. Got the gable fan and panel at HD for $75 when for some reason they were wanting to get rid of it just as my old AC powered one died. A once every five year event.
Only cost me a $14,000 roofing job to not need the $75 fan anymore.
Only cost me a $14,000 roofing job to not need the $75 fan anymore.
jebatty
Minister of Fire
My learning experiment was a 30 watt panel, charge controller, and a 12v deep cycle battery. I learned quickly the negative impact of clouds, hazy skies, and shading on the panel output. Although I now have 410 times the system (12.3 kw with microinverters), I still use the 30 watt panel to maintain charge on that battery.
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