Just been researching domestic solar power. I have found that a simple system can be built which uses no battery banks (highest maintenance part) and is connected to the electricity grid.
The power you generate is stored in the grid for your use. Basically during the day your solar cells are operating at the highest capacity and your usage is typically low. At this point your electricity meter should be spinning backwards creating a power credit for you.
In the evening and night when you are running lights, telly, dishwasher etc you are then drawing power from the grid and using up the stored power. ideally this should work out cost neutral but not for my family I am embarrassed to admit.
This is not a setup for the remote home away from the power grid but is for those of us who wish to reduce reliance on generated power in the simplest way possible.
I started to run some figures using my recent power bill. What a surprise I had to see how much power we are using. My first foray into reducing my dependence on coal fired power is to try to reduce my family's consumption of power. They already see me as an eccentric who wanders around switching off lights and TVs in empty rooms muttering away but my wife and kids just don't see the waste as I do - perhaps it is because I came from a poor family and lived for some time with my Grandmother who was a product of the depression. I had to get a week out of my brown paper bag and greaseproof paper wrapping my sandwiches - folded it up and brought it home each day..... my kids think I am a dinosaur when I tell them stories like that.
My wife thinks nothing of firing up a 2000w fan heater at her feet while she studies but will not dress warmer or even close the door to the room. 2000w is the equivalent of having 20 x 100w lights burning. Equivalent of 140+ of those low wattage eco lights we can buy these days.....
This heater, I have calculated, costs 22c ph to run. Doesn't sound much but it is adding about 20% to our power bill by my back of the envelope calcs. How do I explain this to her without her feeling that I am trying to make her less comfortable for a measly 22c ph. Should I even attempt it? Would it be better to convert it to tonnes of CO2 instead of dollars?
Anyway back to the solar setup. More info is available here.
To buy the largest one possible with 15 solar panels and having it installed will cost me $25K after Govt and Industry rebates. It will generate 10KW/hrs per day.
Given that we currently use 22KW/hrs it wont even cover half of our power needs at this current rate. But should cut our power bill by 40%, or under $500pa at todays price.
At that rate and assuming no maintenance is needed we will have recouped our investment in 58 years at today's electricity price .......
Seems the greatest investment in terms of reducing our energy consumption costs is still me wandering around of an evening turning off lights and tellies and muttering to myself.
The power you generate is stored in the grid for your use. Basically during the day your solar cells are operating at the highest capacity and your usage is typically low. At this point your electricity meter should be spinning backwards creating a power credit for you.
In the evening and night when you are running lights, telly, dishwasher etc you are then drawing power from the grid and using up the stored power. ideally this should work out cost neutral but not for my family I am embarrassed to admit.
This is not a setup for the remote home away from the power grid but is for those of us who wish to reduce reliance on generated power in the simplest way possible.
I started to run some figures using my recent power bill. What a surprise I had to see how much power we are using. My first foray into reducing my dependence on coal fired power is to try to reduce my family's consumption of power. They already see me as an eccentric who wanders around switching off lights and TVs in empty rooms muttering away but my wife and kids just don't see the waste as I do - perhaps it is because I came from a poor family and lived for some time with my Grandmother who was a product of the depression. I had to get a week out of my brown paper bag and greaseproof paper wrapping my sandwiches - folded it up and brought it home each day..... my kids think I am a dinosaur when I tell them stories like that.
My wife thinks nothing of firing up a 2000w fan heater at her feet while she studies but will not dress warmer or even close the door to the room. 2000w is the equivalent of having 20 x 100w lights burning. Equivalent of 140+ of those low wattage eco lights we can buy these days.....
This heater, I have calculated, costs 22c ph to run. Doesn't sound much but it is adding about 20% to our power bill by my back of the envelope calcs. How do I explain this to her without her feeling that I am trying to make her less comfortable for a measly 22c ph. Should I even attempt it? Would it be better to convert it to tonnes of CO2 instead of dollars?
Anyway back to the solar setup. More info is available here.
To buy the largest one possible with 15 solar panels and having it installed will cost me $25K after Govt and Industry rebates. It will generate 10KW/hrs per day.
Given that we currently use 22KW/hrs it wont even cover half of our power needs at this current rate. But should cut our power bill by 40%, or under $500pa at todays price.
At that rate and assuming no maintenance is needed we will have recouped our investment in 58 years at today's electricity price .......
Seems the greatest investment in terms of reducing our energy consumption costs is still me wandering around of an evening turning off lights and tellies and muttering to myself.
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