Solar panels

[stig]

Well have finally taken delivery of 2 x 50w solar panels, now installed and supplying me with enough power into storage batteries to allow me to have inverter running for over 4 hours each evening - so for me that is free energy! Well pleased, so much so that i have ordered another 2 panels to make sure that I have power in storage for any future usage. Next is solar water heater.

[Shewie]

I've been trying to get on the "Shade Greener" campaign for months but my roof is not aligned correctly, I'll keep pestering though in the hope they might give in one day :)

[Ashley Cawley]

That's great to hear stig! I would love to get some photovoltaic panels, but don't have the money yet. I would be interested in what your managing to power and for how long roughly etc. I think I remember reading back a couple of years ago when I was doing research into it that your only meant to use 50% of the capacity of your deep-cycle battery-bank, is that still true today with up to date tech?

Rich thanks for mentioning that shade greener thing, I've just applied! :D

[Shewie]

Rich thanks for mentioning that shade greener thing, I've just applied! :D

No worries mate, free energy has got to be worth passing on to as many people as possible

I'll bung the link up but feel free to delete if you want, I've not learnt your policies yet bud :)

http://www.ashadegreener.co.uk/

[stig]

little bit different down here in Portugal on costs, picked up the panels secondhand along with contol box for 300€, i am using at the moment a large car battery for storage and take off of power but will be getting a 150amp slow discharge battery soon for the system and i will also have to upgrade my control box to a higher amperage one when my next 2 panels arrive. I am getting 4 hours use each night that is powering 2 x 40 12v strip lights and then through the inverter i am running my laptop / charging phone also

[Ashley Cawley]

... I'll bung the link up but feel free to delete if you want, I've not learnt your policies yet bud :)

http://www.ashadegreener.co.uk/
What policies? Bloody hell I knew I forgot something when starting this forum! :p

No really, post links or videos to whatever you like (I'll only remove it if it's very inappropriate), I've not had to remove anything yet! :D

@Stig that's great to hear they are working ok for you. Ideally your not meant to use Car Batteries are you?.. I know your going to get something else, I haven't yet been able to afford those deep-cycle leisure batteries, although one time when I put in a lot of research trying to find the cheapest price with best amp hours I could get for the money I think I found a deep-cycle battery that was 110Ah for as little as £62.

[stig]

for the moment it seems to be performing well on the 2 large car batteries - power for lighting comes out of the control box and this is a slow discharge, the power inverter is straight off the battery. Leisure battery will cost similair down here 75€

[Metal mug]

Yeah, at the moment solar is the the best free energy supplier.Amazing what the panels can do. Although I have heard good things about running a hydro generator from a stream. That is If you're lucky enough to have one.

[aman]

That's great to hear stig! I would love to get some photovoltaic panels, but don't have the money yet. :D

With a little bit of work you can build you own for a lot less money plus you have the satisfaction of getting free energy from something you built yourself.

These guys are like mad backyard scientists. They have some great projects


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zy3ELxwdtE

[jus_young]

Any body want advice on this one give me a shout as I train sparkies to install photovoltaics. Doing a job for the National trust myself this weekend fitting a bank of 3x 110Ah batteries from an inverter/charger to supply the property with water. Find renewable technologies fascinating and looking to learn more on other tech all the time. Another good one at the moment is rainwater harvesting the simple way with water prices going up all the time.

[Comptona]

We are damned lucky, i live in a HA house and they have just ripped out my oil heating and installed an air sourcce heat pump, pretty impressed with it at the moment and it should halve my fuel bills as well as reduce my carbon footprint. The new water tank also has provision for solar panel connection so I might just push for that as well.

[dave budd]

Any body want advice on this one give me a shout as I train sparkies to install photovoltaics. Doing a job for the National trust myself this weekend fitting a bank of 3x 110Ah batteries from an inverter/charger to supply the property with water. Find renewable technologies fascinating and looking to learn more on other tech all the time. Another good one at the moment is rainwater harvesting the simple way with water prices going up all the time.

I might well take you up on that offer!

My workshop is (theoretically at least) run on photovoltaics. I say theoretically because I've been having no end of trouble with it for the last year and especially ove hte last 6 months it has been getting right on my nerves. :mad2:

I don't suppose you are coming down for my woodland working party are you? :campfire:

[jus_young]

Now that sounds like an invite:D

I am negotiating with swkb as the good lady would like the family to attend the Cornwall RV. Would seriously like to come for the weekend and meet you all. Let you know shortly.

Whats the issue with the PV?

[jus_young]

I is coming! what do I need to bring (apart from my tool kit for the PV obviously)

[dave budd]

That's great news :D

The problem with the PV is many fold, caused in parts by a money sparky who wired everything up incorrectly to start with, then cheap components dying, and then squirrels/rats chewing through cables. The batteries say fully charged yet I don't get much machine time from them before it all cuts out, infact most often even a 250w machine will trip it out randomly. This all despite the fact that when it was first set up (3 years ago) I could run a 1hp motor for 4 hours before it cut out, then there was still enough juice to run smaller machines for short periods.

I'll go through it all with you when you get here, but there is bound to be iether something simple (like a wire in the wrong place) or something catastrophic requiring a complete rekit! :(

as for other stuff to bring. info to follow ;)

[happybonzo]

Just a quick plug for NAVITRON (http://www.navitron.org.uk/) I helped to build a system for heating a swimming pool last year and the results were astounding. The people were saving over £80 per week on heating oil
Just to add; if you are installing one of their systems be careful when you install the vacuum tubes. They start heating up the moment they are taken out of their shipping container. I wasn't careful enough and managed to burn my hand. The tube had only been out for less than 10 minutes on an over-cast day.
There is an excellent company in Liskeard called SAS & Trewartha (http://www.sastrewarthasplumbingliskeard.co.uk/) The last time I was there they had 3 different manufacturers systems fixed up and running so that you could compare them for yourself.
They also do heat recovery systems, heat pumps and all the other exciting items
Nice people to deal with and no, I have no connection with them.

[jus_young]

I love a challenge :confused:

[Comptona]

i am all for heating leisure centres and council buildings with heat from crematoriums. See a good opportunity to reduce over population and an alternative to life imprisonment. I woulod be happy to get some use out of my body once i am gone.