Re: Suggestions how to make use of solar panels

[Vargster <vargster@xxxxxxxxx>]

Graeme,

Like many others on this list, I looked into this a few of years ago, and
came to the conclusion that it was a complete waste of time, unless you're
remote or can get the hardware cheap or you're a real eco warrior, the
return on investment is too low to make it a worth while exercise...

I was looking at a proper mains linked system, but the costs were massive,
PV panels were about =A34 per watt, (i.e. a 100W panel cost around
=A3400),=
a
grid tie inverter cost about =A3450 per 500W, plus the cost of making a ali
frame to mount the panels on and the hardware to mount the frame.

The initial idea of just making 500W to cover the base load on the house
didn't leave much change from =A33,000...

Given that my elecy bill is around =A340/month, that's about 6.25 years
wor=
th,
BUT you have to remember, that you only get 500W for 7-9 hours a day...
whe=
n
it gets dark the panels stop working... so that's about 25 years to recoup
the investment... I'm not sure the hardware will last that long...

It seems that size gets around this, if you have say 4KW of panels then,
yo=
u
can pump elecy back to the grid and go more than self sufficient, but then
you're looking at =A320K...  that's a pretty serious commitment... I didn't
work out the payback time...

My next plan was a wind turbine, but the returns are even worse (unless you
live in Scotland), then I looked at solar water heating, and that was
almos=
t
as bad with ready made panels =A33000-=A36000 installed with payback times
=
of 30
years+...

Utter nonsense... But with a lot of reading there are pretty simple
version=
s
about, so I'm planning on building my own flat panel solar water heater
ove=
r
the summer, estimated cost about =A3300... payback in less than 3 years...
And a fun project to tinker with... :)



On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 9:56 PM, gearboxgraeme <gkjones@xxxxxxx>
wrote:

>   Ive been lurking on here for years and done various bits of home
> automation ( x10, temp loggers, camera etc. ).
>
> I finally decided I want to get some solar PV panels.
>
> Problem is Im currently in a rented house so a bit limited on what I
> can do, therefore looking for advice.
>
> Im thinking of getting a couple of 40 watt solar panels - PV, not
> solar water heating - rented house ;{
>
> These would get a good load of direct sunlight for most of the day in
> the back garden. I already have a charge controller and a 110AH deep
> cycle battery. ( extra ones arent too bad - 85ah ones make the most
> financial sense )
>
> I recently bought a 300watt maplin invertor ( which did my 32inch CRT
> TV for a while - battery voltage dropped too low after about 20 mins
).
>
> Im now after suggestions as to what other people do with their solar
> panels.
>
> eg. what can I effectively power using the panels - either 12v stuff
> connected directly to the battery, or else via the invertor.
>
> I did a quick try with the washing machine but that was a complete
no-go.
>
> My mains plug meter reckons it only uses 85watts and the invertor is
> rated 300 watts but the extra motor current was too much.
>
> I would like to replace the ceiling lights with 12v led bulbs and then
> run the lot directly from the battery but that will have to wait until
> I buy a place again.
>
> Any other ideas gratefully received as I cant really think of anything
> with low enough power to cope with the invertor but high enough to be
> worthwile.
>
> Is it possible to get PC PSU's that operate from 12vDC instead of
> mains ? ( Yes, but the cost of ones Ive seen capable of driving my
> games/desktop PC would be prohibitive )
>
> Graeme
>
>=20=20
>


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