If you have any questions, contact us.
I'm always happy to provide a convoluted answer to a simple question. Updated:06/29/2010 ENTIRE
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Learn about
alternative energy, hybrid systems and watch pointless videos!
11-25-10: we are looking for a test audience for our new show, "Surrounded by Idiots". The show will broadcast on UStream. For more information, use one of the contact links below.
If you have something to say or would like to appear on the show as a
guest, email us or contact us at our bug out phone, 734-945-1547.
We now sell the Xantrex Powerhub 1600 with two solar panels, deep
cycle batteries, generator automatic transfer switch, wind turbine ready. This
is a house ready alternative energy product. Click here for more.
You are viewing the old site. Visit the new
site.
Become a member there and contribute your input, thoughts and hangover
information. - Bill Xam
Disaster
planning should be part of every single household across America, strike that,
the world. When disaster strikes, people die or lives are c80%hanged. In times of
plenty, forego the Playstations and buy extra food. You can explain a lack of
toys better than a lack of food to your children.
I can sit around smoking a cigar because I'm
an energy mogul!
Drawbacks:
Maintenance.
Installation.
Bunch of black glass panels sitting around.
Energy News Feeds
Latest Diary entry:
4-16-09: The first episode of "This Old Shack" is being
shot this weekend.
Don't ask me why, but I've recently become interested in
studying earthquake/volcano activity around the world; ash plumes and such. I've
added a page with RSS feeds and links to satellite imagery.
And finally the data you've been looking for, excerpts
from the NREL redbook!
The National Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) has released their datasets
for the climate.
Look, using testing equipment is all well and
good but those spec sheets don't mean squat if you can't run YOUR stuff
for as long as you want to. So what I do (so you don't have to) is get the
equipment (batteries, inverters, solar panels) and put what I run on it.
Usually about 30-50 watts at 12 volts or a few amps draw. You know, turning
lights on and off, running a computer (a laptop) and whatnot.
Throughout the test, a digital meter is run on
the bank and a hydrometer is used once an hour to determine whether the meter is
reading the correct voltage. During the sunlight hours on the panels, there is
another digital meter installed at the primary junction box (where the panels
feed into the 10 gauge cables that feed to the charge controller) that measures
panel voltage and amps. Here is the Excel
file of one of the tests.
One of the things that I like the best about
alternative energy is that you can make it as complicated or simple as you like.
Some people, even though they use alternative energy simply don't have a good
grasp on the entire substance that goes into the makeup of an engineered system
that has been built from scratch.
Shameless Ebay ad:
Plugs
and ads
If you're here you'll
probably be interested in using all natural garden pest control from The
Beneficial Insect Company!
This product is
simple and works great. If you use a lot of canned food either in your
home or cabin, the can organizer rotates your food from the oldest to
the newest; no more checking expiration dates!
We've teamed up with Amazon for
our product listings after some really bad experiences with an online
auction site.
There are several people on various newsgroups and discussion areas that waylay in uninformed or those just starting out in the off grid world of self power generation. This involves an almost religious belief in a phantom 6v golf cart true deep cycle battery that is superior in every way to any other battery in existence.
A simple examination of the specification sheet for a line of 6v and 12v off grid batteries will tell you quite clearly that there is no one single best solution for all circumstances. It is not accurate to say one is best.
Our system has been using the much maligned Harbor Freight 45 watt solar panel kits for 4 years. Over these years, we've moved them back and forth from the main home in Saline, Michigan to the shack in Gaylord. They've been dropped, exposed to heavy rain, snow, sleet, hail. One even has even had the glass on it shattered from a tree limb dropping on it.
Look, using testing equipment is all well and
good but those spec sheets don't mean squat if you can't run YOUR stuff
for as long as you want to. So what I do (so you don't have to) is get the
equipment (batteries, inverters, solar panels) and put what I run on it.
Usually about 30-50 watts at 12 volts - few amps of draw. You know, turning
lights on and off, running a computer (a laptop) and whatnot.
Throughout the test, a digital meter is run on
the bank and a hydrometer is used once an hour to determine whether the meter is
reading the correct voltage. During the sunlight hours on the panels, there is
another digital meter installed at the primary junction box (where the panels
feed into the 10 gauge cables that feed to the charge controller) that measures
panel voltage and amps.
One of the things that I like the best about
alternative energy is that you can make it as complicated or simple as you like.
Some people, even though they use alternative energy simply don't have a good
grasp on the entire substance that goes into the makeup of an engineered system
that has been built from scratch.
Don't ask me why, but I've recently become interested in
studying earthquake/volcano activity around the world; ash plumes and such. I've
added a page with RSS feeds and links to satellite imagery.
