Northern Michigan Solar Powered Cabin 

 Alternative Energy Living at the 45th parallel 

If you have any questions, contact us. I'm always happy to provide a convoluted answer to a simple question.
Updated:10/28/2010                  ENTIRE SITE IS COPYRIGHT 2010, MC PHOTOGRAPHY     

Learn about alternative energy, hybrid systems and watch pointless videos!

THE NEW SEASON OF THIS OLD SHACK HAS BEGUN! THIS YEAR'S EPISODES CAN BE VIEWED EXCLUSIVELY AT OUR SURVIVAL BLOG, SURVIVALTHROUGHINFORMATION.COM.

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.

Peukerts formula explained
T = C/(I/(C/R))n X (R/C)
Reviving Deep Cycle Batteries

Survival supplies 

 

Solar Generator, complete setup

 
The PowerHub converts power stored in your deep cycle batteries to 1800 watts of household power to operate your essential applications. It provides an affordable, high output, primary power solution for an off-grid cottage or cabin, as well as backup power for grid-connected homes when the power goes out. Setting up this power system is simple and hassle-free with built-in fuses, breakers, and cables. 

To learn more about the PowerHub Solar Generator, click here.

The PowerHub is designed to be part of a system that allows you to easily connect to and charge your batteries with solar and wind inputs, and allows for pass-through generator output or generator charging of the batteries as well. And, its advanced automatic power transfer switching ensures your essential applications keep running in your grid-connected home should the power go out.

To learn more about the PowerHub Solar Generator, click here.

The unit also comes with 2 Sunforce 150 watt solar panels and two Marathon deep cycle group 29 batteries for 200 amp hours of power. It is a compete system and completely self contained.

Product Features

Modified sine wave inverter/charger(40-amp three-stage charger)
battery box

Designed to include a generator as part of the system; generator power can pass through the unit to the AC outlets, and recharge the batteries

Integrated transfer switch


Four AC outlets with hardwire option

Two DC inputs for solar and/or wind connections

Full-feature LED display for system monitoring 

To learn more about the PowerHub Solar Generator, click here.


Email Me

 
 

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.

Survival supplies 

Products

GoldenGadgets.com
Golden Gadgets, LED lighting and low energy products.
Visit our store!
How I test
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. 
Sierra Nevada Airstreams battery temperature compensation chart Even worse, watch a Feedjit Live Blog Stats Battery bank setup My generator updated Email Me Temperature compensated charging chart Read about the system Solar Panel grounding from the dean of solar, John Wiles. Alternative Energy News Feeds Photographs Xantrex Charge Controller latest lightning video Read the diary entry here. DiaryDex Live weather from the shack Check it out! Building your own panels Are you moving your home (like we are) or your small business? Then the Small Company Moving Guide is for you! This Old Shack About the system THIS OLD SHACK Air Tabs energy blog Old Shack here Energy News Feeds battery desulfator schematic Earthquake/vocano activity A trip to the cabin! You need recipes Battery charge chart Sun activity widget added to earthquake activity page Generator buying tips Quite possibly the best preparedness site in the world. Appliances for cabins initial diary entry Privacy policy - please read! NREL redbook Death of a battery Battery wiring Cheap solar water heater Peukerts Wiring the cabin Photos of my system Gas mileage (Dodge Dakota) About the alternative energy system New battery bank testing continues. Read about it here. Live weather information from the shack! Peukerts formula explained Handy conversion formulas Generator article reprint Alternative energy news feeds (NEW) Installation