Here's a short video of our rain water harvesting system. It currently holds 220 gallons and is powered by a 12v pump from a bank of marine batteries that are in turn charged from an array of solar panels.
If you have any specific questions I could probably answer them. It really wasn't that difficult to put together and only took one day.
Showing posts with label Solar Power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solar Power. Show all posts
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Off grid expansion
Craigslist has been a blessing once again. I was able to secure another solar panel for much less than retail price.
This week's score was a BP Solar 12v/50w panel. It is in brand new condition.
I now need to re-work the mounting structure to accommodate this new panel, as it is a different size than my two Siemens panels. Once that has been done we will have a total of 136 watts of power.
So far this year, we've mowed the lawn twice, using an electric mower powered from the inverter. It has worked well, but towards the end of the job I could tell that we were getting pretty low on juice. I don't think that our batteries are in the best of condition, even though I have checked and maintained the fluid levels.
I am continuing to look around for some better storage batteries and will be patient until I do. It will have to be something local as shipping for deep cycle, or any automotive battery, is pretty expensive.
Do you have any recommendations for the best battery for the buck?
I now need to re-work the mounting structure to accommodate this new panel, as it is a different size than my two Siemens panels. Once that has been done we will have a total of 136 watts of power.
So far this year, we've mowed the lawn twice, using an electric mower powered from the inverter. It has worked well, but towards the end of the job I could tell that we were getting pretty low on juice. I don't think that our batteries are in the best of condition, even though I have checked and maintained the fluid levels.
I am continuing to look around for some better storage batteries and will be patient until I do. It will have to be something local as shipping for deep cycle, or any automotive battery, is pretty expensive.
Do you have any recommendations for the best battery for the buck?
Friday, December 3, 2010
Solar power preparation
Earlier this year I ran an advertisement on Craigslist and stated that I would be willing to haul away any unwanted old satellite dish. Well, I got one response and headed out the next day to dig it up. It took me about 5 hours to complete the job as the pole was set in concrete about three feet deep.
I took the nine-foot satellite dish to the recycling center and they gave me $9.00 for the aluminum scrap. I then dug my own hole and set the mounting pole in concrete in our backyard.
The mounting base has a motorized unit which lets the solar panels move along a single axis. I have the panels facing south at approximately a 30-degree angle.
I added two steel cross pieces to mount the solar panels on (Two Siemens 12v/43w panels, in parallel).
We have four deep-cycle batteries on a shelf in the shed (pictured in the background) and a 7-amp charge controller (from Harbor Freight) manages the charge.
I am still planning on making a circuit to control the motor and track the sun's movement throughout the day, but for now I can simply turn on the motor and move the panels (which I have not done for the last two months). The batteries have been maintaining a steady charge of 13.16 volts, which isn't that bad considering that they were used (another Craigslist trade!).
[EDIT: I just wanted to point out that we are currently living in suburbia, and while it isn't my ideal location, we've decided to take advantage of having city water, electricity, and all the amenities which come with modern living. This is the perfect scenario to take advantage of and figure out all this stuff NOW, while a failure of anything we're learning how to do won't cause any sort of hardship - except perhaps monetarily. The time to learn and try all this out is not when one's daily life depends on it. The time to learn how to make a fire using flint and steel isn't after 6 feet of snow falls and you're living outside in the woods. The time is now, while things might still be good.]
I took the nine-foot satellite dish to the recycling center and they gave me $9.00 for the aluminum scrap. I then dug my own hole and set the mounting pole in concrete in our backyard.
The mounting base has a motorized unit which lets the solar panels move along a single axis. I have the panels facing south at approximately a 30-degree angle.
I added two steel cross pieces to mount the solar panels on (Two Siemens 12v/43w panels, in parallel).
We have four deep-cycle batteries on a shelf in the shed (pictured in the background) and a 7-amp charge controller (from Harbor Freight) manages the charge.
 |
| View from the back |
 |
| View from the front |
 | |
| Close up view from the back |
[EDIT: I just wanted to point out that we are currently living in suburbia, and while it isn't my ideal location, we've decided to take advantage of having city water, electricity, and all the amenities which come with modern living. This is the perfect scenario to take advantage of and figure out all this stuff NOW, while a failure of anything we're learning how to do won't cause any sort of hardship - except perhaps monetarily. The time to learn and try all this out is not when one's daily life depends on it. The time to learn how to make a fire using flint and steel isn't after 6 feet of snow falls and you're living outside in the woods. The time is now, while things might still be good.]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)