Solar Empire - Endless War

What is the cost of having a solar water heater installed in New Zealand?

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:20:30 +0000

We are thinking about getting that done, and I’ve read there is a government grant of $1000 available for anyone planning to undertake this.

But what is the entire job going to cost me, does anyone know?

It would be for a three-bedroom house, single storey, on a hill.

$1000 + 385 (tank & thermostat) + 1900 for panels + 95 an hour to hook up. Plan to set aside 200 per year to adjust the thermostat and solar transformer.

Can I buy a solar water heater in the Philippines?

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:44:29 +0000

If not, what’s the cheapest system to run – gas or electric? Links to websites would be greatly appreciated.

Just make one. It is so simple….

http://www.oynot.com/solar-heater.html

Why is a solar water heater storage tank placed at higher level than the solar panel itself?

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:48:36 +0000

Help is really appreciated, since I will be sitting for a physics exam tomorrow. Thanks in advance!

Hey Glenn, don’t know if you’ll get this in time for the exam, but I will post it anyway. The only solar water heaters that need to have the storage tank above the panel are the thermo siphon types. When solar hot water was new, these were the only kind. The sun would heat the water during the day, and when the water in the solar collector exceeded the temperature in the tank, it would be lighter due to thermal expansion, so gravity would slowly force it into the tank, which displaced cooler water from the tank back into the collector. They worked the same as the old heatalaters built into stone fireplaces years ago. Most domestic hot water, or dhw solar systems today use a circulation pump to force the hot water from the collector to the tank, which is typically in the basement. The pump is usually driven by a small solar electric panel sitting along side the larger solar water collector. They work well together because when the sun is shining, it is warming the water the same time the pump is getting electricity.

Really there are some good websites to learn about this stuff rather than asking hacks like me online for your information, I will list some resources below you can google when you have time. Good luck, and take care, Rudydoo

How large of a solar panel is needed to power a typical home central air unit?

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:46:18 +0000

I would like to offset my air conditioning bills by purchasing a solar panel setup. I guess the questions that need answered are these:

How much power does a central air unit use? 220 Volts / 8 Amps Sound about right?

How large of a solar array will I need to power this non-stop during peak daylight/sunlight hours?

If your state offers "New Metering" look into installing a grid-tie system. You won’t need to rely on batteries storing the energy your panels produce and if you produce more energy than you consume one month the utility company will actually credit your account for that surplus. I would recommend Global solar Center as a good starting point (http://www.globalsolarcenter.com/). They will provide you with a free solar quote and inform you of all the incentives you’ll be eligible for, your estimated annual savings, payback period etc… They’ll provide you with all the info you’ll need to make a smart decision. Whether or not the system powers your entire central units consumption, at the end of the day you will be saving on your monthly utility bill. Your location will be a major factor as far as feasibility goes but you should definitely start by visiting that site.

Can you build a passive solar water heater with just copper pipe and some black and clear corrugated panels?

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 03:21:44 +0000

I’m planning to buy some black tarp, put it on my roof, lay out a meander of copper pipe on it, and cover the whole thing with clear, corrugated polycarbonate panels. Will that work?
The climate where I live is a bit like that of Oregon, or the southern UK (I’m in New Zealand). So, usually no ice, and a narrow temperature band tending toward 15 Celsius.

In the 70’s, magazines such as Popular Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated often featured articles on building thermal solar collectors just like that though they often used plate glass which would trap and concentrate the infrared heat (greenhouse effect). Polycarbonate panels wouldn’t last very long as plastics break down in UV light. Usually the process is to build an insulated box in which copper pipe meanders over a copper plate to which it’s welded to and the box is covered with a glass pane. It should get plenty hot enough for heating and for hot water, you could use small gas fired tankless heaters as backups near to the faucets, ie.: one per bathroom and one for the kitchen and laundry room, that will also give you instant heat instead of waiting for the hot water to come from the storage tank. It won’t be hot enough to run a lithium bromide chiller for air conditioning or refrigeration, that would require an evacuated tube system but it sounds like your climate doesn’t really need air conditioning.

What solar panel type to power a conventional typical light bulb?

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:15:12 +0000

I built a shed out back and I would like to install a solar panel to power a small light inside and outside of the shed. Or maybe just the inside. Does anyone have any advice and suggestions?
I’m confused now
Well, i plan on just using it when i go out to the shed and need a little light on to see inside at night.

Wow, so many great answers!

You want to use as little power as possible, so do not use a regular incandescent light bulb. Most of their electricity is used for heat, not light. Use a CFL (twirly bulb) or LED bulb. You can get them in DC power, so you don’t need to convert the DC power (like a battery) to AC power (like what you plug into your wall outlet). They are more expensive, but will save you a lot of money in the long run.

How many hours a day would the light be on? Let’s do the math with 1 hour, you can multiply it by how ever many hours you need it.

15 watts x 1 hour = 15watt hours (wh). (If it’s 2 hours, that’s 30wh) Take that number and put it in a solar calculator like http://www.altestore.com/store/calculators/off_grid_calculator/. It asks how many days you want to store in case you have no sun, how cold it gets there, and how many volts. That will tell you how big of a battery. 2 days, really cold, 12V, you’ll need a 10ah battery, that’s really small.

Then it will ask where are you, to decide what size solar panel you need. Here in Boston, I need a 5W panel.

To make sure the battery doesn’t get over charged, you should use a charge controller.

15W DC CFL Light bulb (equal to 100W incandescent) – http://www.altestore.com/store/Lighting-Fans/Compact-Fluorescent/Compact-Fluorescent-Dc/Phocos-CL1215W-12V-15-W-Warm-CFL-Lamp/p1007/

6W 12V panel – http://www.altestore.com/store/solar-Panels/1-to-50-Watt-Solar-Panels/Sunwize-SC6-12V-6-Watt-12-Volt-SolCharger/p4218/

12V 12ah battery – http://www.altestore.com/store/Deep-Cycle-Batteries/Batteries-Sealed-Agm/Universal-UB12120-12V-12AH-20HR-Sealed-AGM/p1996/

4.5A 12V charge controller – http://www.altestore.com/store/Charge-Controllers/Solar-Charge-Controllers/PWM-Type-Solar-Charge-Controllers/Morningstar-Charge-Controllers-PWM/Morningstar-Sunguard-45A-12V-Pwm-Charge-Cntrlr/p793/

Or buy one already made with solar, lights, and batteries built in – http://www.altestore.com/store/Lighting-Fans/Outdoor-Lighting/Sunwize-Solar-Outbuilding-Light-System-10-Watt/p4644/

Anybody ever install their own solar water heater for a spa? How hard was it, How expensive? Are you happy?

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:40:24 +0000

I have on older spa, and spent hours yesterday cleaning it, and now am deciding what to do with it…..I know a big expense is the electric for heating it…..so, am thinking of going solar…..have heard installation is not too complicated, and it certainly serves the environment, sooooooo I’d appreciate any feedback.

Namaste,
Cate

I DID A SEARCH ON SPA solar water heaterS AND HAD A LOT OF RESULTS. HERE IS ONE THAT LOOKED GOOD.

How to set up a solar panel system for a static caravan.?

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:21:16 +0000

How to set up a solar panel system for a static caravan. I’m looking into fitting solar panels for my static and was wondering if anyone could advise me on the things i need to run a TV. Fridge ect:
I know i need an inverter or maybe more then one, but i need to know what type and AMP/Watts. (85 amp battery or higher) Do i need more then one battery and what amps should they be. Also what type of inverter. All help would be appreciated. THANKS.

Before you can figure out how much you need to make, you need to figure out how much you use. You need to figure out how much power the items you are powering draw, and for how long. If it is AC items (like you use in your house) you can use a kill-a-watt meter to measure how much power you use. http://www.altestore.com/store/Meters-Communications-Site-Analysis/Meters-Battery-Monitors/Power-Meters/P3-International-Kill-A-Watt-P4400-Kill-A-Watt-Power-Meter/p932/

If they are DC powered, used off your battery without an inverter, you’d need to do the math of how many watts and for how many hours. Many items have a label on the back telling you the max watts they use, multiply that times the hours a day you’ll use it.

Once you know how many watt hours you need a day, put it in a calculator like this to figure out the size of panels and batteries. http://www.altestore.com/store/calculators/off_grid_calculator/

For the fridge, if you can use a propane powered one, you are much better off. They use a ton of electricity, it’ll be expensive to try to power it off solar.

Does a solar water heater really save you 30% on your electric bill? What is the average cost for a system?

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:45:26 +0000

With all the rebates and tax incentives, which help with the cost, are these guys marking up their prices? How long will it take to pay for itself in an average 4 person household? Also, does anyone know anything about a VAR box that supposedly stores some electricity and help with the startup on your central air and other things? Lots of questions on this stuff, I appreciate your responses.

According to the US Dept of Energy, your water heater (don’t call it a hot water heater) is responsible for approx 15% of your total energy bill. solar heaters will save money and you should calculate the actual cost, the savings and the payback (ROI is return on investment) for your particular home. Get 2 or 3 quotes from a licensed contractor in your area. I’ll use layman’s terms here: The "Var" box as you put it, does reduce your electric bill and make any appliance with a motor last longer. Also known as a "soft start" device. Any motor, at start-up, uses at least double the energy than it needs to continue running normally. If a meter is hooked up, you will see an initial "spike" in the energy wave, then that will drop to normal running levels. The "Var" box feeds only what the motor needs and "lowers" the initial "spike" of electricity. The one we are familiar with also serves as a "whole house surge protector". Let me know if you are in the Chicagoland area! Hope this helps.

I am planning to buy a solar water heater 200 litres. Which is good ?

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 03:11:25 +0000

I heard Tata BP solar is good.Any other good brands?
And there are two types one having cylindrical pipes which is around 27K rupees and other like box which is 33K rupees which one is good?

You can also check some brands and price/feature comparison websites listed in the article here:
http://indiahometips.com/buying-solar-water-heater.html