Alternate Energy 3, solar power off grid economic collapse

[jeremyloveslinux]

Solar panels ARE approaching $1/watt now

[mrouterrim]

how long do solar pannels last

[Lanny615]

Nice setup, greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[timonix2]

4000 watts heh. that's not enough to power my house completely. well I could survive on 4000 watts during a blackout. But in a day to day basis.

[SurvivalReport]

@timonix2 Your first task is to get rid of and/or change out all the energy hog items in your house. That means you go for a LP gas or a solar water heater, you get an LP or wood stove and you heat with wood. An electric water heater, stove and electric heat are the biggest draws. Get rid of those and pay even a modicum of care in using your power and 4,000 watts will be plenty. Keep in mind that's over 30 amps of power.

[steveman223]

@timonix2 it is enough if you simplify your life. must be american

[worsecards]

i wonder how easy it is to build an inverter

[linuxpyro]

@worsecards It's kind of tricky, but it can be done if you're familiar with power electronics. If you're curious look up how a Class D amplifier works; you can basically feed one a small 60 Hz sine wave and design it so you get a 120 VRMS sine wave out. Again not the greatest intro project but it is doable.

[giant648]

a 100% sinewave inverter makes thing you run a little more efficent and is more better in the long run oh and has thngs last longer thanks for all your videos

[MasterOhSo]

well thought out within a broad context of "what if"...I tip my hat to you sir.

[PatriotsRepublic]

what's the efficiency of your inverter?

[SurvivalReport]

I'd have to look it up, that model is a decade old now. IIRC around 97%???

[PatriotsRepublic]

You're doing 24 volt DC right? If that's the case, I would guess you're actually around 87% or lower. The higher the DC Voltage (the smaller the step up) the more efficient the conversion. I know the 48 volt OutBack Power Systems Inverters are nearly 95% efficient. I was just wondering if you knew your current efficiency rating.

[jonataseuuk]

the nitrogen is killing you lololo

[SurvivalReport]

"Nitrogen?" Riiiiggght. LOL

[theoneagain]

Eh I see it this way . SOLAR is EXPENSIVE hobby but like i said buying a new CAR is expensive especially when you drive it out of the dealers you loose a good 2500 dollars the day you buy it so who cares my solar will never lose money it makes money in the long run if i can keep it up and running for ten or twenty years t ill i die then its worth it. OFF course GRID ENERGY IS CHEAPER !!

but i dont like the MATRIX. TO get off it IT costs money.

[theoneagain]

yes but who cares i get them for free down the srap yard i know the guy who works there and he says some people are stupid they throw perfectly sound a+ good batteries because they are flat so i take them home add distilled water to them and charge them up and off we go for a year or two for free

[Smokofilomidanek53]

How much power your inventer can hold!??? Be more specific please.

Is no idiots on the other site, so stop talking about those (*&^&^%) who are using such systems for making COFFEE!!

[SurvivalReport]

At around the 30 SECOND point I started explained the inverter and say "4,000 watts" and that it was a 24 volt unit. Perhaps you should LISTEN instead of criticizing.

[21hills]

awsummm *****

[vutEwa]

$3000? Too much!  There has to be a cheeper way.

[SurvivalReport]

Well find it and actually do it on this size scale then make a video about it showing others how. Car batteries aren't going to last long.

[vutEwa]

LOL, I figure obtaining land for a retreat is the number one priority (for me) so you know where I'm at in the sequence of things. But say, I just saw one on eBay for $1000 used, Buy-it Now and I saw some regular bid auctions at like $100 or so and nobody bidding on them. All used. But still.. these are way lower in price than $3000. I thought you were mentioning $3000 for the inverter alone. And by the way I know about car batteries. Poor choice. You need deep cycle.

[SurvivalReport]

Being the inverter is the heart of the unit, I'd be hard pressed to buy a used one, especially Ebay. Maybe a used checked out one from one of the better known AE dealers. Ebay, if the thing is a POS, you have no recourse. $3K WAS the original purchase price on the inverter, now you can find them for $2100-2500. definitely shop around. I figured you were referring to 3K for the batts. Understand what you mean, land is more important than AE. :)

[theoneagain]

car batteries are ok if you can get them for free every two years or so

[SurvivalReport]

Car batteries really aren't designed for a deep and regular discharge. However they are worth a try. Considering the last time we bought T105's they were only around $75.00 I would say you are better going that route, but try the car batteries in regular use for a while and let us know how it worked out. We are pushing 4 years on the T105's and more than 5 on the L16's.

[billybbob18]

$3000?!

Those of us with electronic skills should just make our own for a fraction of the price.

great vid, thanks

[SurvivalReport]

I'll be expecting to see a video on that soon.

[charper3006]

Lots of GREAT info. Thanks to you and your friends

[delta69alpha]

As always great movies!!!!

Bob@PAW

[steelhorses2004]

Are they completely off the grid using this system? Waiting for pt4!

[SurvivalReport]

Had commercial power at the site already. In that area during the summer it's nothing to get 110 for a week or more at a time. From approx mid June to first of Sept they use grid power for the AC. It's a rough area of the country in the summer time! They could run the central AC with that genset, but they choose not to.

[0urGaia]

Think the 4 year life span might be a worry if things get and stay really bad. Might be worth getting some dewalt DC9360 36v 2.4 amp batteries which contain a123 cells (read they have a 5% degrade after 1000-4000 recharge cycles) just to provide some power for lighting if the main bank goes bad. On ebay they go for $120 each (I got 4x of them for my electric bicycle).

I do like your friends setup and your video provides great info, appreciated.

[SurvivalReport]

Will pass that along, thank you!