Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

internetworkers - Re: [internetworkers] still no power from CP&L....

internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Chris Hedemark <chris AT yonderway.com>
  • To: internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] still no power from CP&L....
  • Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 15:37:31 -0500

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1


On Wednesday, December 11, 2002, at 12:23 PM, childers.paula AT epamail.epa.gov wrote:

SO, I've been thinking - how to TRULY prevent this sort of thing?
Answer: SOLAR PV panels.

This can be done in phases. I was actually getting ready to put my house on battery backup, which is one step towards moving to PV (which doesn't power the house directly, but rather charges a bank of batteries). Unfortunately the company I was working for disappeared out from under me and plans changed. After this ice storm, I plan on moving ahead with the battery system as soon as I am back in the saddle again. Basically you run the whole house off of batteries, and the grid hookup powers nothing more than a big fat battery charger. Pairs of 6VDC golf cart batteries wired in serial to each other, and parallel across pairs, provide the 12VDC input for the inverters that supply 110VAC to the house.

Adding PV panels would be pretty straightforward after such a system were in place. Same for generator.

Generators require you to leave your house and purchase gas.

Only if you use a gas generator. Get a diesel generator, and have the local oil company deliver heater oil to your door (same as diesel, but without the road tax). Better yet if you don't mind getting yourself a little dirty, try recycling some used cooking oil ( http://www.greasecar.com is aimed at automobiles but this could be adapted to generators).

Solar is quiet, clean, safe, morally responsible, requires little
maintenance when installed correctly, and can be wired to reduce (or
even eliminate!) your power bills continuously while adding green power
into the grid for others to use, as well.

Anyone here actually do this yet? I'm wondering if there are tax credits available for going PV in this state or not.

As it stands today, PV only breaks even after many years of use. If you plan on keeping a house less than say 7 or 8 years, it is probably a losing proposition (guesstimate).

The other hidden cost of going PV is refitting your light fixtures & appliances. For example, if you are using incandescent lighting to illuminate your home, you're not ready for PV yet. Check into Compact Fluorescent bulbs. I've gotten my house almost completely converted over the last few years. The bulbs consume about 1/4 the electricity for the same amount of illumination as a given incandescent bulb. For example, a 100w incandescent can be replaced with a 27w CF bulb. They are pricey up front but prices have dropped dramatically, especially in the last year. But they last for 5+ years (my experience bears this out) so they are actually cheaper than lighting with incandescents over extended periods. In addition, you can use a much brighter bulb than you would normally be able to in many smaller fixtures. Have a favorite lamp that isn't rated for more than a 60w bulb? Slap in a 27w CF bulb and you have a killer bright reading lamp. Personally, I use 9w CF bulbs pretty liberally as well as 14w CF's and only a few 27w bulbs.

When moving to PV you need to also look at where your hot water is coming from, air conditioning, refrigerator/freezer, and laundry facilities. These are all typically major consumers of electricity and need to be addressed when switching to PV. Some homes are even heated with electricity (!!!) so be careful here.

My computer habits have also changed to reduce my power consumption in preparation for moving to PV. My PC was sucking up hundreds of watts with the 21" CRT turned on. The server without a monitor was sucking about 175w 24x7. My PC has been replaced with an Apple notebook which consumes anywhere from 7w to 14w on average. My PC server was replaced with a Sun server which consumes about half the power of the old PC server (PC processors run HOT). Hard wired network ports consume less juice than wireless. CRT's consume WAAAAY more than LCD displays. I'm very happy now with my Powerbook as a replacement for my Linux desktop machine.

Have any nightlights? Traditionally these are incandescent bulbs which burn a small but measurable amount of power steadily. There are newer night lights out that glow a soft green like a firefly, and burn a nearly insignificant amount of electricity. They don't cost much and they live much longer than their incandescent counterparts.

Before seriously looking at PV, seriously look at your own home & lifestyle and correct wasteful energy use there first. It doesn't require reduced comfort, and will make your PV system smaller, less expensive and less intrusive on your property.

Chris Hedemark .. Hillsborough, NC .. http://yonderway.com
Homeland Security begins at home; support your Second Amendment.


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (Darwin)

iD8DBQE996IUYPuF4Zq9lvYRAo7JAKDR0ZcN+Oja8+niVBmvuTIxhKZg2wCfUbKn
Rb1A7r42g9hdl8USO/ztlKU=
=Ueaa
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page