Solar Baby

posted by katlupe on Aug 22

The Present Solar System At Peaceful Forest

I have had many people ask me lately how they can change from using the grid electric to setting up their own alternative energy system. I know it sounds easy from the things I write. The difference for us is we were not hooked up to any other system and didn’t have to deal with the electric company. So I am trying to think of things you can do to get started. It is not that easy to go buy a solar system for your house if you don’t have much money. They cost money. But you can start with one 50 watt panel, a charge controller, an automotive inverter and a couple of golf cart batteries. You can just plug your lamp (with an LED bulb) into the inverter……..and there it is — not running on your utility grid anymore!  As time goes by, you can add another panel.

For the time being here are some things you can do to get started if you cannot afford the equipment. These may look trivial. It is NOT! You must learn to conserve your electric use if you truly want to live off-the-grid or partly off-the-grid.

• 1. Replace all your light bulbs first of all with LEDs.
• 2. If you need to replace an appliance, always choose the most energy efficient appliance you can afford.
• 3. If you are presently using an electric stove, replace it with a gas stove. I know, you thought you could use your stove for free………….well, you can’t. Appliances that use heat are always big drains on your system. In the long run, propane is cheaper. I use both propane and wood and it doesn’t cost too much. All winter I can cook with wood as we have two stoves going. Depends on what you are doing for heat too.
• 4. If you are using a desk top computer, replace it with an energy star laptop. My husband and I both use Lenovo ThinkPads and they have many energy efficient options. We use them plugged into the system and have found them to be very easy to use and are not energy hogs. I love mine!
• 5. Stop using your clothes dryer! They use a lot of power and it is better for your laundry anyway to hang it. In the winter I hang mine upstairs, but if you have a basement with a furnace, then that would be the perfect place to hang it.
• 6. Replace your electric coffee maker with a coffee percolator that perks on your stove. Better coffee too!
• 7. Take a look at your electric gadgets to see what you really need, and what you can get rid of. Like electric can openers, electric tea pots — really! Give me a break, how hard is it to heat water on the stove? I use an electric mixer, and that has been something I could use right from the start of living on our system.

I will be adding more posts like this one to try to help my followers/readers who are just getting started or want to get started. If you are an experienced solar user and have ideas to add to this basic idea, please let me know and I will add it to my next post on this subject. All ideas to help our readers get more independent are welcome!

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

posted by katlupe on Aug 25

Your off-the-grid home depends on batteries for your electrical power and that is why you definitely need a battery system monitor. It is a major component needed for your alternative energy system. I know we did not have our meter in the beginning but as soon as were able to add it to our system it made maintaining it so much easier. The one we bought is called The TriMetric Model 2020. We purchased it in 2004 and it ran about $190. at that time at Backwoods Solar. I believe that included all the hardware with it.

You can use it to teach your family how much energy different electrical appliances use.  You can plug in a mixer for instance, and then watch your TriMetric meter to see how much power is being used when it is turned on. That way you will be able to judge if it is worth keeping that mixer or buy a more efficient one or add another solar panel.

It will also help you in checking that all your power loads are really off. Sometimes you might have something still on and not know it. Of course, in my own home we have everything off if our inverter is off. Eventually, that will change and our inverter will be on all the time. Right now the only thing we have on all the time is a string of lights like Christmas type ones that are hooked directly to our batteries.

A meter also helps you locate the “phantom loads”. I think everyone knows now what that is……small loads that come from your computers, televisions, radios, stereos, telephones, anything that has a clock or anything that is lit up when it is not being used. You do not want them saping your power! I have none of those items in my house. My printer comes on when we turn our inverter on in the morning and we quickly turn it off before even turning our laptops on. I only turn the printer on when I am using it and off as soon as I am finished.

How do you know how much energy is left in your system? We have to watch this very closely as NY does not get a fair amount of sun. For us it means we have to run our generator to charge our batteries. You do not want to let your batteries get depleted. It also helps when you are running the generator to know when to turn it off because the batteries are approaching full charge. Don’t want to let them get undercharged and don’t want to overcharge them either!

Batteries need critical care. So your meter will help you maintain and care for them by knowing when to  turn on your generator to avoid damage from letting them completely discharge. It will also allow you to check that your charging systems are definitely charging to the correct voltage for the longest battery life. Not to mention that it reminds you to not let your batteries go too many days between a full charge.

As you can see this little meter becomes a very essential tool in putting together your alternative energy system. Any system problems usually will show up on your meter. You will be able to monitor the solar arrays, inverter and charge controller to make sure they are correctly charging at proper rates and voltages. If your batteries are not holding the energy properly you will know that immediately.

Our TriMetric meter is right on our wall in our living room. We can see it from our desks. If anything is not right my husband knows immediately as he checks it constantly. It is best to stay on top of all things involving your system as your equipment is not cheap and can be damaged easily by not monitoring it. Hope this helps and gives you an idea of why you need this little meter for your alternative energy system.

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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