--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EC5I0525 Date: 08/05/97 From: ELVIS HARGROVE Time: 09:08am \/To: JIM DUNMYER (Read 1 times) Subj: SOLAR SHINGLES? -> told 'em he didn't want the 200-gallon tank. He's going to try to -> make a solar kiln for his lumber. Boy, I wish I had the 200 gal tank! (and the collectors) How's he gonna use WATER heater collectors to heat his lumber? ^..^ --- FidoPCB v1.5 beta-'j' * Origin: BOO! Board Of Occult, Rio Grande Valley Texas (1:397/6) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EC5I0526 Date: 08/05/97 From: GERRY CALHOUN Time: 12:30pm \/To: RICK GORDON (Read 1 times) Subj: solar shingles? Rick Gordon wrote in a message to Elvis Hargrove: EH> Oh, the GOING to be released shingles. I've been hearing about EH> THEM for ten years. Always GOING to be! RG> hehehe I know! In this case I am more inclined to believe the RG> rumor since the manufacturer (one of them) does have pre-production RG> shingles in place and the factory is already in place (I really RG> must find the article again, I think it even had a phone number)... That would be great. If you do find the article, how about telling us the name of the companies. With so may companies being on the web, maybe we can get some more information about these. RG> Seize the day! Seize the power! Gerry --- timEd 1.10 * Origin: The Hitchhikers Guide (1:2004/205) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: ECB00000 Date: 08/05/97 From: ALEC CAMERON Time: 07:23am \/To: JIM DUNMYER (Read 1 times) Subj: STEAM ENGINES Hi Jim On (31 Jul 97) Jim Dunmyer wrote to Alec Cameron... JD> Many years ago, I had a tiny engine/generator. It had a weedeater-style JD> engine coupled to an alternator about the size of a small car lternator. JD> I don't remember the power output for sure, seems like it was 115VAC @ 150 JD> watts. It also had a 12 VDC output as I recollect. Perhaps it was a Honda unit, for camping and other short time useage. Or was it home- made?? If home made then read on...... Weedeater [and model aero engines] are designed with absurd high power to weight ratios, and a very short operational life [100 hours?] is possible before these are scrapped. And the fuel consumption is absurdly high ie KWh energy delivered per pint of fuel. Then consider a Briggs and Stratton!......... The whole thing weighed JD> maybe 10 pounds. I guess an alternator for a small car would weigh more than that.... If mobility or size wasn't a problem, then a 4 stroke mower engine wed to an automobile alternator, should make a durable efficient team. Cheers.....................ALEC ... ....Horsepower was a wonderful thing when only horses had it --- PPoint 1.92 * Origin: Bundanoon, Southern Highlands, NSW AUS (3:712/517.12) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: ECB00001 Date: 08/05/97 From: ALEC CAMERON Time: 07:45am \/To: STEPHEN RICHARDSON (Read 1 times) Subj: Power *to* utilities Hi Stephen On (31 Jul 97) Stephen Richardson wrote to All... SR> I've understood that utility companies are required by law to buy back SR> any excess power generated by a home producer. Does anyone know whether SR> or not this would be at the same rate that they sell it, and if there SR> are limitations to the amount that they are required to buy? This is an International echo, and you can't expect us down under to know uch about US laws. But I can talk about the problem, as your utility Co would see it: When customers feed energy back into the grid, this can be Good News or Bad News for the utility: At peak load periods it is Good News because that is the time of day when the utility own costs are highest- they are running at above the load for maximum generating and transmission efficiency, and they are running their oldest ost ineffective plant. Your KWHr meter going backward, is then Good News. At off- peak periods eg 3am, they don't need your input because their generating capacity is way above demand, their most efficient plant is on line, and their transmission efficiency is very high. The transformer cooling fans and circulating oil pumps at substations are off [energy saved] at this long part of the day. If you were a big- time exporter of energy to the grid, then you would get your credit payments according to the time of day, the day of the week perhaps- as well as the KWHr delivered. If you were a biggish exporter located in a rural or other low density egion, your contribution could be Bad News because as you stop and start exporting energy, you may cause voltage fluctuations that irritate neighbours. Your ability to do this, would not have been forseen by the utility system designer. You might even cause line relaying to trip causing blackouts. This might get you suit from angry neighbours [eg a gas station] who lose trade because of supply interruptions that *you* caused. In NSW the concept of consumers feeding back into the mains has quite a long and exciting history, the 1940s- 1950s period seeing large scale evelopments. I don't think any laws were enacted, but the utility companies compelled adherence to *their* requirements. This seems to have been a good outcome, as we have enjoyed constantly reducing power bills, and a very high standard of service reliability. But then WE don't have hurricanes or dynamited power pylons here!! Cheers......ALEC ... Marriage is a ghastly public confession of a strictly private intention --- PPoint 1.92 * Origin: Bundanoon, Southern Highlands, NSW AUS (3:712/517.12) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: ECB00002 Date: 08/05/97 From: DAVIS ROBINSON Time: 03:42am \/To: RICK GORDON (Read 1 times) Subj: solar shingles? Hi there! -> Someone told me about a company selling solar shingles the other day. -> They are supposed to be solar cells designed to look like regular shi -> Has anyone heard of these? In Japan they have solar cells encased in clear plastic shaped like spanish roofing tiles. I do not know if they are sold in the states yet but they are designed to be intergrated into a spanish style roof. I have not heard of anything yet that is a regular shingle. Anyone else? Later! --- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 * Origin: Daedalus Online, Minot ND (701)857-6090 (1:14/648.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: ECB00003 Date: 08/06/97 From: CRAIG HEALY Time: 11:34pm \/To: ALEC CAMERON (Read 1 times) Subj: Small generators Re: Small generator sets.. -> JD> Many years ago, I had a tiny engine/generator. It had a -> weedeater-style JD> engine coupled to an alternator about the size -> of a small car alternator. -> JD> I don't remember the power output for sure, seems like it was 11 -> 150 -> JD> watts. It also had a 12 VDC output as I recollect. -> -> Perhaps it was a Honda unit, for camping and other short time useage. -> it home- made?? If home made then read on...... -> -> Weedeater [and model aero engines] are designed with -> absurd high power to weight ratios, and a very short operational -> life [100 hours?] is possible before these are scrapped. And the -> fuel consumption is absurdly high ie KWh energy delivered per pint -> of fuel. -> Then consider a Briggs and Stratton!......... I have a three horse Briggs from a factory sweeper (propane) belted to an older Chrysler alternator. It's used as a battery charger away from the AC mains. Stuck car in the woods sort of thing. It works pretty well, but the alternator takes more power at high ampere loads than the engine can supply. If you are going to use a single-cylinder utility engine, consider using a 8 to 10 horsepower unit. Then a larger engine pulley will let you run it at a lower speed. Wouldn't go too low with those, though. Cam and timing optimize it to probably 2,000 to 3,600 RPM. I have often considered using a V-8 automotive engine with much altered cam and ignition timing running at 540 RPM (PTO speed) to run a generator. By careful selection of components, it would probably be made to be quite efficient at that speed. Maybe even run it off piped-in natural gas for co-generation. -c- --- ViaMAIL!/WC4 v1.30 * Origin: Chowdanet! 20gb Amateur Radio BBS (401-331-5587) (1:323/120) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: ECB00004 Date: 08/06/97 From: JIM DUNMYER Time: 07:31am \/To: BARRY SMITH (Read 1 times) Subj: SMALL GENATOR/2 CYCLE EMGEN > I have a non working colman 500 watts ac and 12 v dc you could only > use one side at a time. it was a noisy thing to run and was in a 10 > inch clube space gas tank on top, I had it in for waranty service Mine was an Olsen&Rice, and was about as good as your Coleman. :-(. Unreliable and noisy at best. The newer Japanese generators are really nice. Very quiet! Dunno how they are for the long haul, but they're sure pleasant to the ears. --- FLAME v1.1 * Origin: Telnet toltbbs.com or call 313-854-6001, Boardwatch #55 (1:234/2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: ECB00005 Date: 08/06/97 From: JIM DUNMYER Time: 07:32am \/To: ELVIS HARGROVE (Read 1 times) Subj: SOLAR SHINGLES? > How's he gonna use WATER heater collectors to heat his lumber? He's planning on removing the piping and using just the collector panels. Trying to copy a friend's solar lumber kiln that's been working for years w. --- FLAME v1.1 * Origin: Telnet toltbbs.com or call 313-854-6001, Boardwatch #55 (1:234/2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: ECC00000 Date: 08/07/97 From: BARRY SMITH Time: 04:12pm \/To: JIM DUNMYER (Read 1 times) Subj: SMALL GENATOR/2 CYCLE EMGEN well the homelite 4400 ain't too noisy and runs 2 idems at a time,IE well pump and washer! --- * Origin: The Other Side II - Carson City, NV - (702) 883-6966 (1:213/730) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: ECC00001 Date: 08/07/97 From: JIM DUNMYER Time: 07:18am \/To: ALEC CAMERON (Read 2 times) Subj: STEAM ENGINES > Perhaps it was a Honda unit, for camping and other short time > useage. Or was it home- made?? If home made then read on...... It was an Olsen & Rice (I might have "Olsen" spelled wrong), not home-made. > Weedeater [and model aero engines] are designed with > absurd high power to weight ratios, and a very short operational > life [100 hours?] is possible before these are scrapped. And the fuel > consumption is absurdly high ie KWh energy delivered per pint of fuel. This thing was not really meant to be a standby power unit, more like an "infinite length extension cord". Something to run a power tool out on the Back Forty. You're absolutely correct that a unit meant for long-term use should have a 4-stroke engine on it. My personal preferance would be for a multi-cylinder water-cooled outfit. --- FLAME v1.1 * Origin: Telnet toltbbs.com or call 313-854-6001, Boardwatch #55 (1:234/2)