panels, inverters, efficient lighting, wind turbines, etc

http://roderick.gaia.com — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 08:33:43 GMT

Use what local resources you have. At our island, we get plenty of sun, and we often get wind. Haven't looked too deeply into tidal or current energy systems, but wind and solar will suffice.

For now, we generate about 8 kwhrs per day from the solar panels. enough to power some light bulbs a few fans and a fridge. we have a battery bank that can hold 36 kwhrs. so after several days of little usage, the battery bank fills up and we can use that for when we have a surge in guests. before we install the wind turbines, we've installed a weather station to help us monitor wind speed and direction so we can figure out which type of wind turbine to install and where to install them.

until then, as a back up we use a diesel generator that delivers around 4,000 watts. so if the batteries were empty and there was no sun, it would take 9 hours to charge the batteries to full capacity. this is much more efficient than turning on the generator when we need power - because we'd be generating 4,000 watts and using only perhaps 1,000.

another thing we are doing is using biodiesel. but... there's a more efficient technique, which is using discarded vegetable oil from our resort and other nearby resorts, which can be used for the generator with a few additives. we're working on that.

on top of everything, i'm getting a sweet deal - it makes infinite economic sense to do this, AND, makes marketing easier, AND, pulls in students and other folks because it offers us the opportunity to demonstrate clean energy and teach people about it.

the whole system, to power a resort with a capacity of 35 guests at any given time, and a family of 6 or 7 people looking after the island, will cost me around usd 30,000 when all is installed. including 10 130 watt peak solar panels from kyocera, 24 batteries, an inverter to change electricity from 24 volts to 220 volts, the wiring, a charger to charge the batteries from the generator, and two wind turbines that are 1,000 watt peak each. I should be paying around 700 bucks a month for five years to pay off the system. I was spending 400 bucks a month on the generators, maintenance, etc when we were only full for the weekends. after five years, the solar panels are good for another 20 years (guaranteed), and the batteries for another 5-10 years. So that's free energy.

On top of all that, I negotiated a sweet heart deal - we use the island as a showcase for the company that provided us with the solution. since we attract all sorts of NGO's who are in charge of development projects, they get great coverage to a potential market. it serves as a showcase for other islands in the region who may wish to adopt clean energy. and, it serves as a showcase where this guy can take his potential buyers to, entertain them, and show them a working model. so I pay less than the 700 bucks i should be paying, and only slightly more than the 400 bucks i was paying for weekend only, dirty generator energy.

and there you have it :~)

one final point. this kind of energy transformation is only possible with efficient electrical appliances. that means replacing incandescent light bulbs with flourescent ones, or ideally LED lights. It means replacing old fridges with new ones. it means no ACs, and instead efficient fans for cooling. it means using top-opening fridges that are much more energy efficient than standing ones.

best of all - no more generator noise. sexy solar panels. and a cute little system that displays all sorts of numbers.

Gaia: eco adventure villages & zevolution - powering retreats sustainably - panels, inverters, efficient lighting, wind turbines, etc

panels, inverters, efficient lighting, wind turbines, etc