Was beginning to look very bad for my idea of off-the-grid solar power. Most deep cycle batteries demand ventilation; they release significant amounts of hydrogen gas in normal operation. They are not suitable for living or playing spaces (particularly where friends might have a smoke). So I would need to build a second shed (Hey my shed has a shed) just to house the batteries. And there are no good choices for that. If I battery shed on the south or west sides to be invisible, it will get baked baked baked by the hot Texas sun. Plus, my pool house is a mere foot from utility easements on those sides. If I put the battery shed on the east or north sides, it will stick out like a sore thumb on the otherwise beautifully conceived pool house building. And there isn't much wallspace for it on the east side, which is 50% french doors. The north side would be the only reasonable choice, and the north side isn't really north, it's actually northwest...the battery shed would still get late afternoon sun. (Anyway, it would be a good reason to save leftover bricks if there are any, for this eventual possibility.)
Now I find there is a kind of battery, deep cycle AGM, that does not release significant amount of hydrogen in normal operation, and you may have to work pretty hard to get them into an abnormal range (like charging at 4x the amperage of the 24 hour amp-hour rating for Concord AGM's...good luck). These batteries were designed for used in aircraft and can also be used inside vehicles. The manufacturers don't seem to recommend use in unvented spaces, but I'm thinking that even without special vents, like most buildings, my Pool House will not be sealed so well as to be a problem for these batteries, though a carbon monoxide detector (which also detects hydrogen) would be a good idea just in case.
Here is the Technical Manual for Sun Extender AGM batteries by Concorde.
It doesn't say anything specifically about indoor use. What it says is simply this:
Another problem was the multi-kilobuck sine wave inverters (for example, Xantrex XW6048). I really wasn't ready to make that kind of investment now (this whole project is a fun and learning exercise, I'm not really expecting civilization to end tomorrow, though if I live as long as I hope to, it might during my lifetime).
But now I see there are much more inexpensive models. The Sunforce 11240 is surprisingly (maybe even worryingly) inexpensive, and it's still a sinewave type. The so-called modified (or approximation) inverters are, as always, quite inexpensive. But why bother with one of those when you can get (almost) 1000W sinewaves for $219.95 (!!!).
But the why bother with Sunforce when you can get real (low line) Xantrex? A reviewer of the Sunforce mentions the Xantrex 806-1000, now this looks like the real deal, but discontinued (maybe driven out by low price competition).
Xantrex, however, has new low priced lines, like the Sw1000, selling for $257 at Amazon, gets decent reviews, just a tad more expensive than the Sunforce (so there is competition here after all...I've had to rewrite this post several times from when I thought all 1000w inverters were multikilobuck). Doesn't look quite as gutsy as the above, but hey, it's 1/3 the price.
And for just over a hundred bucks more, I can get the Xantex Prowatt 2000. Might do that, though my initially planned battery wouldn't let it do maximum.
The solar panels themselves do not look that expensive to me. They are highly competitive with lots of asian manufacturers (though I was thinking of getting ones made in USA anyway, since they might not cost much more). This is just for one panel, that kind-of trickle charges the battery for day(s) between each actual usage.
I'm sure a cynic or killjoy would pipe in and remind me that I'm just buying very high priced power upfront, it would be way cheaper (and probably less earth impact) just to hook to grid for now and use plain old grid power. But that is missing the point. This is a fun and learning exercise, not a serious use of renewable energy. And it helps reduce fossil fuel use not directly but indirectly, by helping to subsidize/stimulate renewable energy product manufacturers. You gotta start somewhere, and this is always how these things start, with fools like me. Hopefully before long the industries will be cranking out these products sufficiently to meet real demands.
Speaking of killjoys, there is one right here in this very interesting blog. Products mentioned include Xantrex C40 (very affordable charge controller), Sunforce 4500W sinewave inverter, MRBF terminal fuse, and very expensive Xantrex XW6048 inverter. The conclusion seems to be it's OK to have AGM batteries inside house (though not discussed much).
Now I find there is a kind of battery, deep cycle AGM, that does not release significant amount of hydrogen in normal operation, and you may have to work pretty hard to get them into an abnormal range (like charging at 4x the amperage of the 24 hour amp-hour rating for Concord AGM's...good luck). These batteries were designed for used in aircraft and can also be used inside vehicles. The manufacturers don't seem to recommend use in unvented spaces, but I'm thinking that even without special vents, like most buildings, my Pool House will not be sealed so well as to be a problem for these batteries, though a carbon monoxide detector (which also detects hydrogen) would be a good idea just in case.
Here is the Technical Manual for Sun Extender AGM batteries by Concorde.
It doesn't say anything specifically about indoor use. What it says is simply this:
Never install a Sun Extender AGM battery in a sealed or airtight container.
Another problem was the multi-kilobuck sine wave inverters (for example, Xantrex XW6048). I really wasn't ready to make that kind of investment now (this whole project is a fun and learning exercise, I'm not really expecting civilization to end tomorrow, though if I live as long as I hope to, it might during my lifetime).
But now I see there are much more inexpensive models. The Sunforce 11240 is surprisingly (maybe even worryingly) inexpensive, and it's still a sinewave type. The so-called modified (or approximation) inverters are, as always, quite inexpensive. But why bother with one of those when you can get (almost) 1000W sinewaves for $219.95 (!!!).
But the why bother with Sunforce when you can get real (low line) Xantrex? A reviewer of the Sunforce mentions the Xantrex 806-1000, now this looks like the real deal, but discontinued (maybe driven out by low price competition).
Xantrex, however, has new low priced lines, like the Sw1000, selling for $257 at Amazon, gets decent reviews, just a tad more expensive than the Sunforce (so there is competition here after all...I've had to rewrite this post several times from when I thought all 1000w inverters were multikilobuck). Doesn't look quite as gutsy as the above, but hey, it's 1/3 the price.
And for just over a hundred bucks more, I can get the Xantex Prowatt 2000. Might do that, though my initially planned battery wouldn't let it do maximum.
The solar panels themselves do not look that expensive to me. They are highly competitive with lots of asian manufacturers (though I was thinking of getting ones made in USA anyway, since they might not cost much more). This is just for one panel, that kind-of trickle charges the battery for day(s) between each actual usage.
I'm sure a cynic or killjoy would pipe in and remind me that I'm just buying very high priced power upfront, it would be way cheaper (and probably less earth impact) just to hook to grid for now and use plain old grid power. But that is missing the point. This is a fun and learning exercise, not a serious use of renewable energy. And it helps reduce fossil fuel use not directly but indirectly, by helping to subsidize/stimulate renewable energy product manufacturers. You gotta start somewhere, and this is always how these things start, with fools like me. Hopefully before long the industries will be cranking out these products sufficiently to meet real demands.
Speaking of killjoys, there is one right here in this very interesting blog. Products mentioned include Xantrex C40 (very affordable charge controller), Sunforce 4500W sinewave inverter, MRBF terminal fuse, and very expensive Xantrex XW6048 inverter. The conclusion seems to be it's OK to have AGM batteries inside house (though not discussed much).
No comments:
Post a Comment