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09-07-2013, 04:50 PM | #2101 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: outback S.A...hiding in a workshop
Posts: 3,513
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we are stacking the batteries on steel shelving, reinforced with struts with rubber lining on the tray, doesn't actually take up that much room, probably 4' wide by 5' high by 2' deep.
placing the charging/inverters on the end of the racks, generator space is the big thing. it's taking a while as we work through the problems and sourcing parts. professional systems would take up less room but at a far greater cost.
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--------------------------------------------------------------- G'day....I'm Dave, ...everyone calls me Poppa,..05.. B.A. Fairmont mark II... may your day's be filled with smiles, your life be filled with love, may your children know nothing but happiness and joy, cherish the memory of those who strove before us for they cleared the way, spare a thought for those who serve we owe so much to so many, life and the freedom to enjoy it is a special gift that can be taken away far too soon! |
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09-07-2013, 11:50 PM | #2102 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Melb north
Posts: 12,025
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Sounds good, I did not even consider a genny, I suppose I should as a back up.
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10-07-2013, 08:47 AM | #2103 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 292
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Are these vehicle batteries, Poppa? How many?
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10-07-2013, 03:33 PM | #2104 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: outback S.A...hiding in a workshop
Posts: 3,513
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no mate we are using used AGM's that we purchased through Ebay, there is a feller who updates solar system batteries every few years and sells the used ones, just got to keep an eye out, we bought ours (should say his) for half the normal cost with no loss of capacity.
at the moment we have a bank of 20. recharging is a problem just now, heavy air-con use at night is creating headaches. the generator has to kick in too early and run too long to take up the slack, then limited/incorrect angled sunlight for the panels during the day makes recharging the batt's a bit difficult, I wont go into detail about the system as it would be picked apart by those with other agendas. but even at this early stage the system is showing great potential. the feller is starting to make his own bio fuel which will make the system even cheaper to run......that's an art in itself.
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--------------------------------------------------------------- G'day....I'm Dave, ...everyone calls me Poppa,..05.. B.A. Fairmont mark II... may your day's be filled with smiles, your life be filled with love, may your children know nothing but happiness and joy, cherish the memory of those who strove before us for they cleared the way, spare a thought for those who serve we owe so much to so many, life and the freedom to enjoy it is a special gift that can be taken away far too soon! |
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10-07-2013, 08:11 PM | #2105 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Melb north
Posts: 12,025
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Quote:
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10-07-2013, 09:24 PM | #2106 | ||
Pethy FG XR8 Ute
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Perth N.O.R
Posts: 2,966
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well i got my synergy letter explaining whats happening , cost of power is going up to 25.8c but wait the best news and quote 'great news for you solar the rebate is going up to 8.8c' WTF its going up a whole 0.4cents haha bloody joke
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FG XR8 Ute 2010 Nitro, Mods so far: Herrod CAI, headers, Ballistic cats, Cat back Manta dual 2.5" with X pipe and hotdog mid section, Mellings oil pump, Summit racing 60mm twin throttle body, and Yella Terra plenum Powerbond 25% under drives, Sports bar, now fitted with Koya Inox R1's, the rears are 20x10 with a 40mm offset and the fronts are 20x8.5 with a 35mm offset total of 285.5 rwkw and 642nm when Herrod cams in 290rwkw GSXR 750K7 with goodies, dyno'd 136rwhp, 10.567sec for the strip |
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10-07-2013, 10:21 PM | #2107 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: outback S.A...hiding in a workshop
Posts: 3,513
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absolute top couple, retired cocky.....to make bio fuel would be a walk in the park for him, I wouldn't know where to start.
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--------------------------------------------------------------- G'day....I'm Dave, ...everyone calls me Poppa,..05.. B.A. Fairmont mark II... may your day's be filled with smiles, your life be filled with love, may your children know nothing but happiness and joy, cherish the memory of those who strove before us for they cleared the way, spare a thought for those who serve we owe so much to so many, life and the freedom to enjoy it is a special gift that can be taken away far too soon! |
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12-07-2013, 05:55 AM | #2108 | ||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Gold Coast
Posts: 27
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Solar is well worth it just get a 4.0KWT inverter or higher and you won't pay for power.
I have two inverters of a total of 5KWT and 17pannels and have been in credit on the power bill for the last 4 bills now.
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XR50 2010 (Mods) X Force extractors, X Force sports Exaughst and Flash Tune XR6 Turbo 2013 (Mods) Stock and staying that way. |
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12-07-2013, 07:30 AM | #2109 | |||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,658
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Quote:
the size of the system is determined by the panels, not the inverter. |
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12-07-2013, 10:03 AM | #2110 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: outback S.A...hiding in a workshop
Posts: 3,513
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Quote:
a blanket statement such as "you will always be in credit" is false...... given that the output of your panels would be around 2 kilowatt at this time of year.
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--------------------------------------------------------------- G'day....I'm Dave, ...everyone calls me Poppa,..05.. B.A. Fairmont mark II... may your day's be filled with smiles, your life be filled with love, may your children know nothing but happiness and joy, cherish the memory of those who strove before us for they cleared the way, spare a thought for those who serve we owe so much to so many, life and the freedom to enjoy it is a special gift that can be taken away far too soon! |
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12-07-2013, 02:53 PM | #2111 | |||
Pethy FG XR8 Ute
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Perth N.O.R
Posts: 2,966
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Quote:
yes overall my power bill have come down by over $100 but it will take nearly 10yrs to pay it off
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FG XR8 Ute 2010 Nitro, Mods so far: Herrod CAI, headers, Ballistic cats, Cat back Manta dual 2.5" with X pipe and hotdog mid section, Mellings oil pump, Summit racing 60mm twin throttle body, and Yella Terra plenum Powerbond 25% under drives, Sports bar, now fitted with Koya Inox R1's, the rears are 20x10 with a 40mm offset and the fronts are 20x8.5 with a 35mm offset total of 285.5 rwkw and 642nm when Herrod cams in 290rwkw GSXR 750K7 with goodies, dyno'd 136rwhp, 10.567sec for the strip |
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12-07-2013, 07:51 PM | #2112 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Melb north
Posts: 12,025
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Quote:
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12-07-2013, 08:33 PM | #2113 | |||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Gold Coast
Posts: 27
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Quote:
I payed $1,200 for the first 3.0KWT system with 8 panels with rebate. I then payed $2,500 for the second system 2.0KWT with 9 panels no rebate as have previously used my rebate. After the first system I was still getting a bill for $250.00 and after bumping up the panels and adding my inverter to 5.0KWT total between them no more power bills.
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XR50 2010 (Mods) X Force extractors, X Force sports Exaughst and Flash Tune XR6 Turbo 2013 (Mods) Stock and staying that way. |
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12-07-2013, 08:43 PM | #2114 | |||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,658
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Quote:
8 panels does not equal 3kw. you could probably just about run all 17 panels off the 3kw inverter. either way, in your situation, it sounds like you don't use much power. i'm guessing you aren't married with kids. there is no 'blanket statement' with solar. every individual will need to work out the sums for themselves as every situation will be different. if its working well for you... nice one. |
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12-07-2013, 09:15 PM | #2115 | ||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Gold Coast
Posts: 27
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8 panels are 190 and the 9 panels are 200, yes I think you can run up to 16 panels off the 3KWT inverter
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XR50 2010 (Mods) X Force extractors, X Force sports Exaughst and Flash Tune XR6 Turbo 2013 (Mods) Stock and staying that way. |
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12-07-2013, 09:18 PM | #2116 | ||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,658
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so basically your 3kw inverter is twice as big as it needs to be.
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12-07-2013, 09:24 PM | #2117 | ||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Gold Coast
Posts: 27
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Yea I guess I might add another five panels to the back off the house as this is the only room left. But they would get afternoon sun but they will face in a different direction to the other 8 panels that face to the morning sun.
Is that a problem with all on the same inverter
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XR50 2010 (Mods) X Force extractors, X Force sports Exaughst and Flash Tune XR6 Turbo 2013 (Mods) Stock and staying that way. |
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12-07-2013, 09:35 PM | #2118 | ||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,658
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nope. i have 9 panels on west face and 11 on north face. just got to fit them where you can. north is best, then west.
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13-07-2013, 06:50 PM | #2119 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,272
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Is it true that solar panels wear out and need to be replaced after about ten years.... I heard this somewhere???
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13-07-2013, 07:22 PM | #2120 | |||
Where to next??
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 8,893
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Quote:
I think most quality / branded panels come with a guarantee (say 20-25 years) and that they should still produce around 85-90% of their capacity at this time. Or words to that effect.. So, they will gradually produce less power as they near the end of their service life.
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___________________________ I've been around the world a couple of times or maybe more....... |
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13-07-2013, 07:43 PM | #2121 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,272
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Oh o.k...At least they don't wear out in ten years then. That's just not long enough.
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13-07-2013, 07:53 PM | #2122 | |||
Regular Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 213
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Quote:
as per previous post though the warranty does usually stipulate something around the mark of "up to 10% loss after 10 years, 15% after 20 years, etc".
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14-07-2013, 01:31 AM | #2123 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Melb north
Posts: 12,025
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A couple of questions about solar panels, apologies if they have been mentioned before, the old peepers just are not up to going back through 70 pages.
i have been sussing out solar panels till my head is spinning, and the more i think about what is a fairly big investment, i think of other problems that may arise from stuff out of our control, what i have noticed on many solar panel sites is ...... it seems most companies have a load rating on the actual panel, i suppose if a tree branch blew onto it or somebody fell on a panel this would be relevant, i can see how it would be, melbourne had some strong winds a little while ago, a couple of days later i found a bit of someone's roof/corrugated iron in the driveway, i know it is unlikely , but if something like this with a sharp edge hit and penetrated a solar panel i`m guessing we would be calling the fire brigade??? Also i notice some panel makers have a hail rating for their panels(some don't), for example panel x a will withstand a one inch hail travelling at 23 metres per second ! what happens if a panel glass is smashed by hail and water gets into it, what can we expect and what are the ramifications for repair of the panel if possible? act of nature covered by insurance ??? |
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14-07-2013, 07:55 AM | #2124 | ||
Broken
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,845
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Hi everyone.
I'm building a new home, and until now have given no thought to solar. In my current 20sq home which will be sold, this time of year our electricity bills are substantial, like $1400 - 1500 a qtr. Underfloor heating in bathrooms, heat pump running 24/7, couple of small column heaters 1000lt tropical aquarium, three large heated towel racks, big deep freeze, clothes drier running nearly daily, plus all the normal household stuff. The current house is thermally crap, the new house won't be, will be fully insulated, fully double glazed, but will have similar heating equipment. How "big" a system should I be looking at? If I need to provide more detail, kwhrs, daily consumption etc, I can find the last bill. Paying way over 5 grand a year for electricity is not making me happy!
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14-07-2013, 09:15 AM | #2125 | |||
Where to next??
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 8,893
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Quote:
You really need to dramatically drop your consumption to be honest! Heating is the greatest cost and you have some 'wants' such as the under floor heating, the dryer, the heated towel racks etc. As a comparo, I had a 30sq/5br house that I shared with 5 other people and the highest bill I ever got was a scrape over $1000 (4 yrs ago). (no dryer, no air-con, 2 fridges, washing machine used daily with only cold water, 1000w fan heater in each room for heating). I now live in a smallish 2br unit and our bill is yet to crack the $200 mark (edit! last bill was $204.75 to be exact but lower prior to the price hikes). I'll try and find our consumption on a bill. Edit: Summer average is around 4kwh per day and winter is around 7kwh per day. If your consumption is as high as you state, and you want to maintain this consumption going solar you may be looking at a system costing $50+ grand. (This is a wild guesstimate). Have you considered a fireplace for heating?? Free fuel if you know where to look ;)
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___________________________ I've been around the world a couple of times or maybe more....... Last edited by Yellow_Festiva; 14-07-2013 at 09:25 AM. |
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14-07-2013, 09:53 AM | #2126 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: outback S.A...hiding in a workshop
Posts: 3,513
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Quote:
repair of panels due to storm damage will come under your insurance and is therefore covered. most panels are designed to take the hit of the largest hail known to fall, and therefore would not be bothered, is it possible for a larger one to break them, of course it is, I've seen baseball size hail that came through house roofs.
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--------------------------------------------------------------- G'day....I'm Dave, ...everyone calls me Poppa,..05.. B.A. Fairmont mark II... may your day's be filled with smiles, your life be filled with love, may your children know nothing but happiness and joy, cherish the memory of those who strove before us for they cleared the way, spare a thought for those who serve we owe so much to so many, life and the freedom to enjoy it is a special gift that can be taken away far too soon! Last edited by poppa smurf; 14-07-2013 at 10:10 AM. |
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14-07-2013, 09:59 AM | #2127 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: outback S.A...hiding in a workshop
Posts: 3,513
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Quote:
reduction is key and if you are not willing to do that then you don't have much choice, you only have a limited amount of roof space and a limited amount of sunshine and FIT's. we have a few folks with shacks who are perfectly happy with a few lights, fridge and telly, solar runs that perfectly but as your consumption increases then the power production requirement increases exponentially. you could put a system in place that would cover half of the cost of power but then the "payback period" could be lengthy. personally I don't think about the payback period.
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--------------------------------------------------------------- G'day....I'm Dave, ...everyone calls me Poppa,..05.. B.A. Fairmont mark II... may your day's be filled with smiles, your life be filled with love, may your children know nothing but happiness and joy, cherish the memory of those who strove before us for they cleared the way, spare a thought for those who serve we owe so much to so many, life and the freedom to enjoy it is a special gift that can be taken away far too soon! |
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14-07-2013, 12:35 PM | #2128 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
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14-07-2013, 02:03 PM | #2129 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Melb north
Posts: 12,025
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Probably a dumb idea, but just thinking out loud though in relation to tex's building a new house, I have often thought why could n't you replace some of the standard building materials of a house with solar panels,
in summer a couple of walls here cop a really good dose of sun for hours, even the roof I'm sure you would be able to work it so panels could be used instead of using heavy tiles, possibly even swapping them for bricks? there would be some cost saving not having to use the normal building materials you would think? In this day and age you would think greeny thinking would have us going down this path anyway, even if you have excess energy, you can never have too much energy. |
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14-07-2013, 02:15 PM | #2130 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: outback S.A...hiding in a workshop
Posts: 3,513
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apparently the materials are available to completely replace roof tiles with solar tiles, i haven't seen them but they are there and could, theoretically, be sourced.
however the strife I have with council building approvals for solar as it stands could make it a nightmare. I dont know the price you are paying Tex per kilowatt and therefore cant work out the amount you would need but the trouble is the units you are running run 24 hours per day. solar would have to be backed up by something like generator/Batteries, heat sink, or steam/turbine, all plausible but expensive, far better to cut down.
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--------------------------------------------------------------- G'day....I'm Dave, ...everyone calls me Poppa,..05.. B.A. Fairmont mark II... may your day's be filled with smiles, your life be filled with love, may your children know nothing but happiness and joy, cherish the memory of those who strove before us for they cleared the way, spare a thought for those who serve we owe so much to so many, life and the freedom to enjoy it is a special gift that can be taken away far too soon! |
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