Energy Archives - Page 13 of 66 - Living Off the Grid: Free Yourself

More details emerge on Tesla Powerwall

We previously reported on Tesla’s announcement of home power storage units.

Now the company has released the price: $3,000 for seven kilowatt-hours or $3,500 for 10

Availability: Summer

The larger of the two battery models should keep an average-size home running for a day.

Tesla is launching this business partly because it’s already making vehicle batteries and can benefit from the economies of scale that come from producing both types. Another reason is that the market for energy storage is expected to grow in concert with the use of solar power. Tesla needs both electric vehicles and solar power to boom if it hopes to use the projected output from a $5 billion battery “gigafactory” it’s building in Nevada.

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July 2, 2015 3 Comments

Hawaii – energy costs are high; folks wants own power

With power costs triple the national average, Hawaiians are flooding to embrace off-the-grid energy…

June 24, 2015 No Comments

In New South Wales citizens are choosing a carbon free life

Energy

In Australia – villages are leaving the grid behind

People are “Taking Back Their Power” – choosing affordable energy storage that creates more energy independence…

June 23, 2015 No Comments

Battery desulfator review – update

“How many blinks do we have?”, “It’s time to change the panels…”, those are common phrases around here, if you hear these statements, we are talking about our solar system. It’s a small system, very small by most standards, but it’s just fine for us, of course I’d love to have a mega system, but don’t want the mega system headaches or the mega price tag.

The blinks are referring to our charge controller, a Xantrex C35, it blinks a green light to let us know how much of a charge we have on the batteries, it starts at 1 blink and goes to 5 blinks then to a solid green light when the batteries are full, it delights me to no end when I have a solid green light up there :)

When we talk about changing the panels, some of our panels (not all of them) are on a manual tracking system, we can tilt them to catch the morning and evening sunlight, the rest of our panels are fixed in place on the roof and get whatever they manage to get.

Our newest addition to the solar system is our permanently attached battery desulfator. I have had, used and reviewed other battery desulfators, and they worked but they were designed for use on one or two batteries at a time, this battery desulfator is the first of its kind designed for larger systems, for those of us who live off of our battery banks and need something that will desulfate all of our batteries at the same time, not just one or two.

This is the Battery Extra battery desulfator model “EX02 12-48-400“, this work for 12-48 volts up to 1500 Ah, there is one above this unit, it will handle up to 120 volts and 3000 Ah.

You can read more about this desulfator in the first part of my review here: https://off-grid.net/energy/i-finally-got-it

I have been using this for a few months now, one thing I really like about it is it shows me exactly how much of a charge my batteries have, the digital readout is clear and can be seen from across the room, day or night. Another thing I like about it is it’s quiet, the previous desulfator I had made a high pitched humming noise, it wasn’t loud but you could definitely hear it. It does have an internal cooling fan, I have never heard it make a sound, it either hasn’t been hot enough to come on, or it’s just that quiet. This unit is well made, sturdy, easy to hook up and set up.

Bottom line, I have very happy with this desulfator and this company, I recommend that you visit their page, even if you aren’t in the market for one of these desulfators though if you are using lead acid batteries in this capacity, …

June 16, 2015 No Comments

Energy

Spanish govt to tax Solar batteries

Cash-strapped Spain is planning to tax homes that produce their own energy through solar power and store some of it using batteries, according to El Pais newspaper.

Amounts due will discourage the use of home solar panels. But off-grid consumers WILL be able to use batteries without financial penalties.

The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism has drafted a decree that would discourage the use of solar charged batteries or other storage systems

Users of solar or photovoltaic panel systems that charge batteries will be targeted by the new rules. These self-reliant consumers will not be able to use products such as the Powerwall battery recently launched by car manufacturer and energy-storage company Tesla.

Moreover, they could find themselves being penalised additionally for the storage systems that come included with the latest generation of solar panels.

If you live in the country, however, you may escape the ´tax on Sunlight´ as only off-grid consumers who have their own, completely independent energy-production systems will be able to use batteries without being penalised.
The tax will only apply to systems that use batteries to store the sun’s power – direct usage, or instantaneous consumption equipment will not be affected.
This enormous U-turn in the Spanish government’s attitude toward solar energy policy in the last five years is in stark contrast to other European countries, such as Germany, which is encouraging the use of solar panels with batteries.

Business spared the worst effects

To rub salt in the wound, and to further discourage self-production by anybody who previously invested in solar systems for their home after being encouraged to do so, the draft legislation also makes it clear that any energy surplus that individual self-producers feed back into the grid will not result in any monetary benefits.
The exception to that rule being businesses who are high voltage customers, who will be allowed to turn a profit on their surplus.

Since 2010, when Prime Minister Rajoy upset the applecart with international investors by announcing cuts to subsidies for renewables as part of a review of energy policies, the government’s view towards solar power appears to have toughened.

In 2011 the Emirate of Abu Dhabi threatened to sue Spain over its reduction of premiums for solar thermal energy. Previously, a lawsuit from 14 photovoltaic renewable energy producers, who complained that the Spanish government had unfairly changed the rules of the game, was rejected by the Supreme Court.…

June 10, 2015 No Comments

Energy

S Korea testing energy independence

SEOUL JUNE 2ND – South Korea may have found an answer to its problems of energy shortages and an unstable power supply on an energy-independent island off the south coast, which could also help with its fight against climate change.

The country began developing energy-independent islands in 2009 as part of efforts to help ensure a stable supply of power in off-grid areas, mostly on small, offshore islands, but also to test its clean, renewable energy technology in real life.

One such island, which was completely off the country’s main grid but could generate enough electricity for its population through clean and renewable energy sources, was first realized in Gapado off the country’s southern resort island of Jeju in February 2014.

GASADO ISLAND

A second such island followed in Gasado just seven months later, but with more advanced technology and equipment, such as an energy management system that allows real-time adjustments to the mixture of energy sources, making it the country’s first true energy-independent island.

Gasado, located some 470 kilometers south of Seoul, uses wind and solar energy to generate about 81 percent of the power consumed by the island’s entire population of 168 households, or 280 people.

STORAGE ISSUES

The island still uses three 100-kilowatt diesel-powered generators as a backup power source in case the wind and solar power generators fail, but officials here from the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said an island completely independent of fossil fuels was still possible.

“The only remaining issue is an economic one stemming from the high price of energy storage units,” said Song Il-keun, head of KEPCO’s microgrid research and business development center.

The island currently has an energy storage system with a capacity of 3 megawatt-hours, enough to supply the island’s entire consumption for one day.

An island completely independent of any fossil fuels will require at least two or three more such systems, each of which costs about 3 billion won (US$2.69 million), which currently is much more than the state-run power supplier or the island’s population can save from switching to clean, renewable energy.

However, such an island is not a far-off idea.

COST SAVINGS

Already, the cost of generating electricity with solar power has dipped to below that of generating power through diesel as of 2011, according to KEPCO.

In just seven months since switching to clean and renewable energy sources in September 2014, Gasado has saved some 150 million won ($134,600) as its use of diesel plunged more than 81 percent to 29,387 liters from the comparable period in the previous year.

The government is now moving to replicate such an apparent success on a much larger scale, starting on the eastern island of Ulleung that has a population of 10,673 people in some 7,900 households.

“Energy-independent islands are possible not only on physically isolated islands, but in any small areas or entities that may …

June 3, 2015 No Comments

Energy

Fort Knox Army base goes fully off the power grid

The First US Army base in the Continental USA to go completely off the grid has been announced, with huge cost savings.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for May 6 at Ft. Knox, KY, to celebrate the installation’s “complete energy independence,” the Army announced April 30.

Its a hugely symbolic moment because The United States Department of the Treasury has maintained the Bullion Depository on the post since 1937. This is the heavily guarded gold bullion stock of the US government.

Using natural gas mined from underneath the base, Ft. Knox is the first military post to go “completely off the grid,” according to the service. A 2009 ice storm in Kentucky helped spawn the project, as much of the state, including Ft. Knox, was without power for several days. The Army estimates that the base’s energy independence will bring annual cost savings of $8 million.

The United States Bullion Depository, according to Wikipedia, “is a fortified vault building located within the United States Army post of Fort Knox, Kentucky, used to store a large portion of United States official gold reserves and occasionally other precious items belonging or entrusted to the federal government. The exact contents of the United States Bullion Depository are unknown as there has never been an approved full audit since the early 1930s. It is estimated to have roughly 3 percent of all the gold ever refined throughout human history.”

The 109,000 acre (170 sq mi) site south of Louisville dates back to 1871.…

May 4, 2015 No Comments

Battery company comes to aid of off-grid movement

Energy

Electric Carmaker To Sell Cheap Batteries To Power Homes

Here’s an inconvenient truth – solar power only works during the daytime. People who use it need to store electricity, which means a lot of batteries.

Last night, the electric carmaker Tesla offered to sell some. The company announced it will start selling enormous packs of batteries designed to power homes and businesses.

Tesla founder Elon Musk said this week: “You can actually go – if you want – completely off-grid. You can take your solar panels, charge the battery packs and that’s all you use.”

When JB Straubel was 14, he scraped together 1,500 bucks and bought an old Porsche 944 with a blown out engine. And then he converted it into an electric car. That electric Porsche had a top speed of 110 miles an hour – just not for very long.

“It had, like, 20 miles of range. It was totally impractical,” said Straubel.

Today, Straubel is the co-founder and chief technology officer at Tesla.

“So that kind of cemented it for me that OK, the focus here needs to be on energy storage and batteries to make, you know, this technology something that’s useful to the world.”

Today, Tesla’s cars have a range of more than 260 miles. And JB Straubel’s convinced if his company can make batteries cheap enough, it will be able to sell millions of electric cars. But Straubel says that’s not the only thing a cheap battery could do. He thinks cheap batteries could revolutionize the electric grid.

Think about it. There is no way to store electricity on the grid. If there’s a surge in demand and you run a power company, you have to fire up an extra power plant.

“It’s an entire market for energy transaction that has no inventory and no buffer,” says Straubel. “So every single thing is delivered, you know, instantaneously just in time.”

And that means there’s an enormous amount of waste. So Tesla wants to sell its batteries to consumers, businesses, homeowners – even utilities. But the question is for the homeowner, who has solar panels on the roof – what’s the value proposition?

Before last night’s announcement, one analyst I spoke with expected Tesla’s new home batteries would cost in the neighborhood of $20,000. The real price was much lower.

Elon Musk announced the battery cost would be just $3,500.

These batteries mount to your wall and don’t take up much space. But still figuring out if it makes financial sense to slap a Tesla battery pack up in your garage isn’t simple. You know, most people are not going to go off the grid. And even though it costs electric companies a lot more money to deliver power to you in the middle of a hot summer day than in the middle of a cool night, utilities don’t charge for power that way – usually. In most places, there’s no financial incentive …

May 2, 2015 2 Comments

Community

I finally got it!

Actually got it last week, it was sent out a month ago from the UK, it arrived in Chicago and took a long rest, must have been very tired from flying over the ocean ;). I was starting to worry that it just vanished, more likely it fell on the floor behind some desk and someone found it later and sent it on its way.

So what is this? I’m very excited, it’s a Battery Extra battery desulfator, but not just any desulfator, this is designed specifically for off-grid users. This works on the larger battery banks that off-gridders typically have, many desulfators work best on single batteries, they aren’t designed to work on multiple batteries. Sakura Batteries UK company designed this 2nd generation desulfator to work on deep cycle lead acid batteries that are connected together in bank, the one I received is the “EX02 12-48-400“, this work for 12-48 volts up to 1500 Ah, there is one above this unit, it will handle up to 120 volts and 3000 Ah.

Here is what they have to say about this unit:

For the first time a single unit battery desulfator specifically designed to maintain, recover and keep large battery packs in top condition whilst still maintaining the ability to work on smaller battery packs. Generally battery packs in the 12 to 48 volt range, over 500Ah are found in fork lift trucks, medium size off-grid solar systems and power back up systems. Dual power settings allow you to set the Battery Extra EX02 for battery packs up to 500 Ah, or for packs from 500+Ah up to 1,500 Ah. A thermostatically controlled, built in, cooling fan helps dissipate the heat created, when used with 24 volt or higher voltages. The EX02 Battery desulfator also gives an indication of battery internal resistance.

Off-Grid solar system battery packs are particularly susceptible to battery sulfation. Lead acid batteries should always be fully charged before use and with solar batteries this not always possible.

– Quad voltage 12, 24, 36 and 48 volt
– Automatic voltage detection
– Dual power settings 200 and 400 mA
– Battery voltage indicator
– No mains power required
– Works during both charge and discharge cycle
– Aluminum case
– Settable low voltage cut off
– Internal cooling fan
– Short circuit protection built in
– EMC tested to EU standards
– CE compliance tested
– Works on all types of lead acid batteries
– Easy installation via ring connectors.

Noticeable results may be seen after the first use, but in most cases the full benefits of using the Battery Extra will take longer, which is why we offer a 60 day risk free trial. If within 60 days, you are not impressed with the results, we’ll refund your money in full – no questions asked. Try the Battery Extra today.

FREE DELIVERY

Our prices

…

April 19, 2015 No Comments

Solar system balancing act

Life with a small solar system is a balancing act. We have lived 8+ years now with our small solar system, tweaking it, adding to it, improving it, trying to balance our system vs the power load. Of course we are running a small load most of the time, a couple of laptops, the wireless network for said laptops, a few lights, a 12 volt water pump, a small radio, and the fridge, THAT is what takes up the most power at any given time.

Our fridge is very efficient, it started out life as a small chest freezer, we use an external thermostat (originally designed to turn small chest freezers into kegeraters), we set the temp on refrigerator temps, when it detects the correct temp inside of the box, it cuts off the power to the unit, you can read more about that here. This last winter, we pushed the fridge outside to the front porch, which meant the box didn’t have to work as hard to keep the cold temps inside.

The biggest balancing act for us is the day length vs the outside temps. During the winter, we have shorter days, which means fewer hours in which to charge our solar system, but since the outside temps are cold, the fridge doesn’t have to run as often, sometimes not at all.

During the summer months, it’s warmer outside, making the fridge run more often, but with the longer day length, there are more hours of sun to charge our batteries, so all in all, it works out pretty well, as long as we pay attention to the upcoming weather and moderate our power useage as necessary.

With the warmer temps usually come our rainy season or monsoon season, a few months where we tend to get rain nearly everyday, having overcast skies also limits the amount of solar power we get, though our panels do get some charge even with clouds present, just not the full amount of charge as a sunny day.

I have some exciting news, I have been given the opportunity to review another battery desulfator, I did a review last year on the Whizbang Plus battery desulfator (part one and part two), they worked, but were small, you pretty much have to have one per battery, this other company’s claim to fame is their second generation battery desulfators are designed to work in off-grid situation on larger battery banks, there is much more to this system. I’ll keep you in the dark about it for now, but be looking in the next week or so, as soon as I get the desulfator, which is on its way here now, I’ll do a first impression review, hook it up and let you know what I think about it, I will say that it has many more features that are going to …

March 27, 2015 2 Comments

Community

Mobile, stealthy, off-grid, vandweller

I think I got all the descriptive words covered there in the title, I am talking about Brian, also known as AdventureVanMan on YouTube. In his late 30s, single and hard working, he became disillusioned with life as he was living it and decided it was time to make a change.

Brian left his 2 bedroom apartment, sold most of his possessions, bought a cargo van and began living a life that makes him smile. He designed the inside of his cargo van to be simple, almost spartan, but it’s genius is useability and functionality. He lives in town, using a gym membership and friends & family for showering and other bathroom functions, so he doesn’t need a shower or major toilet system, he does have a backup toilet just in case, but doesn’t use it for the most part. All he really needs is a place to sleep and hang out when he’s not working.

Brian, being nowhere near retirement age, still works, so during the week, he stealth parks near where he works to save on fuel and time, on the weekends, he stays closer to the ocean in California, where he can catch a wave when he wants to, or just wake up to a beautiful sunrise glinting off the water.

I really appreciate his solar system setup, he put a lot of thought into it, utilizing the roof of his van to mount a RENOGY 100 Watt solar panel, he is able to tilt it to catch more sun, he uses two 6 volt deep cycle batteries wired together to make a 12 volt system, he uses a small inverter to power his laptop and other goodies, he also has some items hooked up directly to his batteries (12 volt goodies) so he isn’t losing power by converting from 12 volt to 110 watt. Some might deem to call Brian “homeless”, I don’t think that is the case, I feel like he made a reasonable and responsible decision to downsize and simplify his life, he wasn’t forced onto the streets, he chose to live this way.

You can view more about his solar system here:

You can learn more about Brian here
https://adventurevanman.wordpress.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/TrueBypassTheory/

…

March 24, 2015 1 Comment

Energy

Microgrid trade fair, Barcelona

(PRWEB) – Microgrid technology developers and business leaders from around the world will gather in Barcelona, Spain, May 19-21, 2015, for the Microgrid World Congress (https://www.microgridworldcongress.com). Through a series of in-depth presentations and discussion sessions, expert speakers representing a range of microgrid deployment scenarios will closely examine the business models, latest technology advances, and success strategies for operating microgrids in remote, off-grid, island, and grid-tied environments.
Worldwide investment in microgrid enabling technologies is expected to total more than $155 billion from 2014 through 2023.
Additionally, the industry estimates that worldwide installations of microgrid capacity will grow from 866 Megawatts in 2014 to more than 4,100 Megawatts by 2020.
“This is a rapidly expanding market opportunity, especially since the commercial business model for microgrids in grid-connected environments is taking shape,” says Daniel Coran, editor of the Smart Grid Observer. “Speakers and attendees will be discussing the latest thinking about utility distribution microgrids, as well as maximizing the efficiency, performance, and ROI of renewables-centric, off-grid systems.”
Presenting organizations include ČEZ Distribuce, ERDF, Freqcon, SunEdison, Lux Research, Trama TecnoAmbiental, Gommyr Power Networks, HSB Engineering Insurance, CENER-CIEMAT, Gildemeister Energy Solutions, Aalborg University, ABB, the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), SMA Ibérica Tecnología Solar, QiDO Energy Development GmbH, Smart Hydro Power, RVE.SOL, Aquion Energy, CPG Advisors, Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI), Hatch Electro-Technologies, Boeing Research & Technology Europe, Tecnalia Research & Innovation, and others.
Co-organized by Trama TecnoAmbiental and SGO, the three-day Congress will address topics such as:
Sustainability and innovation trends for microgrids
Refining the microgrid business model for grid-tied and off-grid environments
System design, modeling, forecasting, and implementation
Energy storage innovation and advances for microgrid applications
Investor perspectives on renewable energy microgrids
Developing world case studies
Microgrid performance factors from an insurer’s perspective
Optimal power planning, control and management in microgrid systems
Integration and operation of flow batteries in micro- and macrogrids
Flywheel-based microgrids
Stabilizing small isolated grids: creating a compelling business case
Application of energy storage and wind to power remote mine microgrids
PV integration in large genset grids
Hydrokinetic turbines for microgrids in remote areas
And more
“This will be a unique opportunity for industry professionals to share deployment experiences and best practices,” Coran adds. “Our goal is to provide an industry-open Forum in which project managers and planners can benefit from each other’s expertise and advance the potential of microgrids worldwide.”
Organizational supporters of the event include the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), EUROBAT, EUREC, Grid4EU, Svensk Solenergi, Swissolar, CanaleEnergia, APESF, Lux Research, Romanian Photovoltaic Industry Association (RPIA), GTM Research, Microgrid Knowledge, Electric Energy T&D Magazine, Navigant Research, Utility Horizons International, FierceEnergy, the World Alliance for Distributed Energy (WADE), SmartGridNews.com, and others.…

March 16, 2015 No Comments

All you need to go off-grid

Energy

More details emerge on Tesla Powerwall

Hawaii – energy costs are high; folks wants own power

In Australia – villages are leaving the grid behind

Battery desulfator review – update

Spanish govt to tax Solar batteries

S Korea testing energy independence

Fort Knox Army base goes fully off the power grid

Electric Carmaker To Sell Cheap Batteries To Power Homes

I finally got it!

Solar system balancing act

Mobile, stealthy, off-grid, vandweller

Microgrid trade fair, Barcelona

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