Energy from the Sun
with your own electrical energy system
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Use the Sun to make electricity for your house.
-- Use the Wind to make electricity for your
house. -- Use moving Water to make electricity
for your house.
Use the Sun and/or Earth to heat your home. -- Use the Sun and/or Earth to heat your water. -- Use the Earth to cool your home. Use modern high tech products to construct your home and protect it. -- You have imagined these things, but always find an excuse why it will not work. You say it costs too much. -- You say it is too complicated. -- You hear rumors and believe them. With other aspects of your life you practice exactly that which you
resist, for making yourself independent.
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Reliable
Independence
Available
Initial Cost
Renewable Energy (Environmentally Friendly)
INDEPENDENCE – is being in authority of your own life and your own affairs – not governed by another, not relying on another.
DEPENDENCE – being in subjection to someone else for your life and your affairs – being determined by someone else.
LIBERTY – action going beyond normal limits.
PERMISSION – consent from another person.
MASTER – one in authority.
SLAVERY – own by or serving another.
"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds the timid join him, for then it cost nothing to be a patriot." -- Mark Twain
The same can be said for a multiple of arenas of change. The people who make a change to independence of energy and such are novelties and ridiculed. It was that way with the car, with electricity wires being strung over the countryside, with going fast in cars (your breath would be sucked from you), and many or most advents in human history. There are many people who have installed various energy systems and enjoying them, while their friends and family are saying all the reason it cannot be done. Did you know that certain rules of physics say a Bee cannot fly? Yet, the Bee flies very well.
While there are some greater efforts required of you in an independent energy system, the rewards are greater.
The issues are ---
Ownership or rental. <> Self control or slavery
Reduce your expenses, improve your efficiency, be the envy of your friends and family. <> Learn that you can own your electricity rather than renting it from the electric company. <> See how renting from the electric company will cost over 60,000.00 (for average middle class home & assuming the rates do not rise), and how owning a system can cost the same or less. <> Consider not having blackouts or brownouts. Wonder at the independence. <> Heat and cool your home with the temperature of the Earth, and save.
Never shingle again
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Amorphous solar electric panels instead of shingles
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The size of the home does not matter
Amorphous solar electric panels instead of shingles
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| Solar panels convert light energy (photons) into DC electrical energy. This energy can be used immediately or stored for later use. | Inverters convert DC power to AC power, they can start with 12, 24, 48, 96 (& others) volts DC and make 120 or 240 (& others) volts AC. All with the energy to power your home or office. |
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| Water filters can make muddy river water perfectly drinkable. | These do not heat water when you are not home or not using water.
They only heat water when the hot water line is flowing Then when the water
is stopped, the heating stops. It is realistic to save 35% energy
costs compared to a tank heater.
NEVER RUN OUT OF HOT WATER |
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| Wind powered generators and water powered generators convert the motion (movement) of wind and water to electrical energy. This energy can be used immediately or stored for later use. Wind and water power can be less expensive than solar for making electricity. | Batteries store the energy generated from any number of sources and keep it till required later by appliances and equipment of your using. They can be used to hold energy for hours or days or weeks. The more battery storage capacity the greater the cost. |
(price paid on the left & years on the bottom)
(right click on the graph to save the image and view/printing it in
your favorite imaging program)
The above chart represents possible AGGREGATE values for a home/office that has an electric bill of about 100.00 and 3 loans/notes for a SOLAR ELECTRIC GENERATING SYSTEM of about 50,000.00. The 3 loans are a 10 year (red), 15 year (green) & 30 year (pink) compared to what you might pay to the electric company assuming their rates remain as is (black) assuming their rates double on average of every 10 years (blue). This chart is general and not intended to be what you may have/need.
-- The relative relationship of a system will vary a little with different usages and sizes.
(price paid on the left & years on the bottom)
(right click on the graph to save the image and view/printing it in
your favorite imaging program)
The above chart represents possible MONTHLY values for a home/office that has an electric bill of about 100.00 and 3 loans/notes for a SOLAR ELECTRIC GENERATING SYSTEM of about 50,000.00. The 3 loans are a 10 year (blue), 15 year (red) & 30 year (pink) compared to what you might pay to the electric company (black) assuming their rates double on average of every 10 years. This chart is general and not intended to be what you may have/need.
-- The relative relationship of a system will vary a little with different usages and sizes.
(price paid on the left & years on the bottom)
(right click on the graph to save the image and view/printing it in
your favorite imaging program)
The above chart represents possible AGGREGATE values for a home/office that has an electric bill of about 100.00 and 3 loans/notes for a SOLAR ELECTRIC GENERATING SYSTEM of about 50,000.00. The 3 loans are a 10 year (red), 15 year (green) & 30 year (pink) compared to what you might pay to the electric company assuming their rates remain as is (black) assuming their rates double on average of every 10 years (blue). This chart is general and not intended to be what you may have/need.
-- The relative relationship of a system will vary a little with different usages and sizes.
For printing purposes here is an alternate bar graph ---
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When you are figuring your monthly bills, do not forget to subtract the amount per month (in this example 100.00) you will not be paying to the electric company. Using the monthly note prices in the above graph, they are not additional costs in addition to the electric bill, they are the electric bill. So MINUS 10.00 that used to go to the grid company. This translates to 450.00, 320.00 & 200.00 per month (for examples in the above graphs).
No matter the cost, a basic question is TO WHOM WILL YOU PAY THE MONTHLY BILL? Another question is what do you have to show for all the money spent? With “grid” power, you have NOTHING. With your own system, you have SOMETHING.
With your own energy system, you can move it to a new location, or you can sell it with the old and use it as an improvement which increases the value of the home, whereby making your selling price greater.
Imagine if you did not pay the monthly “note” for your own system, who is going to shut off your electricity for nonpayment – no one.
Remember that all energy systems are upgradeable and expandable.
You can start with a smaller system now, to power a few lights and refrigerator. These items will run daily on your own system and you monthly “grid” bill is reduced by an amount to reflect the switch. If and when the neighborhood is without power, and of course most of your house, you will still have the fridge and enough lights to move around the house, just like any other day.
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The following is an example of a pricing statement from a supplier showing why pricing is difficult to keep track.
| Some reasons why it is difficult to keep up-to-date prices.
Trace, Statpower, and Heart – special notes: Xantrex (the owner of these 3 companies) will no longer allow us to show any pricing but full list price for their profducts. Since all of our pricing is in a database, and there is no possible way to prevent our actual selling prices from showing uyp online, we have REMOVED all pricing for these products. Please note that Xantrex AGAIN raised prices as of May 1, 2001. This means that you, our customers, can NO LONGER order any of the above products online. Although we disagree with the policies set by Xantrex, at this time we have no choice but to comply. Consequently, we have removed all of our ACTUAL pricing information on Trace, Statpower, and Heart products. We will still give the lowest prices possible on all these products, but you will no longer have the convenience of ordering online nor of seeing what your actual price is without getting a quote from us. Since this will increase our overhead costs considerably, we may have to increase prices on most Trace products. If you have any question on this policy, please contact Xantrex/Trace, not us. For prices on all these products, please email us if possible – although we will give pricing if you call, we expect that this policy will impact our ability to handle the volume of calls that we expect to get. For pricing call. |
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This graph shows the relative comparison of “sinewaves” SW (which is like what you have with “grid” power) and what is called “modified sinewaves” MSW (which are really modified squarewaves, sometimes called quasi-sine wave). The MSW is more efficient to operate than a SW, but some equipment will not run properly on a MSW and must have the SW. |
What can you run from a MSW inverter?
Pretty much anything, but there are a couple of exceptions:
The AC output waveform of the some inverters is called a "quasi-sine wave" or a "modified sine wave". It is a stepped waveform that is designed to have characteristics similar to the sine wave shape of utility (“grid”) power. A waveform of this type is suitable for most AC loads, including linear and switching power supplies used in electronic equipment, transformers, and motors. The modified sine wave produced by the inverter is designed to have RMS (root mean square) voltage of 115 volts, the same as standard household power. In general, any device that senses either voltage peaks or zero crossings could have problems when running from this waveform. Examples of these devices are motor speed controllers employing triacs. An example of these might be breadmakers, and some small battery rechargers that do not incorporate a transformer between the AC power source and the load. Examples of the chargers would be those commonly used in battery operated tools, such as drills.
Typical warranties (not absolute) & expected lifespans
| ~~ Solar panels | 20 year | more than 20 years |
| ~~ Inverters | 6 years | being electronic, expectations are long like other non-moving-part
appliances (clocks, TV’s, computer monitors, etc) |
| ~~ Batteries | 5 – 15 years | reports have 5 years batteries lasting 20 years |
Average annual solar exposure.
Average annual wind
You are already committed to monthly payments for home, telephone, water and electric. These are lo-o-o-o-ong term (life) commitments. With electric and other energy related systems you can make a different commitment, like the one for your car. You only pay it for a few years, then you own it. Do not keep paying till you die. Buy it, own it, and never owe the electric company again.
You can have (or start with) a partial system to power part of your home/office, like a refrigerator, a few lights and something else. You can add more later.
Electricity or new car?
August 2003
revised January 2004 (for new website)
revised April 2004
mailto: energy-resources@tell#&me1st.net
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