Solar Power Thread

It's probably 30 years old and is primarily designed to run off LPG...

It's unplugged now. Will just plug it in when I need it in future :)
 
Sinbad said:
It's probably 30 years old and is primarily designed to run off LPG...

It's unplugged now. Will just plug it in when I need it in future :)
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Holy hell. That thing is a dinosaur. Speak to the wife and use it's power consumption as an excuse to get a sexy new booze box. That's how I got mine to agree to replace my TV.

Nothing works like saving the environment with my SO:D
 
Regarding pool pumps: Wouldn't a pool pump be one of the best candidates for a solar PV installation?

- You only need to pump for a few hours which can be done during sunlight hours.
- You don't need any expensive storage options like batteries.
- If you need to keep the water circulating through a solar heater for the pool then it's perfect because the pump will only run when there's sunshine to heat the water anyway.

Your pool pump can be an off-the-grid solution.
 
Paul_S said:
Regarding pool pumps: Wouldn't a pool pump be one of the best candidates for a solar PV installation?

- You only need to pump for a few hours which can be done during sunlight hours.
- You don't need any expensive storage options like batteries.
- If you need to keep the water circulating through a solar heater for the pool then it's perfect because the pump will only run when there's sunshine to heat the water anyway.
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That was my thinking when I first investigated this. Quotes I got were in the R50k region... which is a VERY long payback period (20 years or so not counting inflation)

Also, if you go for stuff sized for 1kw, you probably can't reuse much of it should you choose to go off grid entirely. Maybe the panels, that's about it...?
 
Sinbad said:
That was my thinking when I first investigated this. Quotes I got were in the R50k region... which is a VERY long payback period (20 years or so not counting inflation)
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Yip ... still too expensive then.
We'll need to re-evaluate after a few more Eskom increases. :)
 
For those of you with pool pump demands, consider this if you have to replace your pump
http://www.speck-pumps.co.za/code/products/ecotouch.htm

basically allows you to set different flow rates on a 3 step basis. so you can drop consumption as low as 250w when required.

This should also satisfy those who need to run continuosly for a solar heating system
 
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Has anyone heard of www.carboncompact.co.za? They convert your existing geyser to solar heating. 150L retrofit for R6k. I have a geyser that's 3 months old so would this work?
 
The_Mowgs said:
Has anyone heard of www.carboncompact.co.za? They convert your existing geyser to solar heating. 150L retrofit for R6k. I have a geyser that's 3 months old so would this work?
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It should work had mine retrofitted (different company) about a year ago, the only problem is that the circulation pump can be quite loud., especially if it resonates in the ceiling. other concern is how long this pump will last

Setup for these retrofits are all the same.
 
But everything else is fine? Heats the water enough etc?
 
The_Mowgs said:
But everything else is fine? Heats the water enough etc?
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In summer heats it to dangerously hot levels, if you draw a bath with only hot water you will end up in hospital with 2nd degree burns. You can make coffee with the water at the moment.
I have 20 vacuum tubes for a 200l geyser. Half a day of sunshine is enough for really hot baths, full day of sunshine and I draw 20% hot water 80% cold. Have not switched the geyser element on this summer.
2 overcast days in a row and the water is warm enough for a shower but not a bath.

Winter is bit different, depending on how cold it gets you will need the geyser element on some days. Think I switched it on for a total of 12 days last winter. My geyser element timer is programmed to be always off, then I have a override button that switches it on for 1 hour. Default programming on install was for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening.

Spend some money isolating all the pipes running to/from the geyser, that alone will give you a big bump in temperature. Cost me R180 (R30 per 2m length) to isolate everything. I used isolation that looks like this http://www.badshop-web.de/images/product_images/original_images/ArmaflexSH.jpg

Has got one side open with adhesive, just wrap it around the pipe, push sides together and you are done.
 
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Thanks very much for the information, I will have a look into it. Last question, does the price sound right or are there other places to look at.

Thanks again.
 
After a few months of daily readings, I've found a rule of thumb for the power reasonably expected from solar PV systems.

Best expected output on clear SA summer days is around 25% of the nominal installed (24h) capacity.

My system:

* Installed PV array (nominal): 12 000 watts.

* This is 288 kW total capacity per 24 hours (ie 12kW x 24 hours).

* On clear summer days the array produces around 70kWh of power. This drops to around 25-35 kWh per day for full cloud overcast days.

So, a new rule of thumb based on my experience:

* On full sun days in summer, the array produces around 24-25% of the total 24h nominal capacity (yes I know we don't have sun for 24 hours, but a 24h day is one full cycle of generation and imports/exports).

* On fully overcast summer days, the array output drops to half or less than the normal cloudless day output, ie 10%-12% of total 24h nominal capacity.

So far my best day is 26 Nov 2012, with 28.5% yield. A total of 31 days yielded 25% or more since 1 Nov 2012.
My worst day is 24 Dec 2012 (fully overcast), with 5.5% yield, followed by four other days below 10% yield since 1 Nov 2012.
 
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The_Mowgs said:
Thanks very much for the information, I will have a look into it. Last question, does the price sound right or are there other places to look at.

Thanks again.
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Price is about the same as quotes that I got, if that is the price after the eskom rebate is taken into account.
 
biena said:
In summer heats it to dangerously hot levels, if you draw a bath with only hot water you will end up in hospital with 2nd degree burns.
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Make sure your solar geyser is installed with a tempering valve set to below 60 degrees. Its the law ito Sans 10106
 
Just got a 200L solar geyser with 24 Black/Blue tube things (Installed by Tasol)
That thing gets hot :erm: 70c on the display on a scorching day.

Basically they connected the 200L solar which feeds a 100L electric which is managed by a control panel thing with timers and stuff.
Just wondering though.My guinea pig says the hot water tastes funny compared to the cold water :erm:
Also I can smell something like solder from the shower when the hot water is running.
Anybody have a similar problem?
I get the feeling this wont be rectified soon as neither geyser is ever completely empty or halfway perhaps.
Maybe flush the system?
 
I also got the smell for the first few weeks, but now it seems to have disappeared.
 
Whats the best solution for a geyser?

There are different types, if you had to buy one tomorrow what would it be and why?
 
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