Could This Be Your Next Power Conditioner?

Nice thread. I use a 1k watt solar system for a remote scientific research station that I run. The key as Twl mentions is efficient appliances and electronics and using as many DC electronics as possible. Conversion of DC from solar cells to AC just throws a significant amount of power away and is silly since most electronics (ac sync turntables excepted) internaly convert AC wall current to DC current anyway.
Solar radiation to DC current -85%
DC to AC conversion -20%
AC back to DC conversion -20%

There are really some great products around that are allowing conversion to DC only systems. The absolute easiest was using a 12v computer power supply. A screw driver and 10min later I was using 40% less power on a desktop PC. The one application that no one seems to talk about is RVs and Boats . These are normaly DC systems anyway, so no reason not to throw some panels on the roof and get some free energy.

The easy way to do something is to install a solar water pre heater. Mounts on the roof and your current hot water heater draws a reserve that has already been heated to 140F or so by the sun (plus tax deductable in a few states).

where (until the addition is built onto the house) I am planning to situate my stereo system. Not to mention that the dutch barn has good dimensions (10x14x19) and I can acoustically treat it without bothering anyone in the house!
I found that Honda has some 1-3,000 watt generators that are "super quiet" (58db noise at 3 metres distance, full power; 48db, same distance, 1/4 power [and for 20 hours!]) and not overly expensive ($1800). Living in the Northeast, after last winter (snowstorms, fallen power lines, etc.), it occurred to me that I could both have my cake and eat it, too. To wit: if there's a power failure, I can plug the house into the generator for essentials: lights, portable heater, refrigerator, until the power is restored, and all on 3 gallons of gas! Otherwise, I can listen to music completely isolated from the house (only 25 feet away!).
The generators are inverted, so they work on computers as well.
Just got off the phone with the Honda salesman and decided to look into a thread that addresses it and found this! Thanks for a great thread.

Twl, you're living my dream! My next house is definitely going to be off grid. I just wanted to weigh in on the air conditioning issue. It's not impossible. Geothermal heat pumps are about twice as efficient as regular air source heat pumps and make it feasible, but still expensive. As a side benefit, they can also produce hot water. However, unless you're made of cash, you're going to need to reduce the conditioned space requirement under 2000 sq ft. and take some steps to reduce the solar gain during the summer months, like correct overhangs, berming the structure, etc. I figured in designing my future solar house (1700 sq.ft.) I would need about a 4KW array and run the oven and dryer off propane in order to make it feasible to have air conditioning using a geothermal heat pump.

Home Power is a great solar-oriented magazine. You can read the issue online for free or you can subscribe. The address is www.homepower.com .

I recently looked into solar power as I will be soon re-roofing and I couldn't be happier suggesting to all of the power companies just what dark place they can put their...stuff.

My problem is this. My average electric bill is $70.00/month and this is with at least 2-3 hours of high end audio listening each night using at least two tube-based pieces of equipment. the problem is that I live in a part of the country where uncomfortable temperatures can be fixed by simply opening/closing certain windows. I have thermal screens on my Western plate-glass exposures and I use lots of compact flourescent bulbs.

Politics aside, it just does not make any sense. Yes, ecologically speaking, I should take into account all of the air particulants generated while producing electricity...but you see, my first 'vice' is audio and my second is...a great rip-roaring fire in the living room: lots of dirty air. The third vice is a glass of wine but everybody should just leave me alone on THAT subject.........

Even with generous tax savings, it makes no sense and this is for two reasons. My income-real estate with depreciation, etc. means I am already in a wonderfully minimal tax bracket. the tqax svings don't work for me. The system will already need to be replaced in the 20+ years before it would pay for itself.

You see, I---and perhaps lots of you---am already energy conscious. Buying such a system is something like throwing another sermon at the true-believers.

I wish I could be speaking differant, but I really am already 'there' and my personal statistical aberration is such that....it can't work.

I wish it could.

Uncle Jeff, doing solar power is something that a person has to want to do. There are some high up-front costs and maximum usage limits that make you have to want it. I don't do it for cost effectiveness, I do it for independence. I like having control over my own circumstances as much as possible, and am willing to live with certain limitations to get that. Also, when everybody else's utility power fails during a storm, my house is running just fine. I never know there was a power outage till I read about it in the paper the next morning.