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Kylo
Joined: 02/16/05
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 787
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75+75+18= 168watt solar supply I just installed. The 18 watt RV panel was just not cutting it anymore- needed to go get some serious panels. 
These two 75 watt panels are wired to a deep cycle marine battery in my room which is currently powering two fish tanks, my computer, a timed flourescent lamp and my speakers. It feels good to go clean!!
My buddy & I bought two panels each at 200 dollars which is a steal for a 75 watt. Drove down to Santa Cruz to get them- ended up learning quite a bit from the seller.
I learned that San Francisco has strict laws enforcing solar equipment being connected to the grid... Understandable... but also- has laws saying whether you can even USE them independantly with your own battery system etc.
 Bullshit I say.
If I go and buy the equipment; I'm sorry- I'm going to hide it in direct sunlight and use it.
I would suppose the reasons for the laws inquire safety of securing them on your roof top making sure if and when an earthquake hits- they don't go sailing off your roof decapitating your neighbor's fake flamingo from the 40's.
Cool thing about our place is that it's got two roofs that are flat but not slanted so I jumped the gun on that one.
(said the defendant)
"Energizer bunny arrested- charged with battery."
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Tecknixia
Joined: 08/15/01
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 108
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That's awesome!
This kind of thing is what my forum in my sig is all about. I have lots of really cool links to articles and videos about stuff like renewable energy and sustainability and any other way we can all work together to make a better future.
I suspect the reason they have such rules about tying to the grid is mainly to ease the expense of providing so much electricity to a highly populated high electrical demand area. The more other people pitch in with solar panels, the less the city has to spend on improvements... that's just a guess though.
Also, I have heard of a person's house catching on fire from a solar/battery system. Perhaps without a proper charger it's easy to overcharge the batteries which could cause them to explode, which could be seen as a huge safety hazard by some.
I encourage the effort, as long as you're doing everything safely. I encourage anything that reduces our dependency on oil, in fact, I just bought a hybrid electric bicycle last night for getting to work and back. Yay!
Most recent track: Tecknixia - Technology 2009 Version  Strm  Dnldnonzerosumgain.freeforums.org |
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Kylo
Joined: 02/16/05
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 787
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Aw man- what's the mileage on that motorcycle??
"Energizer bunny arrested- charged with battery."
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Tecknixia
Joined: 08/15/01
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 108
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I wish I had a motorcycle! It's a bicycle. Hybrid means human power and electric power 
The range? Well, it depends on how much of the motor you use, but it's not too bad. The problem is the bicycle is so damn inefficient.
I can still get to work in less time due to the motor carrying me up hills, but the bike itself could be made way better. It's a cheap electric bike, cost me about $300 from wal-mart. It's an E-Zip Mountain Trailz bike (made by Mongoose with electric components made by Currie Technologies).
The biggest problem in my opinion is it's weight. It has a steel frame and uses sealed lead acid battery packs. I heard it weighs about 80lbs or something like that (I live on the 2nd floor). I found out the thing can be quite dangerous due to the weight, weight distribution, and the fact that it has a motor on it. I almost got my leg caught in it once trying to walk with it and turn and it fell over. I also accidently was turning the throttle. You can have it set to only operate when you're pedaling though.
Another inefficiency is the motor's gearing and the bike's gearing. I can't go as fast on this bike on flat ground as I can with my other non-electric bike (originally about $600). This bike has 7 gears in back (you'd probably only need 2 or 3 in back) and only one in front. Also, the motor wasn't made for high speed, you can pedal faster than it can take you. Needless to say, this bike is not for lazy people, you can STILL get excersise on this thing, it just makes for quicker take offs and travel time up hill. Just changing the sprockets could allow you to go faster. The battery pack (10Ah) and motor are 24V and the motor is claimed to make about 450W.
The last inefficiency (also having to do with gearing), which nearly all electric bikes suffer from, is the fact that the motor is not integrated with the gear shift system. It drives the wheel independently from whatever gear you're in. I suppose it would be harder to design an electric motor that does work with the gearing system, but it's not something Shimano couldn't do i'm sure.
Oh yeah, and the other thing is the instructions say that using full throttle will dramatically decrease your range. Problem is, it jumps to full throttle with just a slight twist... there's a very small sensitive amount of twist in which you can control the amount of throttle. Less throttle means you're crawling along though. As far as range, I took the bike mainly uphill for about 5 miles not using the motor the whole time, but a good portion of it, and I think I ended up with half a charge left. If you don't use the motor except when you need it, it can take you pretty far.
Overall I'd say it's still worth it, due to being able to climb hills easily, but it'd be much better to convert a lighter bike with more efficient gearing. I've seen a website where they have a 48V system that uses a 1000W in-wheel motor and the controller can make use of regenerative braking. I'd love to give that a try, but I'm sure the batteries would be quite expensive since sealed lead acid batteries would just be way too heavy.
Most recent track: Tecknixia - Technology 2009 Version Strm Dnldnonzerosumgain.freeforums.org |
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Neotone
Joined: 04/22/02
Posts: 70
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RE: Hot wires!!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 11:48 PM
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Tecknixia:
I'll comment on your forums if you read and comment on some of my website -- http://www.enzyme-pro.com -- or my blog -- http://www.aquadoxical.blogspot.com. (Of course, there is no automated comment process on my website... you'll have to email me. But my email is on the front page. Note, if you're wondering what to read first, I really like the "Writing Section" of my website.)
So sustainable electricity is a "non-zero-sum gain" huh? I ask you, if that's true... what isn't "non-zero-sum"?
This life is a joke, and nobody's laughing.
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Tecknixia
Joined: 08/15/01
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 108
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Hi Neotone!
I will comment to you about your website in an email. After reading a bit I realized that I have a complete interest in commenting on some things.
As far as my message board, I am using the non-zero sum concept very loosely and perhaps interpretive... renewable energy isn't so much a non-zero sum concept as much as it is a "let's work together for the benefit of all" concept. In my opinion renewable energy generally benefits us all due to the reduction of pollution byproducts and it's non-centralized flexibility.
Edit: I also must add that it seems easy to interpret from this thread that my forum is ONLY about renewable energy and that's not true... my forum covers many subjects based on cooperation for the purpose of benefit to those involved.
Most recent track: Tecknixia - Technology 2009 Version Strm Dnldnonzerosumgain.freeforums.org |
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Neotone
Joined: 04/22/02
Posts: 70
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"As far as my message board, I am using the non-zero sum concept very loosely and perhaps interpretive... renewable energy isn't so much a non-zero sum concept as much as it is a 'let's work together for the benefit of all' concept. In my opinion renewable energy generally benefits us all due to the reduction of pollution byproducts and it's non-centralized flexibility."
I think my point is that even oil could be a "non-zero-sum" concept, a "let's work together for the benefit of all" concept. Also, renewable energy could become just as much a win-for-some-lose-for-others concept as anything else, except for the fact that the sun and uranium can be found just about everywhere, while oil can only be found in some places.
The thing is, I think, that this "let's work together" concept is more a state of mind than anything else.
This life is a joke, and nobody's laughing.
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Tecknixia
Joined: 08/15/01
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 108
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Neotone wrote:I think my point is that even oil could be a "non-zero-sum" concept, a "let's work together for the benefit of all" concept.
Actually, oil dependency IS a non-zero sum concept... you're right, but I think it's more of a "let's work together and sabotage ourselves" concept... a non-zero sum loss.
It does depend on how you look at it, true... but that's just like anything else.
Renewable energy if fully implemented could ruin landscapes... overall though, I consider renewable energy to be MUCH more beneficial to everyone in the future than the continued use and dependency of oil.
I consider it win-win because it would make energy abundant rather than limited, with less side effects. Now, if I was a CEO of a large oil company, I would probably be thinking differently... but if that were the case, I'd probably be thinking more about my own interests rather than the interests of the whole of mankind.
Sure, it depends on the mindset, because like many other things, the labels are relative.
Don't you think that renewable energy is better for us than oil dependency??
Sorry Kylo, didn't mean to threadjack
Most recent track: Tecknixia - Technology 2009 Version Strm Dnldnonzerosumgain.freeforums.org |
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Neotone
Joined: 04/22/02
Posts: 70
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Yes, renewable energy is better. But natural gas and fossil fuels helped create the internet: without electricity, there would be no internet, and without fossil fuels, there would be far less electricity (it is a cheap way to produce electricity -- for whatever reason.) That is a non-zero-sum gain.
This life is a joke, and nobody's laughing.
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