In a non-grid solar PV system, when you have alot of solar input, and that has already charged the batteries to full, ( not that common, if you are running an entire household 100% off-grid on solar),
then the solar controller throttles down the PV input to "float" mode on the batteries.
Realty good design, and the more sophisticated controllers will shunt the extra PV watts over to a water heating or pumping application,
that essentially uses that power to store in another way, for later use.
Chazp
Yes, we have seen alot of bundled "Emergency power" or "solar generators" by various companies, that have actually got into larger store and online presence.
The problem with much of them is how they are marketed, where they highlight the top wattage
of the inverter ( 1800 watts ) but down play, or don’t mention that there is hardly any battery storage,
and generally undersized on the PV solar input also.
These units will not last very long, if you are thinking you can plug in your fridge and some lights in a power outage.
Many of them won’t last more than a half hour with any decent wattage pull.
Then you will drain the battery dead, and likely be frustrated and want to throw it out.
Many of them are based on a Chinese contract low bid manufacture design from Xantrex,
that also sold off it’s previous good name to the low ball chinese bidders.
Many of them are really poor quality components, and junky plastic boxes that will barely get you thru the 90 day warranty before the fall apart,
Buyer beware.
Do your homework your watt-hours per day need at home, with the grid down,
look at battery size and PV input as critical important details when you purchase a solar generator.
Any decent sized solar generator or backup systems needs at least 3 full size batteries, and 3 full size solar panels to work reliably.
When you really need it, will it fail?
Chaz
SolSolutions LLC
www.sol-solutions.com
I first learned about MH in the 1990’s when I did my Diploma in Renewable Energy… Great idea, but there are very few sites in flat Australia that work, especially in the hotter climes such as where we are right now. The evaporation rate is so high that even creeks in flood after a deluge are dry within a couple of weeks.
HOWEVER, as I actively pursue our move to Tasmania, and finding quite a few blocks of land with permanent creeks, I am now seriously narrowing my land searches for somewhere that has an appropriate MH site (and I’ve found a beauty!)
The main reason is that a 1kW MH setup working 24/7 will generate 24kWh every day. I have sourced such a setup in Australia for just $2900, whereas a solar system to generate this much energy with PVs would easily cost five times as much, or more… especially in Tassie where the sun’s probably only about 60% the strength we have here in Queensland.
THEN, my thinking started stretching further… with such a reliable energy source, you could use your EV as the battery storage, and sell any excess to the grid through a Feed in Tariff for income…
Mike
Just to tell you the right thing, my wife had been cribbing for the set-up of a power generator in the house for almost three years. Every time we would suffer power outage, the patience outage was sure to follow. Since I’m not a very high-on technology husband, I used to take her requirement for instant electricity even during a power outage very lightly. Her constant request for power-back up that will help the kids to read, play or lead a normal life when the power went off, r Cherry’s desire of not missing out on her favorite TV show kept falling on deaf ears till one day.
Thanks
To the CS community;
As I mentioned in the article and following posts, we were able to put together a special offer
for solar-LED flashlights.
Here it is: https://peakprosperity.com/blog/special-offer/71970
Enjoy,
Chazp and SolSolutions
Special Offer from SolSolutions and Solar Goose - LED-Solar flashlights
Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 3:00 pm, by jasonw
We are pleased to announce that SolSolutions is offering PeakProsperity.com members a special discount of 25% off all Solar Goose LED-Solar Flashlights and other associated lighting and charging devices.
SolSolutions designs and builds portable solar generators. They also use their industry expertise to recommend and sell the best in solar components, energy efficient appliances, LED lights, and off-grid energy options.
The Solar Goose Ultimate LED-Solar Flashlight is one of the best on the market. Solidly built of brushed aluminum, not plastic, the Ultimate Flashlight contains a strong solar charger, bright high-quality LED chip, and versatile design.
Solar Goose also has an Ultimate Survival Kit for lighting, communication and small backup power needs. This kit can be an excellent addition to your car or mobile emergency preparedness package (Read the EDC Article). Other back up solar charging and lighting products are available at Solar Goose as well.
Specifically, SolSolutions and Solar Goose are offering:
- A 25% additional discount on all Solar Goose products
- Free shipping
- A free mini solar/led flashlight with every order.
Click Here to go directly to the Solar Goose online store, to take advantage of this offer, and use Coupon Code: SolMan, exclusive to PeakProsperity.com readers. Offer will be valid through the end of March 2012.
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There are several options for backup power equipments when we face power failure e.g. generators, renewal energy resources or hybrid system. The most easily available and operative backup equipment is generator. Generators basically use diesel or gas as the fuel.
Ninety-seven percent American homeowners overestimate the cost of installing solar, according to a recent Harris interactive poll that illustrates public perception remains a major obstacle to adding more residential renewable energy to the grid.
The online poll, conducted on behalf of residential solar power company SunRun, found folks want to go solar. Nearly eight out of 10 of those who don’t already have solar panels say they would install a rooftop array if cost were not factor. But according to the survey, the perceived costs are wildly out of whack with the real expense of installing solar. (See new note below)
Forty percent of the 2,200 adults surveyed think installing solar requires $20,000 or more in upfront costs. Only three percent accurately understand that installing solar can cost less than $1,000 upfront, which is possible because companies like SunRun, SolarCity and Sungevity all offer solar financing that allow homeowners to lease the panels without putting any money down. SunRun’s solar power service, also known as third-party-owned solar, is structured similarly to its rivals. The company owns, insures, monitors and maintains solar panels on the homeowner’s roof. In return, the homeowner pays a monthly rate over a 20-year period.
Market share for third-party solar has grown, particularly in California where it reached 75 percent of the home solar market in February of this year. In Massachusetts, the share for third-party solar is more than 80 percent.
Note: Based on some comments, I thought I’d add more information about solar leases. A solar lease is essentially a power purchase agreement or PPA. Utilities often enter into PPAs to buy power generated from large-scale solar and wind farms.
How it works
Generally, homeowners sign a long-term agreement between 10 and 20 years. Customers agree to pay a monthly fee for the solar electricity. That fee should be at a lower rate (on average over a year) than what the customer is currently paying their utility. In return, the solar provider takes on the responsibility and cost of installation and maintenance of the panels.
Solar leasing experiment
Out of curiosity, I recently went through the process of getting a quote for a solar system. Here’s what I found out:
The solar provider suggested I install a 6 kilowatt system (the average residential is 5 KW). If I skipped the lease option and bought the system outright it would cost roughly $38,000. State and local rebates and federal tax credit would cut $13,000 off the price. In the end, I would spend $25,000.
If signed up for the lease, those state, local and federal incentives would go to the solar provider and my fees would be lower as a result.
If I put $0 down, my lease payment would average $115 a month and my electricity bill would average $17, for a total cost of $132 a month. Without solar (this information is based on eight months of my utility bills), I would pay an average of $91 a month. So, under that scenario, I’m actually spending about $500 more a year. The lease payments would be subject to annual increase of 2.9 percent.
To be clear, since I’ve lived in my current house for less than a year, I’m missing the most important months (summer) of utility bills. With a full year of my own electricity consumption information, I’d expect those numbers to shake out a little differently. I wouldn’t expect massive savings, but I would probably break even or see a small reduction in my energy bill.
Leasing would be a good option for folks who consume a lot of power, have high electricity bills (I’m an energy efficiency nut and thereby my bills are below average) and live in areas where there are local and state incentives.
So what happens if you move? According to the solar provider I checked out, you can assign the lease to the new homeowner, if they pass a credit check, you can prepay the remaining lease payments and assign the benefits and non-financial obligations to the new owner; purchase the system; or prepay the remaining lease payments and have the panels removed for no additional fee.
The Power Source 1800 is the world’s first solar powered generator that is portable, powerful and can charge many important home appliances. The Powersource 1800 Solar Generator comes with a compact solar generator that fits anywhere in your home or truck and includes 4 plug outlets so you can charge more than one device at the same time for your convenience.
[quote=Powersource 1800 Solar Generator]The Power Source 1800 is the world’s first solar powered generator that is portable, powerful and can charge many important home appliances. The Powersource 1800 Solar Generator comes with a compact solar generator that fits anywhere in your home or truck and includes 4 plug outlets so you can charge more than one device at the same time for your convenience.
[/quote]
A good point re cost of transmission. Also, I noticed that the map of solar installations vs available solar energy is rather misleading. It makes a lot more sense if you mentally overlay a map of California population density, ’cause the solar installations are – surprise! – where the people are. You may get more solar out in the Mojave Desert, but (except for that cluster around Palm Springs) there aren’t a lot of people living there. No people, no roofs, no rooftop solar.
Right now over 77% of our energy in America comes from fossil fuels, about 10% from nuclear, and only around 13% from renewable energy sources.
http://intellihub.com/2013/04/09/us-lags-far-behind-with-renewable-energy-technologies-as-portugal-is-70-sustainable/
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Really good article and best information could be provided. Load banks are essential in today life for better life in case of blackouts. With more than thirty years of experience these buddies are providing load bank solutions across the world, Crestchic are the world’s leading specialist in load banks and have become the trusted name for load testing.
This is not solar related, but something I've been working on.It will allow an automatic transfer switch to work with a portable generator. This will allow a homeowner who wants an automatic standby generator to split the cost, yet have a very good system in place, in the event of a power outage.
Thank you for this amazing information! The future is in the solar generators, you can check this website for more information about portable solar generators 
Hello,
I am working towards a hybrid generator solution and need to purchase an inverter. I have a 9000 W gasoline generator, but want a battery system to keep the fridge and freezer going through the night, with a bit of extra power for light.
I live in the city so I can’t run the generator at night (noise) and I rent so I can’t install a permanent solar system.
I was thinking of getting a 48V, 3000 watt inverter (enough for both the fridge and freezer at peak current) and using 4 x 12 volt deep cycle marine batteries (110 Ah ) wired in series. I have read that some inverters are able to charge the batteries and maintain a trickle charge so the system is ready to go. I see Mabelstar, Go Power, Magnum Energy and others, but want to know if anyone in the community has experience doing the same thing that I am trying to do.
After this I will look into some portable panels and the rest of the gear required to charge the batteries from solar, completing the solar part of the hybrid generator. Long term I will look into a more sophisticated battery system when the budget permits, but for now lead acid is a cost effective solution.
I am in Montreal, Canada.
Thank you in advance for the feedback and advice.
Shawn