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  • Hurricane Issac means it's generator time

    I live in New Orleans. Just had 5 days with no power due to Hurricane Issac. 30 panels sitting idle on my roof all the while. I've read the posts saying you can NOT tie a generator and the PV panels together. Can I use a genertor by itself if I kill my MAIN and open the knife switch for my PVs before powering up the generator? I realize my PVs are NOT being "fooled" and will remain powered down at this time. It this the correct way to use a generator with a PV system. I see the term GT being used, but I don't know that acronym. thanks allan

  • #2
    You will need a transfer switch.
    MSEE, PE

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    • #3
      Originally posted by eallanboggs View Post
      I live in New Orleans. Just had 5 days with no power due to Hurricane Issac. 30 panels sitting idle on my roof all the while. I've read the posts saying you can NOT tie a generator and the PV panels together. Can I use a genertor by itself if I kill my MAIN and open the knife switch for my PVs before powering up the generator? I realize my PVs are NOT being "fooled" and will remain powered down at this time. It this the correct way to use a generator with a PV system. I see the term GT being used, but I don't know that acronym. thanks allan

      This is the system im going to be installing. Good for portable generators. And is all UL listed.


      http://www.reliancecontrols.com/Prod...px?pl=pt&c=&f=

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      • #4
        Originally posted by eallanboggs View Post
        I see the term GT being used, but I don't know that acronym. thanks allan
        The transfers witch should make the change automatically when it no longer senses power from the grid.

        GT means grid tied.
        [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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        • #5
          Originally posted by eallanboggs View Post
          I live in New Orleans. Just had 5 days with no power due to Hurricane Issac. 30 panels sitting idle on my roof all the while. I've read the posts saying you can NOT tie a generator and the PV panels together.
          Correct.

          Can I use a genertor by itself if I kill my MAIN and open the knife switch for my PVs before powering up the generator?
          I hope you really don't have a "knife switch" - but yes, you can use a generator interlock kit to power your house if you turn off the PV's. However it's pretty much a guarantee that you (or whoever is doing it) will make a mistake at some point and you'll damage something.

          I realize my PVs are NOT being "fooled" and will remain powered down at this time. It this the correct way to use a generator with a PV system. I see the term GT being used, but I don't know that acronym.
          GT=grid tied.

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          • #6
            I thought about the results of not doing the duties of an Auto Transfer Switch in the correct order. Not good. I may just buy a manual switch. Even with that I'm sure there is a sequence to follow when switching over to backup and then switching back to grid power. I don't have power outages that often. The hurricanes are a guaranteed power loss, but the remainder of the year might be once a year or two at the most and they're usually not long term. Whether I use a switch or not I still plan to open my MAIN and also open all the breakers that I don't absolutely need while the grid is down. My Square D box is jammed full of piggybacks because I bought an old 50s fixer upper. The wires had cloth insulation. Cloth if you can believe it. When I tore the sheetrock down to get to the wires and plumbing all the cloth was missing in many areas and where it was still there you could blow on it like you do a dandylion flower and it would turn to powder. Some wires were lightly touching each other and arcing as they did. The previous owner had fuses which were blowing by themselves all the time. The electrician told her she needed a new service. That's how the Square D got installed(good for me), but not so good for her because so had tripping breakers instead. At least she saved on fuses. That's worth something, right? It didn't fix the real issue of the cloth insuation. I ripped out all the old wires and and plumbing and put in new. I never dreamed I have solar panels and would be shopping for a backup generator. I think they should put solar panels on the roof, hood and truck lid of electric cars. Many people park their cars outdoors for 8 hours a day in bright sunlight while they're at work. That's enough time to charge the car battery sufficiently to get them to and from work each day and only have to plug into the grid on cloudy days. That's the way I think an electric car should work.
            My PV disconnect is a knife switch. Everything else is breakers.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by eallanboggs View Post
              I think they should put solar panels on the roof, hood and truck lid of electric cars. Many people park their cars outdoors for 8 hours a day in bright sunlight while they're at work. That's enough time to charge the car battery sufficiently to get them to and from work each day and only have to plug into the grid on cloudy days. That's the way I think an electric car should work.
              Not even close unless one works within walking distance of home. Panel orientation would always be a problem along with shade from bird stuff or overhead wires - not at all practical.

              Very green though
              [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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              • #8
                Eallanboggs that would work just about ok ,,providing you have a car the length of a Greyhound bus but the weight and aerodynamics of a Prius.
                About the max solar panel you could get on the average car using roof boot and engine bonnet would be about 400w. But that would never be available because of incorrect sun angle.. So you would get mabe 300w .. A car the size of a Prius uses about 200wh per mile ,, so in 4 hrs sun you have 1200wh enough to go 6 miles.. Not really that practical..

                And this is about the best possible on a perfect sunny day car parked out in open space..

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                • #9
                  "Very green though"

                  The environmental movement is about energy conservation. Things that are not an efficient use of resources are inherently NOT green.

                  If you want to use the term "Green" in the exact opposite way it was intended as a political satire go ahead, but the fact of the matter is we all have a common goal of saving energy and resources, regardless of what you want to call it.

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                  • #10
                    I know about how the sun moves across the sky and how clouds block the sun, but I also know millions of car sit in bright sunlight for 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Driving is different due to the movement of the vehicle, but just think about what the sun does to the upholstery and instrument panel of a car. The cloth is bleached and the plastic opens up like volcanic soil. The panels may not be efficient enough today, but they will get better and when they do it could work. Who wouldn't want the sun to pay the cost of the drive to and from work while they're on the job. I'm sure seagulls crap on my PVs, but the rain does a pretty good job of washing that away. I climbed up on the roof to do an inspection 4 days after Hurricane Issac and the panels were clean.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by eallanboggs View Post
                      The panels may not be efficient enough today, but they will get better and when they do it could work.
                      Right - then panels would be used on cars with no doubt. Solar PV panels on cars are not useful today and nothing is on the horizon to make them so.

                      We all need to take better care of mother earth and make better use of available resources - many of us try. Wasting money on useless items is not green.

                      To me green generally means air headed attempts to do the impossible or impractical - PV panels facing away from the sun for example. Another very green thing are the over unity devices that are highly praised on many green sites.
                      [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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                      • #12
                        even if solar cells were at an impossible 100% you could only have about 2 kw of cells on the top parts of a car. And you dont get 8hrs of useful power sunlight anywhere on earth. max is about 4 sun hours in most livable areas.
                        so you have a theoretical 8kwh hrs of collectible solar energy.. at 200wh per mile thats a absolute max distance of 40 miles..

                        BUT as we are only up to about 18% after all these years .it would need a major breakthrough to get to 50% so you still only have a range of 20 miles..on a perfect sunny all day. Winter time for most places you are only going to get half of that a BIG 10 MILES.. on nice flat ground..

                        And the above figures assume perfect panel angle to the sun, In reality you are then going to get about half those distances.

                        NEVER GUNNA HAPPEN TO GET A RANGE OF 50 MILES AVERAGE PER DAY PER YEAR.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by eallanboggs View Post
                          The panels may not be efficient enough today, but they will get better and when they do it could work. Who wouldn't want the sun to pay the cost of the drive to and from work while they're on the job.
                          Not even remotely possible even if the panels were 100% efficient which is impossible.
                          MSEE, PE

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                          • #14
                            Not even remotely possible even if the panels were 100% efficient which is impossible.Gee whiz Wish I had said that.

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                            • #15
                              I still don't get how you guys think. You think you need to supply the cars entire charge from the onboard panels. And you always base your theoretical numbers on powering the whole thing. I see where eallanboggs is coming from. If I could safely mount some light weight film that made gasoline on the roof of my car, even if it only made a gallon a week, i'd definetly do it. And you will tell me "And at a gallon a week that's roughly $4 a week for your $1000 investment." People spend crazy money on their cars, what's another $1000 anyways. Besides, when there is an economic collapse what good will your money be then.

                              Just venting, nevermind me.
                              Green

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