4 panel grid tie - advice needed

[Cobs]

Haha i guess i could get someone to hold the clothes behind the Wind Turbine ... as a dryer and wash the dishes by hand :P

Oh - that Green Tax Bull is just that - seems the USA? and Europe pay tax for some imaginery Global Warming, its proven there isnt any so why are we still paying? ... thats another debate lol.

[inetdog]

But that is the plan - to get a few greedy appliances off the grid, i know they will use an amount but if i can match the battery size to do it then its mission accomplished. I have one of those meters that shows the watt/hrs info, just havent got round to measuring yet, i know the cycle times so im half way there

That appears, on the surface, to be an admirable goal.
But you need to consider that even if you ignore the initial cost of the panes and inverter, just based on regular battery replacement you will be paying two to ten times as much for the off grid power as you would pay to the utility.
If you are happy with that, fine.

[inetdog]

Haha i guess i could get someone to hold the clothes behind the Wind Turbine ... as a dryer and wash the dishes by hand :P

Oh - that Green Tax Bull is just that - seems the USA? and Europe pay tax for some imaginery Global Warming, its proven there isnt any so why are we still paying? ... thats another debate lol.

I have not seen the proof myself. What are you referring to?

One of the latest studies provides a new way of looking at climate trends:

They measured the number of new high temperature records set throughout the country to the number of new low temperature records set.
For early years (before something like 1960) the ratio was close to 1:1. There were as many new lows as new highs.
For recent years (2000 on?) the ratio was 10:1. The numbers were large enough to provide good statistical assurance that there was something behind the result. Of course it did not prove anything about the cause, but it sure does argue that something is going on.

The observations are directly contradictory to some previously reported results from Australia which are heavily cited by deniers.

[SunEagle]

But that is the plan - to get a few greedy appliances off the grid, i know they will use an amount but if i can match the battery size to do it then its mission accomplished. I have one of those meters that shows the watt/hrs info, just havent got round to measuring yet, i know the cycle times so im half way there

The cost to run those greedy appliances off grid will be 5 to 10 times the cost by running them from the grid because of what you need to spend on the batteries, panels, inverter and charger.

How does spending more money to run an appliance save you anything?

[Cobs]

Im sure theyll always find a way to prove they need to tax you but they fiddled an amount in some figures that gave you the figure they gave you - theres a vid on Youtube somewhere - anyway - the Political party UKIP in UK had scientists and others prove there has been no change in the climate for over 15 years and even if it did get warmer - nature would thrive as it always has. Were just stuck in the EU and the tax is on our utility bill which is twice what it is supposed to be, they are bleeding us dry over here, the EU is all about taxation and greed. If we can EXIT the EU - UKIP will scrap that Green Tax ... which will probably ruin David Camerons Dads Wind Turbine business hehe

Realistically it seems im too over-ambitious with the appliances then - oh well - back to the drawing board
Is there a list of things that i can power - realistically off-grid? As examples i mean.

Cobs

[lkruper]

Im sure theyll always find a way to prove they need to tax you but they fiddled an amount in some figures that gave you the figure they gave you - theres a vid on Youtube somewhere - anyway - the Political party UKIP in UK had scientists and others prove there has been no change in the climate for over 15 years and even if it did get warmer - nature would thrive as it always has. Were just stuck in the EU and the tax is on our utility bill which is twice what it is supposed to be, they are bleeding us dry over here, the EU is all about taxation and greed. If we can EXIT the EU - UKIP will scrap that Green Tax ... which will probably ruin David Camerons Dads Wind Turbine business hehe

Realistically it seems im too over-ambitious with the appliances then - oh well - back to the drawing board
Is there a list of things that i can power - realistically off-grid? As examples i mean.

Cobs

I have looked a bit. Look for AC/DC appliances. I have seen 32" TVs that run on 28w sold here at big box stores. Also look at appliances sold for the RV market. I believe you call them Caravans. There are AC/DC fridge/freezers that won't have a large surge and be very efficient. Stay away from anything that uses resistant heat. There are some stored heat cookers that are pretty cool that work on vacuum technology. They work like a crock pot but don't require heat after putting hot contents in them for the day.

[Cobs]

Thanks for your advice and tips, ill start looking around, havent heard of some of those things but ill look into them. I have a 50" TV - uses around 110 Watts, it also uses 55Watts when in standby - im glad i bought that meter to show me this

[TimJay]

If I understand you correctly, you putting power through a power cord with a male connector that plugs into a wall socket and the exposed male conductors will have 110v power. This is called a suicide cord and is not legal in the US. It would be dangerous in any country, but perhaps I have misunderstood what you are doing.

I purchased a manual transfer switch which is connected on the load side. I can power any circuit (it is a 10 circuit switch) independently of the grid, but it is really designed for a generator when the power goes out. Theoretically I could put solar on any circuit in my cabin while the grid powers all other circuits.

If you watch the video in the link: http://store.mwands.com/grid-tie-fee...o-30vdc-input/ there is a disconnect switch between the panels and the inverter so the inverter is dead until after it is plugged in and the switch is closed.

[lkruper]

If you watch the video in the link: http://store.mwands.com/grid-tie-fee...o-30vdc-input/ there is a disconnect switch between the panels and the inverter so the inverter is dead until after it is plugged in and the switch is closed.

That same logic could be used without the switch, however, the prohibition exists to prevent even someone who understands the risks from making a mistake of judgment from hurting themselves or others. A manual transfer switch breaks the connection from the grid before making the connection to the auxiliary power, making it impossible to create a problem.

What prevents someone from unplugging the inverter from the socket when it is live?