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Old 11-20-2016, 07:50 PM   #81
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Wind isn't everywhere. the best wind, most consistent, is 40-60 feet (or higher). Trees will interfere with gettint genny up that high.

I live in a high location and looked into a seriously sized windmill..it can be done but it's not economically feasible. Cost per kwh would be 33c..I can buy all I want at 12c. And no extra insurance, giving up yard, worring about maintence, neighbor issues, dead birds, increased taxes, etc.

As for solar..a friend just had solar city cover her roof in panels..she was told they will cover 97% of elec needs.

Hmm...no cost to her for the install or mtce..from what I could get out of her the solar power is sold to the utility (solar city gets paid) and she gets a credit (paid) for the energy generated, which offsets her normal elec bill.

OK..we had 3" of snow today..so sunny or not the panels are doing NOTHING. Can't see the sun under all that snow.

And I assume, since my car windows and how windows get dirty, the panels do too whiich reduces efficiency but being on the roof of a house..I don't see her cleaning them.

When you have no alternative, need only minimal power, then sure, solar is probably a great option. But with limits and trade offs.

Like a genset. Investment, limit on output, needs fueled, makes noise. BUT you can get a big one, run it 24/7, etc.

Solar only works in the day, and only well in sunny location, and you need storage for the power (weight, cost).

I"d like to see the math on solar output vs genset - I suspect a gensiet is less than solar panels and you can charge the same batteries so only need to run the genset a little bit to do so.

OK, so not as green...and I'd like to be green...I'd like to be off grid..but I'm not into 1840s living either!
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Originally Posted by MOODMAN View Post
Why is there never any discussion about wind power? Its cheaper, and nearly silent, and works even at night and in the shade!
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Old 11-21-2016, 02:34 PM   #82
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is it practical?
Wind turbines may or may not be practical, depending on your situation.

Wind turbines work best with a steady wind. Gusty winds from a constantly varying direction DO NOT work well. I learned that in Alaska where every wind turbine we experimented with - including Antarctica-rated models - self-destructed during the winter.

At the other extreme, sailboats have used wind turbines quite successfully for keeping batteries going. The wind turbines actually seem to do better than solar most of the time because of the tilt angles, limited real estate, and shadowing that prevent solar from doing well.

But wind turbines are not silent. The best are quite tolerable and able to be talked over - unlike a nearby generator. You also have spinning blades that are a hazard to living things that get too close. And a turbine that will generate useful power in a 10MPH wind has to be shut down in a 30MPH wind so it doesn't self-destruct.

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Old 01-29-2017, 09:54 AM   #83
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lifepo4 batteries are awesome! i have a 400ah pack (16 x 100ah, 4p4s configuration) that i am now 5 days in running on. They are much smaller and lighter than a equivalent lead acid deep cycle batteries (which would be 800ah or more to compare).

i have 5 x 255watt panels on the roof, a midnite classis 200 solar controller and projecta ip2000 watt inverter. These batteries had no issues running my 6kw output domestic split system for 8 1/4 hours on a hot one we had the other day. Very impressed.

I'm still to clean up some wiring. But good to be basically off grid down here in Australia.
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Old 01-29-2017, 12:04 PM   #84
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JohnW,

Are you saying that you ran air conditioning for 8 hours on batteries alone? For me, that is the holy grail of camping off grid.

So, if so, then how many hours of sunshine is needed to recharge the batteries enough so that you could do this every day?
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Old 01-29-2017, 08:10 PM   #85
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from the battery bank yes, but the solar panels where providing charge at the same time. during the day and 8 1/4 hours of a/c usage my batteries gained charge to be basically full by the afternoon. so this system on a good hot day i know i can sit comfortably in the van (trailer) with the a/c running and not deplete my battery, it will actually make charge.


on the 1st discharge i ever gave the battery bank i ran the tv and stereo, fridge (all 240 volt via inverter) and all the lights (12 volt) to try and drain the bank down to 20%. it wasn't happening very fast so i put the a/c on around 11.45am and ran it (battery was only down to 78% at that stage).
by 3 in the afternoon i had only got it down to 37% so put the panels back on to gather some charge for the night (turned a/c off) so it ran the a/c for a bit over 3 hours with everything else on battery alone with no solar input.
as it was 3pm when i put the panels on the sun already was on a angle, from then onto sun down i charged back up to 62% for the night which is plenty to run the lights, fridge and tv.
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Old 01-29-2017, 08:35 PM   #86
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How big is your trailer? What size is your a/c? How hot was it outside your trailer? 8 hours must be a lot of batteries, I'm to old now to buy a expensive solar system but if you can afford a solar system that can power a 15k a/c then go for it. I wish I could, DW doesn't like to dry camp and I do and guess who wins that


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Old 01-29-2017, 09:02 PM   #87
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we have a 2008 32' wildwood imported to Australia.

the split system is a domestic fujitsu 6kw cooling (1.59kw input) 7.2kw heating (1.77kw input). much more efficient and quieter than the rooftop a/c it came with.


on that day it was only 31.8 degress celcius outside, no breeze. was more so a test than anything.

the battery bank is only a 400ah lifepo4 setup. i wouldn't try it with lead acid of only 400ah.
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Old 01-29-2017, 09:28 PM   #88
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on the 1st discharge i ever gave the battery bank i ran the tv and stereo, fridge (all 240 volt via inverter) and all the lights (12 volt) to try and drain the bank down to 20%. it wasn't happening very fast so i put the a/c on around 11.45am and ran it (battery was only down to 78% at that stage).
by 3 in the afternoon i had only got it down to 37% so put the panels back on to gather some charge for the night (turned a/c off) so it ran the a/c for a bit over 3 hours with everything else on battery alone with no solar input.
as it was 3pm when i put the panels on the sun already was on a angle, from then onto sun down i charged back up to 62% for the night which is plenty to run the lights, fridge and tv.
I assume you know draining less than 50% is bad for your batteries?
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Old 01-29-2017, 09:32 PM   #89
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these are lifepo4 lithium batteries. these can go down to 20% daily for their entire life. some take them down lower. this is just another reason why they are so much better than lead acid deep cycle batteries. you actually do get your ~400ah worth out of them.
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Old 01-29-2017, 09:42 PM   #90
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these are lifepo4 lithium batteries. these can go down to 20% daily for their entire life. some take them down lower. this is just another reason why they are so much better than lead acid deep cycle batteries. you actually do get your ~400ah worth out of them.
Must be big bucks.
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Old 01-29-2017, 10:30 PM   #91
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$2880 aud for the 16 cells, $86 aud for the interconnects. when worked out for the price of deep cycle lead batteries of the same ah rating which is 800ah minimum (and that's actual useage ah's) they aren't that much more expensive. plus instead of a ~260kg battery bank only weighs 52kg's.
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Old 01-29-2017, 11:15 PM   #92
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I use our to maintain our battery when stored. Batteries are always ready when we need them.
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Old 01-30-2017, 07:33 AM   #93
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$2880 aud for the 16 cells, $86 aud for the interconnects. when worked out for the price of deep cycle lead batteries of the same ah rating which is 800ah minimum (and that's actual useage ah's) they aren't that much more expensive. plus instead of a ~260kg battery bank only weighs 52kg's.

I can't afford $3,000.00 for batteries, I already have two Honda's. But hey if you can afford it then do it. If I was younger I might try it. If your battery bank could run my 15k a/c in my Cedar Creek fifth wheel in 90 degree heat it would be worth the money and just boondock all the time


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Old 01-30-2017, 07:42 AM   #94
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A lot of places in Australia now don't allow the use of generators. I don't have one yet but will be buying one when i can afford it for those rainy, miserable non solar days.
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Old 01-30-2017, 08:38 AM   #95
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we have a 2008 32' wildwood imported to Australia.

the split system is a domestic fujitsu 6kw cooling (1.59kw input) 7.2kw heating (1.77kw input). much more efficient and quieter than the rooftop a/c it came with.

on that day it was only 31.8 degress celcius outside, no breeze. was more so a test than anything.

the battery bank is only a 400ah lifepo4 setup. i wouldn't try it with lead acid of only 400ah.
Do you mean 6K BTU cooling? with a 1590 Watt load? I like your system and the mini-split AC / heat pump, but for some of us 6K BTU would cool maybe half of the RV on a moderately hot day... 89 F here in FL, would be such a day. I would need 2 of these for my Hyperlite 29HFS... maybe 3.

I would think the 1590W you quoted would be for start up. My 13.5K Dometic roof top runs on about 1760W; nearly double that to start it.

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Old 01-30-2017, 10:29 AM   #96
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roof tops are loud and inefficient. this is a domestic type split system you find mounted in a house. much more efficient not to mention quieter.

89 F is only 31.6 degrees Celsius.. that's moderate here in Australia.

yes the 1590 watts may just be start up, most i seen on the victron bvm was ~900 watt draw while running.
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Old 01-30-2017, 10:34 AM   #97
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Interesting issue. Splits are more efficient since virtually all of them are inverter driven and therefore offer variable compressor output. Don't know why rooftop RV units haven't switched to inverter drive, although it is more expensive.
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Old 01-30-2017, 11:59 AM   #98
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Interesting issue. Splits are more efficient since virtually all of them are inverter driven and therefore offer variable compressor output. Don't know why rooftop RV units haven't switched to inverter drive, although it is more expensive.
I think you just answered your own question. Until a lot more CG's start charging everyone for electric, there's no incentive for AC efficiency.
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Old 01-30-2017, 07:50 PM   #99
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i paid AUD $1700 for mine. can't get the same specs in a roof top a/c unit for that price down here.
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Old 02-01-2017, 08:33 AM   #100
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roof tops are loud and inefficient. this is a domestic type split system you find mounted in a house. much more efficient not to mention quieter.

89 F is only 31.6 degrees Celsius.. that's moderate here in Australia.

yes the 1590 watts may just be start up, most i seen on the victron bvm was ~900 watt draw while running.
I've seen these units on small trailers in the past and thought what a great idea... if you have room for it.

900W sounds right... Roof top units are all you say and more.

I bought a Haier 10K BTU portable for the toy bay, since my trailer needs two ACs when it is really hot. It has three modes: fan only, dehumidifier, and cooling... as well as... remote control. It is very quiet. It has the single duct to the outside and a tank if it can't evaporate the water it collects fast enough, but so far even here, the tank remains empty. The down side is its in the way, but doable. The pros, beside what I mentioned, is the price $400, that I can move it to the house and cool a bedroom nicely and I can power it from a Honda 2000EU which would let me close off the space and sleep back there, which I have not done, yet. I also ran it on my magnum MS-2012, but with 460AH of FLA will go quickly. It was just a test to prove the 2000W inverter under a good load. I wonder why you don't see remote control for standard rooftop units?
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