Three Berries
Active member
So what do you do for brownouts or extended power outages? They are predicting it for the Midwest this summer, probably not the extended outages. I have two generators but that gets expensive in a hurry.
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Brownouts
- Thread starter Three Berries
- Start date
Three Berries
Active member
I was thinking solar and battery but then that's around $15k. Just looking at the specs for my light and fan and they are rated at 100-240v volt. Never had brownouts before so don't know the effect really.
goingrey
Well-known member
Yeah that's a huge investment if it's just for brownouts but then again it's not just for that, you'll save on your electricity bill and if you make more than you use might even be able to sell some back to the grid. My parents just got some installed I'll see how they feel about them after some time...
Wonder if you could DIY some small setup that can run a low powered backup light and a fan or two for a reasonable cost?
Especially in the summer there's always the option of taking the plants outdoors, of course.
Petrochemical
Active member
Anyway you could use nat sunlight?
Three Berries
Active member
Legally I either have to be connected to the grid with all the bells and whistles and fees or it has to be completely independent. been toying with the ideal of a 1Kw set up but really need 2 or 3 times that to be independent.
Maybe I should be slowly changing my light schedule for more like natural daylight if I would need to take them outside. I 'm running at night mostly for the flower..
Maybe I should be slowly changing my light schedule for more like natural daylight if I would need to take them outside. I 'm running at night mostly for the flower..
Three Berries
Active member
Do you start to reduce the light time at the end of flower?
It's almost 12/12 outside here now.
Living out in the Third World sticks where uninterrupted grid electricity is rarely seen, I have noticed that a few hours of darkness now and then have no detrimental effect during the vegetative portion of plant growth. Switching to solar is a great idea for anyone who can afford the initial cost, because that is the surest way to attain complete independence from the utilities powers that be.
troutman
Seed Whore
No, when finishing up my veg time.
pjlive
Active member
Would multiple APC UPS Backup Supply packs help in your brownout situation? I think each of those would only be good up to 120 mins at 600 VA / 300W, tho. Three of those would provide about 6 hours @ 300W of relief but unfortunately can't be daisy chained. Much more cost effective than Solar + Batteries but not sure about the duration of times you need to be prepared for.
Three Berries
Active member
Actually at one time I was set up for a large 24v battery backup for computers. The battery is no good. I'll have to see if I have an inverter.
In a couple of weeks my Electric Coop has their annual meeting. Free meal and entertainment and they are having demonstration and answer session on solar power. They have a $500 fee to inspect before you can get hooked up to the grid with it.
In a couple of weeks my Electric Coop has their annual meeting. Free meal and entertainment and they are having demonstration and answer session on solar power. They have a $500 fee to inspect before you can get hooked up to the grid with it.
Three Berries
Active member
We are being warned about what is to come this summer.
townhall.com
The people of the upper Midwest will pay the price this summer. Their multi-state grid operator, MISO, has warned that it will be 5 GWs short of electricity this summer. California also could be up to5 GWs short, enough to power 1.3 million homes. Texas warned that there might not be enough electricity for last week’s unexpected 90° weather, or for hotter days coming this summer.
The Day the Electricity Died
townhall.com
The people of the upper Midwest will pay the price this summer. Their multi-state grid operator, MISO, has warned that it will be 5 GWs short of electricity this summer. California also could be up to5 GWs short, enough to power 1.3 million homes. Texas warned that there might not be enough electricity for last week’s unexpected 90° weather, or for hotter days coming this summer.
To anyone who is thinking of going the whole hog to invest in a solar power system for their home that uses rooftop panels to charge banks of deep cycle batteries through a charge controller, it is vital that all UPS systems previously used with computers MUST be removed completely. Any UPS that is left connected to the solar-powered deep-cycle battery bank will continuously charge up at the expense of the deep cycle batteries which in turn will run down extremely fast.
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Three Berries
Active member
Going to the annual meeting of my electric coop this week. They have a demonstration of solar set ups. But here are the requirements if I want to set one up, just from them. There are also local zoning laws that have to be adhered to too.
And have to have a approved installer do the work, even though Illinois has no electrical licensing requirements. And full retail cost is based on a wholesale cost of around 3.4 cents a KWH.
With Net Billing, members using a renewable energy systems first utilize their generated power at their location, getting full retail value for those generated kilowatt-hours (kWh). Any time the renewable energy system is producing more energy than the location is using, the excess energy is sent to our electric grid. At the end of the month, EIEC pays the member for that excess energy at our on-peak wholesale energy rate.
To qualify for our Net Billing program, your renewable energy system MUST:
STEP 1
Contact us at 800-824-5102 or renewables@eiec.coop to let us know you’re interested in a system. Download this handy guide on questions to ask your solar contractor.
STEP 2
Provide us with the following information:
We will study your application materials to determine its impact on our system. Based on the size and your location, there may be additional engineering study fees, and other utilities may have to determine impact as well. Once the potential system is approved, we will let you know so your contractor/installer can begin the installation.
STEP 4
Once installed, but before the system is turned on and energized, please let us know.
STEP 5
We’ll inspect your system and install some special metering equipment. We’ll also have you sign our interconnection agreement. Your installer can then fully energize the system.
www.eiec.org
And have to have a approved installer do the work, even though Illinois has no electrical licensing requirements. And full retail cost is based on a wholesale cost of around 3.4 cents a KWH.
With Net Billing, members using a renewable energy systems first utilize their generated power at their location, getting full retail value for those generated kilowatt-hours (kWh). Any time the renewable energy system is producing more energy than the location is using, the excess energy is sent to our electric grid. At the end of the month, EIEC pays the member for that excess energy at our on-peak wholesale energy rate.
To qualify for our Net Billing program, your renewable energy system MUST:
- have a nameplate rating of 100 kW or less (AC).
- be sized to offset no more than 110% of the account's energy requirements over the previous 12 months.
STEP 1
Contact us at 800-824-5102 or renewables@eiec.coop to let us know you’re interested in a system. Download this handy guide on questions to ask your solar contractor.
STEP 2
Provide us with the following information:
- Signed Renewable Energy Member Agreement
- Completed interconnection application
- One-line diagram of your system
- Specification sheets for both your panels and inverter
- Proof of $1 million insurance policy coverage (sample)
- $500 application fee (non-refundable)
- Engineering study fee (varies based on the location and size of your system)
We will study your application materials to determine its impact on our system. Based on the size and your location, there may be additional engineering study fees, and other utilities may have to determine impact as well. Once the potential system is approved, we will let you know so your contractor/installer can begin the installation.
STEP 4
Once installed, but before the system is turned on and energized, please let us know.
STEP 5
We’ll inspect your system and install some special metering equipment. We’ll also have you sign our interconnection agreement. Your installer can then fully energize the system.
Net Billing | Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative
Eastern Illini is pleased to offer a Net Billing program for our members, now that our Net Metering program is fully subscribed.
www.eiec.org
Whatever you do, run away from a Sunrun solar lease deal. You will not own the equipment that is on your roof, and the house will be impossible to sell at market price.
Three Berries
Active member
I had some company sent out email to the locals and offered an estimate. When I got mine they had the wrong house and mine sits facing E/W so the roof is no good unless set across the short width on the north end of the house. But the same solar coverage is at the ground level there too. They declined as there was not enough return for them to cash in first apparently.
It always has been for the little guy a complete independent setup of individual circuits with manual transfer, or put up with the outage.
Hiddenjems
Well-known member
Run all of your flower rooms at night. Brownouts usually happen when air conditioning loads peak mid afternoon.
Ca++
Well-known member
UPS is good
Uninteruptable Power Supply. $50 for a used one that supplies 300w for 20 minutes. In effect, it houses a battery charger, a battery, and an inverter to make mains voltage from the battery. Like an RV would have. You could choose to make such an item, but $50 will keep your timer turning, and a few lights, to keep a room awake. There are certainly bigger ones than 300w, but 300 is a standard, and will often be paired with a PC tower, to power it down. Thus, it may have a comms port to signal a tower to shut down. The tower can first use the internet to tell you it's happening. As your router will also be plugged into the UPS. This way, you can leg it over there, and start spinning your fan with your finger.
Be aware of inverter tech having two types of AC output. Many are square or simulated sine. You need real sinewave. This costs a lot more, but some kit won't be happy with simulated. Even my fan controller wasn't happy.
Uninteruptable Power Supply. $50 for a used one that supplies 300w for 20 minutes. In effect, it houses a battery charger, a battery, and an inverter to make mains voltage from the battery. Like an RV would have. You could choose to make such an item, but $50 will keep your timer turning, and a few lights, to keep a room awake. There are certainly bigger ones than 300w, but 300 is a standard, and will often be paired with a PC tower, to power it down. Thus, it may have a comms port to signal a tower to shut down. The tower can first use the internet to tell you it's happening. As your router will also be plugged into the UPS. This way, you can leg it over there, and start spinning your fan with your finger.
Be aware of inverter tech having two types of AC output. Many are square or simulated sine. You need real sinewave. This costs a lot more, but some kit won't be happy with simulated. Even my fan controller wasn't happy.
