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Search: Posts Made By: Bob McGovern
Forum: Solar Power 03-18-09, 09:18 PM
Replies: 1
Views: 4,600
Posted By Bob McGovern
I'm hoping you mean these folks...

I'm hoping you mean these folks (http://www.power-save.com/solar.html) and NOT these folks (http://www.power-save1200.com/1200.html)?

Interesting that California requires nominal 1kW system to use...
Forum: Wind Power 03-18-09, 11:52 AM
Replies: 2
Views: 8,087
Posted By Bob McGovern
Those are all big names in small wind, and very...

Those are all big names in small wind, and very reliable sources. Sagrillo and Woofenden approach wind from the residential installer's POV, so they focus on what works over theory or gee-whiz...
Forum: Other Improvements 03-17-09, 06:13 PM
Replies: 8
Views: 6,504
Posted By Bob McGovern
Cheap ones just suppress the voltage by resistive...

Cheap ones just suppress the voltage by resistive loading or by a form of pulse-width modulation -- turning the panels off and on rapidly to create a 'phantom' voltage lower than the actual. In...
Forum: Other Improvements 03-16-09, 04:22 PM
Replies: 8
Views: 6,504
Posted By Bob McGovern
This....

This. (http://www.affordable-solar.com/outback-FLEXmax-60-mppt-charge-controller.htm) Multi Point Power Tracking. You know how PV panels make waaay over faceplate voltage, especially in cold...
Forum: Other Improvements 03-16-09, 02:57 PM
Replies: 8
Views: 6,504
Posted By Bob McGovern
Does the content come off as too negative or...

Does the content come off as too negative or discouraging? I was trying to show that designing an offgrid system involves difficult binds & tradeoffs; does it seem forbidding? I got a sense some...
Forum: Other Improvements 03-15-09, 09:13 PM
Replies: 8
Views: 6,504
Posted By Bob McGovern
Off grid living powerpoint

Not sure where this belongs, but here's a link (http://sites.google.com/a/wildblue.net/offgrid/Home) to the powerpoint slides that were part of a University of Wyoming Enrichment Programs class I...
Forum: Solar Power 02-26-09, 10:59 AM
Replies: 132
Views: 85,629
Posted By Bob McGovern
Correct. Four-wire 240 (hot-hot-N-ground),...

Correct. Four-wire 240 (hot-hot-N-ground), generally seen on (newer) clothes driers or ranges, employs only the two hot wires for the 240V loads. The neutral wire is used with either of the hot...
Forum: Renovations & New Construction 02-24-09, 05:31 PM
Replies: 8
Views: 11,587
Posted By Bob McGovern
Good idea. Houses lose a shocking amount of heat...

Good idea. Houses lose a shocking amount of heat thru floors, slabs, and foundations. We tend to focus on the attic and forget the bottom end.

Have you studied frost-protected shallow...
Forum: Wind Power 02-23-09, 11:37 AM
Replies: 7
Views: 11,895
Posted By Bob McGovern
Looking at your wind resource...

Looking at your wind resource (http://www.windatlas.ca/en/nav.php?field=EU&height=50&season=ANU&no=35), it might make sense. Fall and winter are pretty decent, especially near the lakes. Depends on...
Forum: Wind Power 02-21-09, 06:49 PM
Replies: 7
Views: 11,895
Posted By Bob McGovern
A brief wind power tutorial

Urps -- not sure how that happened. Thanks to this site's History feature, here's a recovered version.:)

***

I've found discussions surrounding wind energy usually benefit if people have a...
Forum: Wind Power 02-18-09, 10:09 PM
Replies: 14
Views: 12,710
Posted By Bob McGovern
Okay, here's some info ...

Okay, here's some info (http://www.awea.org/smallwind/michigan.html)on Michigan's net metering and incentives. It's not the worst I've seen, but the deck is firmly stacked in the utilities' favor. ...
Forum: Wind Power 02-18-09, 09:48 PM
Replies: 14
Views: 12,710
Posted By Bob McGovern
It's an interesting notion. Airplanes sweep...

It's an interesting notion. Airplanes sweep their wings back to slide the air stream away from the drag and turbulence of the fuselage. Tip spillage -- which is a major source of turbulence and...
Forum: Wind Power 02-18-09, 10:49 AM
Replies: 14
Views: 12,710
Posted By Bob McGovern
Usually they are on 'light-pole' type unguyed...

Usually they are on 'light-pole' type unguyed towers. SWWP has done an excellent job with distributorships and supporting homeowners in their zoning and utility negotiations. So these things are...
Forum: Wind Power 02-17-09, 11:21 AM
Replies: 6
Views: 6,361
Posted By Bob McGovern
Excellent question. The big commercial turbines...

Excellent question. The big commercial turbines do use gearboxes, although that's to get alternator speeds high; rotor speed is held steady via blade pitching. Some smallish turbines have...
Forum: Lawn and Garden 02-16-09, 12:46 AM
Replies: 40
Views: 33,642
Posted By Bob McGovern
Art Ludwig of Oasis Designs is the authority on...

Art Ludwig of Oasis Designs is the authority on gray water; even he has nearly given up on the notion. The thing about gray water is you have to use it right away. If you don't use a holding tank,...
Forum: Wind Power 02-15-09, 07:01 PM
Replies: 6
Views: 6,361
Posted By Bob McGovern
About small wind power, Part 1

Part 1: Reality Check

There's nothing quite as sexy in the homemade electricity world as a modest sized wind turbine. It moves. You can see it making power for you. Visions of cutting the grid...
Forum: Introductions 02-15-09, 05:06 PM
Replies: 7
Views: 5,046
Posted By Bob McGovern
Huh. Never seen that AirPump before. Sez it...

Huh. Never seen that AirPump before. Sez it draws 600+ watts, tho -- depending on its cycle time, that's a whole bunch. More efficient than electric resistance (which is awful), but that's a load...
Forum: Solar Power 02-15-09, 11:41 AM
Replies: 18
Views: 20,705
Posted By Bob McGovern
Rich: Both is better -- MPPT and tracking...

Rich: Both is better -- MPPT and tracking complement each other perfectly. Tracking pays off in the summer, adding 3-4 hours of charging time per day over fixed mounts. MPPT is great in northern...
Forum: Introductions 02-15-09, 11:12 AM
Replies: 7
Views: 5,046
Posted By Bob McGovern
Groar: our batts are Exide/GNB 3700 long-duration...

Groar: our batts are Exide/GNB 3700 long-duration cells...
Forum: Solar Power 02-15-09, 01:19 AM
Replies: 18
Views: 20,705
Posted By Bob McGovern
I have two of the Zomeworks passive trackers --...

I have two of the Zomeworks passive trackers -- no motors, just sloshes refrigerant back and forth in outriggers. They work pretty well. Rain confuses them -- but when it's raining, the solar ain't...
Forum: Wind Power 02-15-09, 12:15 AM
Replies: 6
Views: 6,107
Posted By Bob McGovern
Given that the large turbines rotate at around 40...

Given that the large turbines rotate at around 40 rpm, it would have to be low frequency. Subsonics can certainly travel some distance thru ground or water, but I'm guessing the headache story is...
Forum: Solar Heating 02-14-09, 05:36 PM
Replies: 38
Views: 30,477
Posted By Bob McGovern
Daox: You can do fun things with color. Reds...

Daox: You can do fun things with color. Reds absorb the least thermal gain (that's why it's red); greens, blues, grays, and of course black are best. It's a nasty job, but you might consider...
Forum: Introductions 02-14-09, 05:15 PM
Replies: 7
Views: 5,046
Posted By Bob McGovern
Thanks for the forum; WY offgridder here

Five and a half years ago, I bought 32 acres of the nakedest prairie imaginable and started building. The land was cheap because no utilities came near it (sadly, that condition will change next...
Forum: Wind Power 02-14-09, 04:40 PM
Replies: 6
Views: 6,107
Posted By Bob McGovern
It's always fun to research who is behind the...

It's always fun to research who is behind the anti-wind websites and blogs. Many are NIMBYs; I always ask people opposed to wind turbines in their viewshed how much electricity they use per month,...
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