PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) SYSTEM
PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) SYSTEM
at Solar Haven
We had planned to have a "utility entirety" system utilizing both electricity from the utility company and from our PV system. However,the local electric company wanted $5,000 to run the power in to us. That's after WE dug a four foot deep trench a quarter of a mile long for the cable. We said "no, thank you."
We are now "off the grid" -- relying totally on our own system of solar panels, batteries, and inverter to generate electricity. The system works fine and, frankly, it's a good feeling to be independent and to know we are helping our planet, albeit in a very small way, by not contributing to the pollution from burning coal and natural gas used to produce conventional electricity.
From the power generated by our twelve solar panels (shown above), stored in twelve batteries, and converted to 110 AC household current with an inverter, we can run all of our city gadgets (though not all at once): lights stereo receiver, tape deck, CD and DVD players TV and VCR computer, printer, and scanner coffee pot and coffee bean grinder microwave oventoaster oven vacuum cleanersmall refrigerator 1/2 horse power pump to bring water to our house from the storage tank power toolsconcrete mixer to build the foundations for the greenhouse and straw bale house and mix earthen plaster and lime plaster for the houseand other things...
"The amount of sunshine energy that hits the surface of the Earth
every minute is greater than the total amount of energy that the world's
human population consumes in a year!"
...
