GCinDC's Giant DH Comp
- Thread starter GCinDC
- Start date
MAGICPIE3FOCUSPOWER
10 kW
Thanks! 8) 
What is the minimum difference spoke length for a good center wheel; 2 or 3mm ?
Or even longer?
What is the minimum difference spoke length for a good center wheel; 2 or 3mm ?
Or even longer?
GCinDC
100 MW
sounds about right but i think it depends on your wheel tooMAGICPIE3FOCUSPOWER said:
MAGICPIE3FOCUSPOWER
10 kW
Yeah you are right, I think I have to do try and error....
Thanks! 8)
Thanks! 8)
GCinDC
100 MW
been pretty busy... porch coming along, and shingles on just in time for the solar install this past tuesday:
the house is so high on the hill, you can't really see more than just the edges from the street. from the top:
second full day of solar good for 38.7kWh, 6 of 42 250W panels not yet sending data:
the house is so high on the hill, you can't really see more than just the edges from the street. from the top:
second full day of solar good for 38.7kWh, 6 of 42 250W panels not yet sending data:
melodious
100 kW
Where's all that daily energy going (assuming that your not there to take advantage of it)? Back into the grid at this point?
May be time to create a big big battery & inverter combo? Or an EV car?
May be time to create a big big battery & inverter combo? Or an EV car?
nicobie
100 MW
Wow! 42 x 250W panels! You must use a lot of electricity. I'm getting by with 13 x 275W ones. My system is putting out ~20 Ah on a good day, which is my average use per day, year round. Looks like I will be running a bit short in the winter though. I probably shouldn't have switched to electric hot water, but I couldn't resist. We'll see how it goes. I might add a couple more panels or maybe add a cheap low volume tankless gas pre-heater for the big electric water heater.
Looks like you went with the individual inverters like I did. Love the 25 yr warranty on them.
https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/systems/421424/graph/days (link might not work)
Looks like you went with the individual inverters like I did. Love the 25 yr warranty on them.
https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/systems/421424/graph/days (link might not work)
GCinDC
100 MW
db's right.
net metering for DC, from here.
what i gotta figure out next is how to handle the SRECs. for each MW that the system generates (roughly monthly for a system my size), i should get a check based on the market value of the SREC. at the moment it seems about $450 but am told it will drop to around $50 in 8 years, but still, should add up to ~$24k over 10 years. The company has offered to buy all my SREC rights from me for $10K off the system price now, but $14k difference is looking pretty juicy right now, so worth taking the hit if we can finagle it...
also, i'll be expecting our ~$1400 annual electric costs will drop to $10/month (fees). that's my hope anyway. having the panels soak in the summer heat rather than my roof should also reduce our need, since AC (air conditioning) is the biggest current draw in the summer.
my wife is very frugal and hangs clothes out to dry even in the winter - just bloody hates to run the dryer, but the dishwasher runs daily. i need to figure out all what appliances use what. now that i can see my hourly solar power generation, i really want to conserve!
edit: yeah, nicobie: 42 panels. our block had massive oak trees until 2 years ago, and when i inquired seriously about solar 5 years ago, i could only effectively put them on the top/back roof. the mindset was always, put as many as you damn can. it never occurred to me to put fewer, esp since our usage was so damn high..
as you know from the previous page, i worked out a panel layout w/ the salesman, but when the installers arrived, they took real measurements and the layout completely changed. i had to make a lot of stressful last minute decisions, but i'm pretty happy w/ the way it came out, with the exception of the back row of panels which stick way out and are really visible from the rear of the house:
whaddya think? do they look cool?
i'm going to be friggin sweating it come the next hurricane tho!
net metering for DC, from here.
what i gotta figure out next is how to handle the SRECs. for each MW that the system generates (roughly monthly for a system my size), i should get a check based on the market value of the SREC. at the moment it seems about $450 but am told it will drop to around $50 in 8 years, but still, should add up to ~$24k over 10 years. The company has offered to buy all my SREC rights from me for $10K off the system price now, but $14k difference is looking pretty juicy right now, so worth taking the hit if we can finagle it...
also, i'll be expecting our ~$1400 annual electric costs will drop to $10/month (fees). that's my hope anyway. having the panels soak in the summer heat rather than my roof should also reduce our need, since AC (air conditioning) is the biggest current draw in the summer.
my wife is very frugal and hangs clothes out to dry even in the winter - just bloody hates to run the dryer, but the dishwasher runs daily. i need to figure out all what appliances use what. now that i can see my hourly solar power generation, i really want to conserve!
edit: yeah, nicobie: 42 panels. our block had massive oak trees until 2 years ago, and when i inquired seriously about solar 5 years ago, i could only effectively put them on the top/back roof. the mindset was always, put as many as you damn can. it never occurred to me to put fewer, esp since our usage was so damn high..
as you know from the previous page, i worked out a panel layout w/ the salesman, but when the installers arrived, they took real measurements and the layout completely changed. i had to make a lot of stressful last minute decisions, but i'm pretty happy w/ the way it came out, with the exception of the back row of panels which stick way out and are really visible from the rear of the house:
whaddya think? do they look cool?
i'm going to be friggin sweating it come the next hurricane tho!
GCinDC
100 MW
i posted this once before, but newcomers might be interested... this house has come a long way!
[youtube]cJI4w1EPj5c[/youtube]
[youtube]cJI4w1EPj5c[/youtube]
nicobie
100 MW
Looks like you might be making good money with that large system. My net metering agreement limits excess energy buy back to about 25% of retail price. And the city keeps all the REC. I did get $1.50 a watt rebate though. My payback time will be about 5 years. Best investment I ever made.
I use almost exactly the same kWh as you do, but I have zero shade and live in central coast California. My system was sized with gas water heating in mind. But when the unit started leaking I bought an electric one. If I had stayed with gas I think my system would have covered my needs year around. Heating water is by far my biggest use of power. (we don't need AC in my area)
I love to read my meter every day to see how much $ I'm NOT giving the city. 8)
I use almost exactly the same kWh as you do, but I have zero shade and live in central coast California. My system was sized with gas water heating in mind. But when the unit started leaking I bought an electric one. If I had stayed with gas I think my system would have covered my needs year around. Heating water is by far my biggest use of power. (we don't need AC in my area)
I love to read my meter every day to see how much $ I'm NOT giving the city. 8)
GCinDC
100 MW
nice, nicobie. they're still trying to work out the bugs on my solar system. 6 panels aren't reporting data and now 4 microinverters are having probs..
re the bike, i finally got a timer for using while charging at work:
i just choose the 1 hr setting so it turns off automatically, so i don't have to worry about it overcharging, and also, i've noticed that if it the charger stays on, the controller stays a bit warm and heats up sooner on my return commute. now it's nice and cool by the time i head home so i go longer before it overheats..
and at home, i use this timer which is set to turn on at 5am and off at 7am, so it charges right before my AM commute.
my bike is awesome. no need for exercise with the road bike - just dashing home to work on the porch for an hour or two before fetching the kiddies...
re the bike, i finally got a timer for using while charging at work:
i just choose the 1 hr setting so it turns off automatically, so i don't have to worry about it overcharging, and also, i've noticed that if it the charger stays on, the controller stays a bit warm and heats up sooner on my return commute. now it's nice and cool by the time i head home so i go longer before it overheats..
and at home, i use this timer which is set to turn on at 5am and off at 7am, so it charges right before my AM commute.
my bike is awesome. no need for exercise with the road bike - just dashing home to work on the porch for an hour or two before fetching the kiddies...
The fingers
10 TW
Looks like it would the ideal spot for a Saturday evening neighborhood hootnanny. 8) A nice big porch swing hooked up to a generator might provide a few extra watts of power.
nicobie
100 MW
You building a boat or a porch?
just kidding...
just kidding...
GCinDC
100 MW
the solar guys came back and reset the system and all the panels seem to be working.
interesting to see hourly production vs consumption. cool to see how when panels start producing, grid consumption drops to zero. of course no one is home then to consume anything, so once we get home and fire up the appliances, consumption outpaces production...
can't wait till pepco installs the new meter and the meter starts going backward.
in other news, my wife's ebike is finally almost toast and i'm looking for another for her. back in winter 08 i bought her a 500W gm kit with a ping battery but it was all too heavy and powerful for her - she wanted a normal bike but w/ help on the hills. i loved the gm kit and so began my journey towards higher power. i bought her a 250W bionx kit and put it on a used women's comfort bike, and she's been riding it daily, rain or shine, 10 miles round trip per day. she must have put over 10,000 miles on it. i replaced the bottom bracket on it earlier this year (thanks for you help dbaker!), but the bike itself is junk now, and the battery is dead. so what should i get her?
gotta be lightweight. 20mph tops - she wants no faster. i'm eyeing this one, a bit heavy at 58lbs, but looks solid, and the disk brakes will be a huge plus for her. pretty value at $1499:
interesting to see hourly production vs consumption. cool to see how when panels start producing, grid consumption drops to zero. of course no one is home then to consume anything, so once we get home and fire up the appliances, consumption outpaces production...
can't wait till pepco installs the new meter and the meter starts going backward.
in other news, my wife's ebike is finally almost toast and i'm looking for another for her. back in winter 08 i bought her a 500W gm kit with a ping battery but it was all too heavy and powerful for her - she wanted a normal bike but w/ help on the hills. i loved the gm kit and so began my journey towards higher power. i bought her a 250W bionx kit and put it on a used women's comfort bike, and she's been riding it daily, rain or shine, 10 miles round trip per day. she must have put over 10,000 miles on it. i replaced the bottom bracket on it earlier this year (thanks for you help dbaker!), but the bike itself is junk now, and the battery is dead. so what should i get her?
gotta be lightweight. 20mph tops - she wants no faster. i'm eyeing this one, a bit heavy at 58lbs, but looks solid, and the disk brakes will be a huge plus for her. pretty value at $1499:
Her Bionix worked great with what size battery? 36 volt 10ah? IIRC Bionix must be throttle control only and non geared hub? How many flats does she get? For low power sine wave controllers are nice and quiet. If that bike pictured had a Bafang geared hub it would be lighter. Consider a Bafang mid drive. Easy to fit to a regular aluminum disc frame, flats are easy to fix, and one of the lighter solutions.
dan974
1 kW
I 'll get a BBS02 greg, no doubt, on nice effective cable disc brake and a 6 speeds cassette or 3 speed hub if she doesn't not have steep hills, she can choose her assistance level and so speed...
http://www.specialized.com/fr/fr/bikes/multi-use/expedition
the expedition is a very good one in v brake and she can remove the batt, ....lots of adavantage...TIME for a move to Middrive ? :lol:
have the 10KW DHcomp, and a cruiser in BBS02 , I loved the BBS02 for commuting like in a sofa...buying the bred...the saucisson and getting some more wine when I can't drive anymore :lol: :lol: a front shopping cart is the best investment
all the advantages given above are true...you should give it credit...just take care to choose a 68 bbracket BSA (std screwed)
http://www.specialized.com/fr/fr/bikes/multi-use/expedition
the expedition is a very good one in v brake and she can remove the batt, ....lots of adavantage...TIME for a move to Middrive ? :lol:
have the 10KW DHcomp, and a cruiser in BBS02 , I loved the BBS02 for commuting like in a sofa...buying the bred...the saucisson and getting some more wine when I can't drive anymore :lol: :lol: a front shopping cart is the best investment
all the advantages given above are true...you should give it credit...just take care to choose a 68 bbracket BSA (std screwed)
GCinDC
100 MW
nothing special, just usual shenanigans:
[youtube]o32lYjHcuss[/youtube]
just found out our office is moving sometime before thanksgiving. going to be very close to capitol bldg. doubt i'll find a good charging setup but we'll see.
[youtube]o32lYjHcuss[/youtube]
just found out our office is moving sometime before thanksgiving. going to be very close to capitol bldg. doubt i'll find a good charging setup but we'll see.
Ypedal
100 TW
Nice solar !!.. i dipped my toe in the pond last week and ordered a box of tabbed cells to mess around with and learn.. i hope this does not turn into yet another obsession hobby..
GCinDC
100 MW
pepco changed my meter yesterday, and i was puzzled when i looked at it, till i realized it must have started at 000000 and then moved backward with the generation from the rest of the day!
dnmun
1 PW
will you now consider adding solar hot water panels to the roof too? i found that passive solar heating of the house with large south facing windows provided the highest energy input to the house i built in the mountains. but there you have to worry about solar gain in the summer.
GCinDC
100 MW
no room on the roof now! plus i installed an on demand gas heater for hot water when i built the house, so no waste heating a tank. also really happy that the panels are soaking up the heat to the roof now, so need less AC up there. :wink:dnmun said:
funny how now i turn off lights all the time now!
nicobie
100 MW
GCinDC said:
I find myself doing the same. Before I didn't much give a damn. Now I get irritated at myself if I leave the shop lights on. (800 Wh draw)
Right before I had my system installed my gas water heater died and I switched it out with a 50 gal. electric thinking that my system could cover it. It does fine now but in the winter it just won't cut it. I found a new Chinese 12 liter tankless heater on ebay for $142 delivered and it's doing the job, saving lots of kWh. God knows how long a $142 unit will last, but if it's still working after 4 months I won't care as it will have more than paid for itself.
I'm curious how many kWh your 42 panels are putting out. My 13 275W panels are giving me an average of 18 kWh a day, which is about 2 or 3 more than I use. That should be enough savings to get me through our very mild winters. I really don't want to end up with a surplus at the end of the year as my utility co. only pays back $.04 kWh even though they charge for tier 1 pricing (under 400 kWh/month) .17 kWh. It goes way up from there.
dnmun
1 PW
i use a 120k btu tankless Bosch unit to heat the water here and i store the heated water in a 30 gallon electric tank. the tankless heater draws water from the bottom of the tank using a small Taco 8B pump and pumps it through the tankless heater back into the tank through the top and cuts off when the tank reaches full temp.
by adjusting the gas flow i am able to cut the gas flow to about 34k btu input and still have the exhaust be warm enuff to transport the flue gas outside. i got it up to about 95% efficiency and if i try to go higher by reducing the heat input below 33k btu then the exhaust is not warm enuff to carry all the flue gas outside. my flue gas vent runs horizontally through the floor joist and exits out the side of the outside wall so it doesn't have much rise to pull out the exhaust gasses.
so cheap to heat water it is criminal. talking 4 girls and me, totals about $18/mth for hot water.
i also derated my forced air gas furnace to push the efficiency up from about 50% stock to around 75% by reducing the gas flow to about 55k btu from 120k btu. i had to change the blower speed to keep the furnace from shutting down for low temp during the cycle. makes it quieter too. just runs longer to make the same amount of heat.
but mostly i heat with wood i get for free. already had my third fire in the wood stove. cool mornings. 8 tons of free wood in the way on my porch and carport so i gotta use any excuse to burn it. i spent all summer keeping it cool below 70 inside by opening the windows at night and closing in the day. now i keep the windows closed all the time and trying to keep the temp inside above 68.
passive solar heating is best though imo. the house i built in the mountains will be about 80 inside at night after a day with outside temps around 10, when the sky is clear which it is in winter in colorado at 8500 feet.
by adjusting the gas flow i am able to cut the gas flow to about 34k btu input and still have the exhaust be warm enuff to transport the flue gas outside. i got it up to about 95% efficiency and if i try to go higher by reducing the heat input below 33k btu then the exhaust is not warm enuff to carry all the flue gas outside. my flue gas vent runs horizontally through the floor joist and exits out the side of the outside wall so it doesn't have much rise to pull out the exhaust gasses.
so cheap to heat water it is criminal. talking 4 girls and me, totals about $18/mth for hot water.
i also derated my forced air gas furnace to push the efficiency up from about 50% stock to around 75% by reducing the gas flow to about 55k btu from 120k btu. i had to change the blower speed to keep the furnace from shutting down for low temp during the cycle. makes it quieter too. just runs longer to make the same amount of heat.
but mostly i heat with wood i get for free. already had my third fire in the wood stove. cool mornings. 8 tons of free wood in the way on my porch and carport so i gotta use any excuse to burn it. i spent all summer keeping it cool below 70 inside by opening the windows at night and closing in the day. now i keep the windows closed all the time and trying to keep the temp inside above 68.
passive solar heating is best though imo. the house i built in the mountains will be about 80 inside at night after a day with outside temps around 10, when the sky is clear which it is in winter in colorado at 8500 feet.
