SOLAR POWERED GENERATOR

Lyn, Thank you so much for the information. I am checking the sites out now.

Make sure you take advantage of state and national rebates and tax advantages available now...

I will definately look into the rebates. Thank you.

Hi Funtlrn,

Well, there are two kinds (may be more) of Solar Powered Generators:

1. There is the direct solar powered generators.........like PV to Electric....Sterling Engine (rotating power).........or solar thermal heat collection system to provide rotating energy to a generator (the heat can be converted to steam to drive a turbine electric generator).

2. There is the indirect solar powered generators........like wind (being kenetic energy generated by solar radiation converted to wind by heating the earth mass) to electric turbines. There are other indirect solar powered generators.

I live in Tularosa, New Mexico, and I generate electric power with Photovoltaic Cells. Being retired, I buy a small amount of PV equipment each year, and "add-on" more power equipment as I can afford it. Bank financing is now available to install a complete solar powered generation system.

So, you seem to be wanting to use solar power to give you electric power for residential consumption. The standard PV setup for a residence is usually a 3 KW PV array, and is connected to the electric grid, and you are billed for the grid electricity and in some cases credited for PV power fed into the grid. With tax credits the cost would be (about), $20,000 for a solar contactor to install and connect 3 KW of PV panel system. The tax credit in New Mexico (state and federal tax rebates) would amount to about $6000 (federal) plus $4000 (state), and out of pocket would be about $10,000. That would amount to about $7 per watt installed.

So, you should carify your definition of Solar Powered Generator, and then decide which to apply. There are two kinds of PV power systems, A. is the "grid-tied" system which is connected to the "electric grid", B. is the "sole-sourced" poered system, and a battery storage system is need to furnish 24/7 output, and C. which is some combination of A and B.

My goal is to buy enough PV panels to generate most of my electricity for residential use, and to have an electric storage system (lead cell batteries), to use when sunlight in not available.

When I lived in rural New Mexico in the 1950's, wind powered electric and water well pumping was quite common. There was no "power grid" at that time. We operated a gasoline service station on US70/80, with a restaurant/motel combination. We had two propane powered IC engines to drive electric generators, and also had propane powered refrigerators.

The Alternative Energy industry is being developed to provide systems and installers for Solar Powered Generation Equipment. Go to NMSEA.org for more specific references. To have a self-sustain electric powered system using PV or wind is a low-cost way to furnish your power needs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

DRS

You might also look at WWW.VIVATSOLAR.CA

They produce some of the highest efficiency units made today. I use these PV's to power all the electronics in a mobile research lab. In this case, I need lots of DC to run the instruments in the interest of keeping the RF noise floor at the VERY lowest possible. Inverters are available but are rarely used to reduce RFI on board the vehicle. (Engine OFF when working in the field!) Most of the highest eff units come from Korea.

Thank you for the information. I checked out the site but it did not list products so I emailed them for more information. Sincerely, IB

In addition to rebates and tax credits there are also finance based incentives available in the market.

Mortgage programs specifically tailored to energy efficient improvement are currently available in the market place. These programs allow up to 100% of the cost of qualifying energy efficient improvements to be financed. This can apply to a new purchase or the refinance of an existing property.

Ask an experienced loan originator working for a federally chartered lending institution (for the widest variety of programs) about your specific situation.

If you do not already have a good relationship with an experienced originator, I am happy to answer any questions.

benjamin.griffin@enmcDirect.com

Benjamin Griffin

Eagle Nationwide Mortgage Company, a subsidiary of Eagle National Bank

Benbenben

p.s. I would log on, but have been unable to comment when logged on for several months. I have written the administrators of the sight, but the issue has not been resolved.