On 08/12/2010 07:46 AM, Aaron Toponce wrote: > On Thu, Aug 12, 2010 at 07:26:54AM -0600, Michael Torrie wrote: >> Won't you need a bank of batteries anyway to hold the electricity >> generated by the solar panels? IE you're going to be dealing with even >> more batteries now. > > Yes. I'm looking at SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries for that. Due to > the ammount of current that will be drawn, I've heard from various > sources that these are the most reliable. So, maybe I'll start at a car > junkyard, and see what I can find there. :)
Regular UPS units use normal, sealed leadacid batteries. Anyway, going solar is a neat idea. Let us know how it works out and how the economics fly. Are you planning, then, an off-grid system? In some cases solar power (or even wind) is really complicated. You can arrange to sell electricity back to the grid, and then draw from the grid during no sunshine periods, making the grid act as a sort of battery for you. But in most states the politics are such that while you can make your net electricity rate 0, but you have to still pay the line fees. So being completely neutral with the electrical company is quite difficult. /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
