Today I helped a friend organize his solar panels and figure out what angles would be best for catching the suns rays during the coming winter season. Since this is in Ohio, we figure 4-6 hours of useful sunlight during the day, anything on top of that is a bonus of course. With a bank of three 420 Amp Hour batteries(128lbs. each)and a 3,500 watt inverter, I figure he should be able to run everything that would be reasonably needed on a daily basis should the power go out suddenly. If he adds three or more panels and a couple more batteries, he could do whatever he wanted except run his furnace full time, but this is the guy who slept with his bedroom window open for the last three winters and his glass of water next to the bed would be partially frozen by morning, so perhaps he doesnt care about heat as much as others would.

Solar power on this scale is something I have little experience with, some of the yachts in the Bahamas have solar panels on top to trickle charge the marine deep cycle batteries, but that is it. In a perpetually sunny country like the Bahamas solar power is pretty much illegal. Why? Because the Bahamian Government owns the power stations.

EDIT: Since some may have a hard time believing me when I say solar power is pretty much illegal in the Bahamas, the Bahamas Electricity Act says:

"Except with the approval of the Minister and in conformity with any conditions to which any such approval may be made subject, no person other than the Corporation shall install or operate in New Providence any generating station with a generating capacity exceeding 250 kilowatts.
This was "provided that the prohibition imposed by this section shall not apply to any standby generating plant which is used only for the supply of energy in case of the failure of the energy supply by the Corporation or other emergency. The Minister shall not refuse his approval under this section for the installation or operation of any generating station by any person in any case in which the energy required by such person cannot be supplied or cannot be supplied within a reasonable time by the Corporation.
"Any person who installs or operates or permits the operation of any generating station in contravention of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offense and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $3,000 and, in the case of a continuing offense, to a further penalty of one $150 for each day that the offense continues."



And That Is All

TheADONIS