Surviving my 1st scheduled Brown Out

[davewe]

Today was actually the 2nd scheduled Brown Out since we moved to Dumaguete, but we were out of town for the 1st one, so that doesn't count.

My wife was out of town this weekend also visiting the family and thanks to Kevin I knew a Brown Out was coming today from 8 - 5. Janet kept asking me what I was going to do and I kept procrastinating making any kind of decision.

Sure enough the power went off about 8:00. I spent the 1st couple of hours productively playing the guitar. Usually I don't play this long but with nothing else to do I got a good musical workout. I also spent an hour organizing my shop in the house we just moved into. Amazing how productive I was when I didn't have the Internet to interfere. 

My laptop was fully charged and with a ton of movies loaded on external drives I watched a movie directly from the laptop. That took me till noon. I went out for lunch at McDos. It was crowded but not unusually so.

I then headed south for Dauin. I had been wanting to find the Marine Reserve/Sanctuary where I'd heard there was a decent beach. Google maps guided me to an unlikely place - surely, I thought, this couldn't be it. But I parked my car behind a row of cars and walked to where people were heading. And there it was - bigger than I'd realized. I had my bathing suit on, got in the clear water. It was so refreshing and I was glad that I'd been forced to take the time to find the place.

So all in all, a pretty productive and fun day. Maybe I should do this once a week. I doubt the wife would agree though lol.

Edited October 1, 2017 by davewe

[Dave Hounddriver]

We all learn to handle the brown outs in our own way.  You learned quickly.  I got so exasperated and grumpy the first few times it happened as "brownouts" back in Canada were rare as hen's teeth.

I find most locals spend the day at the beach or the mall.  One of my friends likes to read so he takes a stack of books under a shady tree and reads most of the day. I have a battery and inverter system that supplies me my minimum power requirements so my routine does not change with a brown out.  Before that I used to like to go for a drive on those brown out days or join the crowds at the Oceans 24 pool.  Bottom line is that its still all good - even with a few brownouts a year.

[Castaway]

Brownouts are definitely survivable and yes, they can be made to be enjoyable… but why won’t DU30 focus on resolving this problem? It seems as if it should be made part of his anti-corruption platform.

“According to a recent Goldman Sachs report, the investment needed to set up modern power generation in the Philippines over the next few years totals some $46 billion. Yet investors are shying away because, in the words of Control Risks analyst Stephen Norris, “politically connected domestic conglomerates” hold sway and nepotism rules...”

http://world.time.com/2013/08/06/no-end-in-sight-to-the-energy-crisis-that-plagues-the-philippines/

 

[Dave Hounddriver]

7 minutes ago, Castaway said:

why won’t DU30 focus on resolving this problem?

Or why won't people take on the problem themselves?  Off grid solar systems are coming down in price to the point where the average person could control their own destiny where electricity is concerned. 

[Castaway]

5 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Off grid solar systems are coming down in price to the point where the average person could control their own destiny where electricity is concerned. 

Can the average Filipino (or even a foreigner living over here) afford to pay for it?

Maybe it has become cheaper and more affordable but the prices quoted in US Dollars during 2012 are out of my reach.

Off Grid Cost :

5kW of panels: $4,000

5kW Off Grid Capable Inverter + charge controller (e.g. Kaco + Selectronic): $5,500

40kWh of Sonnenschein AGL batteries (good quality German) : $12,000

Racking and Cabling (you’ve gotta wire up and mount all those batteries remember!): $2,000

Installation and commissioning: $3,000

Bottom of the range Integrated Diesel Generator (unless you don’t mind running out of electricity occasionally): $3,000

Less Solar Rebate (STCs): -$,3,500

Total: $26,000

https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/how-much-does-off-grid-solar-cost/

[Dave Hounddriver]

22 minutes ago, Castaway said:

Can the average Filipino (or even a foreigner living over here) afford to pay for it?

If you look at the number of kilowatt hours the average Filipino or even the average low budget foreigner uses in a month you will soon realize that those numbers you quoted are WAY over the top.  But of course each person's needs will vary.

For my needs, I could set up a system for 1 tenth the number you quoted, but that's just me, or is it?  A filipino family I know also did it for 1 tenth of the number you quoted and they have been using it for about 3 years now (Off grid system with switch to change over to the grid when their batteries run low).  A foreigner friend set up a grid tie-in system (not my favorite choice) for about 1 tenth of the number you quote.  Are you getting the impression that i am suggesting your numbers are for someone living in a first world country, not in Philippines 

EDIT:  My choice would be an off grid system with a throw switch to convert to mains power when my batteries get low.  I like the fact that the filipino family have been doing it since before it was popular and it still works great.  I like the fact that you only need the very minimal number of batteries and I like the fact that brownouts would not affect me.  I also like it that it is cheap enough that i would get my money back in just a couple of years by savings on the power bill.  I was just looking at it yesterday and I figure I could  get the necessary items for about US$ 2,500 . . . which ain't bad if you have it 

Edited October 2, 2017 by Dave Hounddriver

[Snowy79]

Scheduled brown outs! Now there's a thing I'd love. Over here in Puerto Galera they're replacing the electrical pylons supplying the whole area. Two companies were selected from a cast of two companies to carry out this task. We were informed it would take 300 days. 

One month into it they still haven't sussed out a replacement power supply. They got in 5 massive generators to replace the power but with the looks of things only four work and the guys operating them have little experience in their use. Supplied voltage has varied from just over 80v to 287v and regular brown outs. Thousands of electrical items have blown yet it's not their fault. 

There's been meetings where the mayor has turned up. The first one with an hour's notice the second one cancelled with no notice and the third one just a blaming match and lots of false promises. The director of the main company Ormeco was fired but refused to leave his post. Three weeks later he's still in charge and signing the company cheques. 

The latest is they've purchased a neutral earthing transformer that they had overlooked in the first place. That's currently stuck on the back of the delivery truck which got bogged in where it's difficult to recover. It's more fun in the Philippines as they say. 

Edited October 2, 2017 by Snowy79

[Castaway]

14 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I was just looking at it yesterday and I figure I could  get the necessary items for about US$ 2,500 . . . which ain't bad if you have it 

Sounds great!  Maybe my brother-in-law can install one for me?  He works cheap... all I need to do is take him to Cabalen first for an all u can eat meal. 

[scott h]

13 hours ago, davewe said:

Brown Out was coming today from 8 - 5.

Solution for short period brownouts?   Generator. Cheep, small, easy to set up and use.

[RBM]

36 minutes ago, scott h said:

Solution for short period brownouts?   Generator. Cheep, small, easy to set up and use.

Best answer, totally agree. A small diesel powered Gen set, say 7.5kva does not break the bank. Dumaguete and most parts of Negros do not suffer from prolonged brown outs.

I do know a person using a small petrol powered Gen set, says the cost of running it are prohibitive. Still be OK for night use I guess.