Best Electric Generator For Back-Up Power.

[robert k]

Jake, if you are going to be off grid, I would be thinking of a bank of about 6 of those in a battery box that stays on your vehicle  and use some heavy guage welding leads as short as possible to connect to the house. Have a couple of batteries in the house you can switch to when you are away with the vehicle to maintain the refrigerator and a few fans for anyone who stays home, or you could have a small backup generator and I mean "small". I think that off grid, airconditioning is going to be a killer. It's energy intensive. If you are far enough up the mountain that you don't need aircon, I think it's pretty easy. Same thing charging your batteries, when your two ton vehicle rolls down the road on the mountain you don't need your foot on the gas and your batteries will be charged before you go back up the hill. I would either modify so I could use the cheapest capable alternator, easy to switch out, [keep an extra on hand] or to a heavy duty truck alternator/ permanent magnet alternator. You might add wind and or solar or both to your system because every little bit helps because it's an economy where you need to stay on the positive side. The solar/ wind generator could just charge the stationary batteries in the house, when they are fully charged any extra energy generated could be shunted to a water heater so nothing is wasted. Each off grid situation is going to be different and I think that tapping some waste energy somewhere is the key, such as the stored energy of your vehicle coasting in drive down a mountain, something you would have to do anyway. On the flat with no mountain, I sispect it would be a differnt eqation.

[Thomas]

The solar/ wind generator could just charge the stationary batteries in the house, when they are fully charged any extra energy generated could be shunted to a water heater so nothing is wasted.

Can't it be connected to the public grid, so the "waste" make the meeter go backwards so it reduce the electric bill?  

(I don't know the details, but in Sweden it's allowed to do so if fullfil some demands.)

[robert k]

Thomas, we were talking about "off the grid" no electric service available at all.

[Thomas]

Thomas, we were talking about "off the grid" no electric service available at all.

Are we???  Aren't we talking about back-ups for HAVING electric grid connections, which stop deliver?    :)

Edited May 15, 2014 by Thomas

[Americano]

Thomas,

 

You are correct about the topic I started but some have been discussing having no electric service at all which I don't know if it should be discussed here are in a new topic. That's for the Mods or owner to decide. Anyway, I appreciate all information that's being shared here.

 

When I lived in Cebu City there was a Condo very close by which had a large Diesel Generator for back up power. Whenever the power went off I could here the generator start up and run for 2 or 3 minutes after the power was restored. The same was true when I lived near Gaisano in Carcar. Both have Diesel Generators which are very loud that they would start and run for 10 to 15 minutes each month. I guess they were running them as preventive maintenance.

[robert k]

Thomas, Jake and I and not so old china hand were being off topic and talking about the related true off grid application. I believe I mentioned "off grid" 3 times in that post and I guess it just slipped past you.

Edited May 15, 2014 by robert k

[Jake]

 

Thomas, we were talking about "off the grid" no electric service available at all.

Are we???  Aren't we talking about back-ups for HAVING electric grid connections, which stop deliver?    :)

 

Hello Thomas,

 

This hot thread took off like a wildfire -- 6 pages of metamorphosed off topics like that sideline bickering

and then eventually to off the grid discussion, starting with old China hand.  

 

I did mentioned the various configurations of using generators during brownouts (temporary) to a full

blown off the grid configuration.  Each different system is really dependent upon users and situations.

And each system requires additional items such as UPS, power inverter-converter and larger banks of

batteries.  I guess it's like talking about first base in baseball.....we need to discuss home plate also.

 

Unless otherwise instructed by BossMan, I think we should continue discussing all type of configurations

under this OP.  Because eventually, we need to add on more stuff for more power (longer duration) and

finding the right cost and portability (what can we bring with us in case we need to evacuate our area).

 

Sorry for the confusion Thomas.  Respectfully -- Jake 

[Americano]

Jake,

 

I agree with you. I don't see any reason to have on grind and off grind as two separate topics. Its all about providing electrical power. Although I didn't cause the confusion for some readers and posters I'm sorry it happened and hope everyone will continue to share there knowledge and experiences.

 

Carcar Citi Hardware has a few different generators which look interesting. Some are made by Power Mate and look very nice with enough watts for me and with outlets and controls which are user friendly. Maybe I will post some pictures, specifications and costs when I have time.

[Thomas]

Thomas, Jake and I and not so old china hand were being off topic and talking about the related true off grid application. I believe I mentioned "off grid" 3 times in that post and I guess it just slipped past you.

I agree with you. I don't see any reason to have on grind and off grind as two separate topics. Its all about providing electrical power.

Yes. My point was, when someone talked about what to do with the WASTE electricity of the own back up system, ANY* back up system can be CONNECTED to the grid to SOLVE the waste problem you where talking about for the off grid system.   So what I wrote IS related  :)

 

I thought rather much about the brownout problem a year ago, when I researched a business idea, which would need rather much power to the production mashines. To not risk to lose money by stops in productions because of missing power, I thought of having an own electric production (from waste that business have anyway) running during work hours. Such production I can't manage to ballance to exact the own need all the time, specialy when it only run during work hours/daytime** so it can be good to adjust the power quality enough to suit the public grid, so overproduction can reduce my electric bill, so it can be low with much power needed mashines too   :)

 

*Any, if the power is adjusted enough to suit the grid power.

 

**I thought of some different production systems for the biger needs for a business:

/If running it with the WASTE from my business, then it's a loud system, so I don't want to run it during night time. And it needs to be handled regularly, so it only suit to run during work hours anyway.. I don't remember the costs, but not so much, so IF the business get waste enough, it seem rather interesting in economic point of view too, WHEN have a business where the workers have time left too handle the power production during breaks they get anyway, when handling the business production mashines.

/If I chose to start veg oil/ethanol/methanol/gas production, then power driven with such can perhaps be economic interesting. I haven't calculated yet, because I don't know the effectivity percent for such. I would get discount anyway for the fuel, when producing it self   :)    (Probably NOT ethanol production, because it don't seem profitable enough.)

(/In best case I can build a small WATER power on my land, but I don't expect to find a suiting land for a suiting price  :boohoo:  :)

/I have thought a bit of SUN power too, but I believe it would be to expensive to get a big enough. Such don't produce at nights  :) 

In all these cases for BIGER power needs, I believe it isn't worth to have that many batteries. So then better connect to the grid and send the over production "waste" there instead of to batteries. At brownouts it can perhaps make some neighbours haṕpy too :)

[Jake]

 

Thomas, Jake and I and not so old china hand were being off topic and talking about the related true off grid application. I believe I mentioned "off grid" 3 times in that post and I guess it just slipped past you.

 

 

I agree with you. I don't see any reason to have on grind and off grind as two separate topics. Its all about providing electrical power.

Yes. My point was, when someone talked about what to do with the WASTE electricity of the own back up system, ANY* back up system can be CONNECTED to the grid to SOLVE the waste problem you where talking about for the off grid system.   So what I wrote IS related  :)

 

Yeah, let's talk about electricity that could possibly be sold back to the utility companies.  Pick any power company in the

Philippines and ask yourself the following question: do you have any confidence that your account will be credited correctly?

Or would you continue to supply unauthorized connections within your village or barrio?

Edited May 15, 2014 by Jake
spil chek