Hi Walt, I'm not knocking PV/genset when they serve a real need. Is your installation time-spent 50% PV and 50% genset of what?
Joel Davidson ----- Original Message ----- From: Walt Ratterman To: 'RE-wrenches' ; [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 6:14 PM Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Backup generator labor (was How large is toolarge?) Hello….Walt here. I think the real question, when dealing with an off-grid system of any size is: Do you want the system to work? If so, use a generator. Of course, there are, as always, variations to that theme (oversizing the solar 300%, and things like that), but in general – large grid = pv / diesel hybrid, at least in my book. Walt Ratterman SunEnergy Power International www.sunepi.org From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Joel Davidson Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 6:07 PM To: [email protected]; RE-wrenches Subject: [RE-wrenches] Backup generator labor (was How large is too large?) Off-grid wrenches, Genset backup or PV and wind supplementing a genset is cost-effective (except for its environmental impact). But what about the time spent setting up the genset and fuel storage, and maintenance, and repairs. A 2 to 6 kW PV system goes in pretty quickly, even with batteries. If you add a 4 to 10 kW genset to the mix, what percent of the job time does the genset take? How many hours are spent synchronizing the PV or wind system to the genset? And how many hours a year is reasonable for maintenance and repair? How many call-backs can you expect in the first 2 years? Thank you very much for your insights. Joel Davidson ----- Original Message ----- From: Jeff Yago To: RE-wrenches Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 4:13 PM Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] How large is too large? I have designed and installed many off-grid systems and all but one included a backup generator. The generator allows using a much more realistic sized battery bank and the fast charging process reduces generator run time. __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3906 (20090303) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3906 (20090303) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: [email protected] Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org
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