Solar Power Conversion Carbon Footprint

[Ox]

Greetings From a Solar Consumer,

Midnite Solar recently surfaced as part of an all-energy solution to the replacement of my sailboat's venerable-but-faltering Atomic 4 (A4) gasoline auxiliary propulsion. (So, right off, this is a first-world problem.)

For the past 20 years, I've been a daysailor, but now have ideas about cruising further. The A4 gave up the ghost and I decided to go electric; more for reliability than greenness. The idea expanded and I now have aboard 600 lbs of AGM batteries along with 120 lbs (580 watts) of solar panels.

This has been very interesting but I'm wondering if there's a forum out there that ponders solar conversions in general terms. I'm sure my conversion has had a large carbon footprint.

Please redirect me to that group, if possible.

Very sincerely,

Bob M
Ox 1976 C&C 33-1     
Jax, FL

P.S. I'm just a software guy and not affiliated with the oil companies.

[mike90045]

Solar power is not nearly as energy dense as diesel or gasoline.  On a boat, you will be weighing it down with a lot of batteries to replace a IC engine, and a lot of PV panels will be needed to keep the batteries charged.

Or consider an electric generator  and run like a modern Diesel Electric locomotive, electric generator drives motors in the wheels (your prop shaft). No transmission, just a solid state motor controller.

You do not (or maybe you do) want to be out somewhere when you need your engine, and the batteries are low. You will find that a bunch of batteries only gets you a half mile or so.

[toothy]

Hello Bob,

I like the idea. I know there were some electric boat articles and boards out there. I'm not crazy about your battery technology choice, Lithium sounds better in a limited space unless they go up in smoke.

I also like Mikes idea on the generator to supplement charging/propulsion in a pinch. Nailing down consumption is going to be critical, I think you need to decide fairly closely your use patterns before throwing money at it. Most sailors I've known use the auxiliary more than the main propulsion, aka the wind.

If this is for docking, maneuvering and some motoring, OK but if you  plan to head for Bermuda and don't want to mess with the sails, take lots of food and beer and make sure Ginger and Maryann are aboard.

Have fun
Wade

[Ox]

Hi Toothy Wade,
Thanks for your reply and insight.
Determining my future use patterns is important, irrespective of Maryann's and Ginger's requirements.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilligan's_Island
I might very well be going solo for my three hour tour.  :-)
I'm more a fan of Bernard Moitessier
https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=Bernard+Mouttesier&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
Bob M

[Westbranch]

hope you have his finances too...

But he is also remembered for wrecking not one, but three different boats during the course of his sailing career
http://www.wavetrain.net/lit-bits/546-bernard-moitessier-what-really-happened-to-joshua

[KhaledElsheref]

Me too like this buddy idea a lot.

Yes,,, For a long time Solar Power was only identified as the conversion of sun light to to electricity. While this is not inaccurate most of us do not know that the energy harvested must first be converted to electrical energy to be able to produce generally functional electricity. The conversion is made possible through the photovoltaic or PV, a method that uses semiconductors to convert the sun's radiation to electrical energy.

Buddy I know about Solar energy conversion through solar panels but I don't know about this carbon foot-print,,,what is it,,,, sounds gr8,,,me too want to know more about it.

I have searched it now on Google I found out this http://www.altairsolar.com/home "The carbon footprint is basically an in-depth analysis of the amount of carbon dioxide is produced when people engage in certain activities. Carbon dioxide is a type of greenhouse gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a major contributor in the issue of global warming. Global warming is the temperature change that is occurring in our atmosphere. Carbon footprints are measured starting at the beginning of production of certain items, and then extends forward until use is ceased by humans. Let's take the example of electricity. Certain fossil fuels are required in order to produce electricity. From the time that the fossil fuels are burned to the time that a person receives the power, and uses it to completion, all is within the time frame of the carbon footprint measurement. "

Is this relevant

[russ_drinkwater]

Unless mankind can harness and control the output in BTU's of all our planets volcanos as well as control the emissions
such as sulpur and sulphuric acid particles and other nasties. All talk about global warming is basically a crock!
Volcano's on this planet are far more polluting and do more damage to the atmosphere than man.
It is just another devious means to try and extract money from people and make rich crocks richer!
I choose to use solar because it gives me financial relief from power companies and a bit self-sufficiency
while still have modern appliances.
On subject I have toyed with solar panels and batteries in small basa wood boats and I gave up as it was not practicle.
And as stated lithium ion may be a better choice in regard to power to weight ratio.
Do some research on diesel electric submarines and their specs. It might be a eye opener.

[Powerplay]

@Russ_drinkwater:  Sulpher aerosols are an agent of global cooling.  And  proving global warming from atmospheric chemical processes amounts to proving the carbon/methane (livestock) outweighs the volcanic (primarily sulpher cycle) generally cooling.

I have no idea about the politics.

[russ_drinkwater]

Suspended particles reflect Uv radiation and cause cooling. Suspended sulphuric acid particles from volcanic activity if enough is blown into the atmosphere will result in a global cooling effect for up to 10 years depending on the magnitude of the erruptions, no argument there.
I rely on cattle for my livelihood so I put up with them farting!
How much pollution is involved making solar panels, charge controllers, wire and batteries?
The world is old and we are young in comparison and there is a lot to learn.

[CDN-VT]

Geo Engineering
Seeding clouds
Chem Trails

Daily over the Pacific 

[Powerplay]

Is 'chem trails' a real thing?  Mainstream news doesn't mention it.  There's a shock.

Interesting thing about livestock as global warming methane source is that presumably the herbivore Dinosaurs were big farters back in the day, so why wasn't there a lot of GW in 65000000 BC?  Maybe that's what killed of the Dinos?    

[Westbranch]

BINGO! You're the winner of a prize...      wish other people would realize that all that CO2 has been around for along long time,  there is no new stuff, we're just recycling it ...

[dgd]

I heard that same statement about water, the same volume of water has been on the planet for many years, billions?
But not sure about CO2 as this is separated by plants into carbon that they use in growing and o2 that they release into the atmosphere. So the volume of CO2 has been increasing as more natural and industrial processes create it and there are less plants (rainforests) since they are being removed at an accelerating pace. More CO2 increases greenhouse effect, planet warming, ice melting, sea level rising etc..

[TomW]

Is 'chem trails' a real thing?  Mainstream news doesn't mention it.  There's a shock.

Interesting thing about livestock as global warming methane source is that presumably the herbivore Dinosaurs were big farters back in the day, so why wasn't there a lot of GW in 65000000 BC?  Maybe that's what killed of the Dinos?   

Not to mention the historical endless sea of American Bison, AKA buffalo The must have been prolific farters, and I find it hard to believe there are more beef cattle than that, with  the African Plains beasts in the mix.

Or not?

Tom

[CDN-VT]

Is 'chem trails' a real thing?  Mainstream news doesn't mention it.  There's a shock.

Im on the west coast of Canada , I see these planes leaving trails daily , but then yesterday & today NOT A ONE or a line left . Just air trafic as normal , blue sky & the plane that has a contrail (Condensation) and that dissipates as it fly's ahead, that was normal as when I was a kid in the 50's -60's . I spent alot of time looking up , hence Avatar .
I notice these trail leavers are flying higher that the first carrier class (our air carriers ,Air Canada ,Qantas) at 50K feet ceiling .There are lanes in the sky call corridors and different type of aircraft  use different levels & speeds. No tailgating or passing .

So when I see a trail being left & i can see another aircraft not leaving one but lower & the lower one is on a onmi flight path , while the trail leaver one has been seen stoping it & then pulled a huge 180 & started it again , Kinda makes ya do a HUM !!

Glad that crap is not falling on me , it seems to float & spread out , It's much higher than the clouds , So day like the last two I get great harvest , chem clouds , im 70% best.

Do a U tube search , there are many plus a California State one admitting that it is be conducted , but by who was their question.
I find that worst than Lubbock Texas & the "Smell of Money", I about made cookies at that when the wind shiffeed !!
Ranching area Russ .


As for the boat , NO way would I do Solar propulsion, Im a sailor of a cutter rigged ketch , I had a Ginger on board once who got the pass slack times WRONG , I went thru backwards with full forward  letting me control where i was .. IRON LUNG to the rescue , Ginger was updated to a Mary Ann

VT

&  @ KhaledElsheref , Carbon Foot print is a english slang term for how much oil did that take to build , do etc.
So if I fly to see you & say hi & came back , that Hi at your house might of burnt 5000  carbons in fuels , while my telephone call is 94 carbons for power .
I think that was you question .