New member introductions (READ THIS FIRST)

[mbryner]

This should work until my original link is back up and running:

http://mbryner.fatcow.com/docbryner/mossy_hollow/Home.html

[Cniemand]

Thanks! I'm off to check it out now!

- Cloud

[n4zi]

   Hi, name here is Bill Maddock and I live on not quite an acre here in West Tennessee. I work as an Electrical Designer
at the Refinery down in Memphis. Game plan is to develop a descent Grid-Tie system with battery backup for now and
work to reduce electrical load demands in the house and shop. I am just getting started and hope to get most of the system
in place by end the year! I think my batteries maybe undersized for the system, but was told that a 3rd battery bank would
not be a great idea with equalization problems. So I will try and go with what I have for now until I can replace the batteries.
I hope to piece together my own E-panel and will more than likely have quite a few questions!
Other hobbies: Amateur radio, Cars 2 -93 mustangs, Riding my Trek bicycle, gardening, rain water collection etc...

[b4solar]

Hi, My name is Ben Zook.

I'm a solar installer in Pennsylvania. Have been installing & designing power systems for 12 years now.
Have an off-grid home & a grid-tie solar system at the work place. (Share my home place with my dear, helpful wife, & share the workplace with four wonderful, hard-working young men)
Have a sincere passion for doing the best job that is possible with today's technology. Love electrical & electronics.

Strive for neatness & reliability in many areas of my life. I really appreciate people that are honest, neat, understandable & still have an innovative mind that loves to learn & improve.

Other than the study of electronics & solar power... a passion for running, reading, occasional unicycling, & friendships with other engineers & innovators, are all a part of what helps keep my life balanced.

[bruce555]

Hi, my name Bruce Countryman living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I started working in PV since 1988 (old fart). Mostly worked on solar PV development projects in the pacific Islands and Thailand, SHS, solar water pumping, solar vaccine refrigerators and some marine PV/ inverter systems.

My main interest now is backup power systems for clients that have poor unreliable grid power and PV micro-grids for remote villages.

Really like Midnite Solar's application videos and support documents, very helpful.

One question, does Midnite sell SMA Sunny Island inverter export model 50Hz 230VAC and 3 phase 400V/230VAV with Off Grid E-panels? Thanks, Bruce

[KyleJ]

Hi, my name is Kyle. "Kyle 49" @ MidNite Solar, as I was raised & lived in Alaska.

Got into the energy sector through Alaska Housing Finance Corporation as an Energy Rater (#112).
BPI certified Building Analyst & Envelope Specialist - been through nearly 1,000 homes in Anchorage, Mat-Su Valley & Girdwood. Saw lots of homes, problems with them & performed retrofits as a building performance contractor.

Took SEI courses in "Grid-Direct PV Design & Installation" and "Battery-based PV Design & Install' in Anchorage - Instructors Jay Peltz and Jay Pozner (awesome guys!)
Spent some time in Bakersfield,CA and was selected for D.O.L. grant training in: Wind Turbine Technician, Solar Technician & Power Technician training (about 5 mos.total). Moved up to WA and started working w/MidNite Solar in Dec. '13. Love MidNite Solar and all the great team members!!
Wanting to live OG sometime in the future w/Molly (my beautiful wife) and help others with design, installation & service of Solar, Wind and/or Hydro RE systems. Building performance + RE = clean, fun living IMHO. (Ready for the challenges  )

*Most notable thing I remember from SEI instructors and personal experience regarding the RE industry is: "All the really nice, great people!"  -  Yep, it's TRUE!

[cmillett]

Hi All,

I have been designing electronic devices for 50 years, and have been involved in some renewable energy projects recently.  I'll be one of the guys asking lots of questions!

[sparkie]

Hey all,
I am Sparkie (Bill) an old guy with 40 years experience in the electronic engineer and computer career and spending money on too many hobbies to name. OK I will name Ham Radio as one of the hobbies. Planning to build a retirement home as close to off-grid as possible in the next few years, here in SC. Been experimenting with solar and have bought some equipment recently which I plan on using to power the essentials at my current home during outages for now, until I build the retirement home.

[TomW]

Hey all,
I am Sparkie (Bill) an old guy with 40 years experience in the electronic engineer and computer career and spending money on too many hobbies to name. OK I will name Ham Radio as one of the hobbies. Planning to build a retirement home as close to off-grid as possible in the next few years, here in SC. Been experimenting with solar and have bought some equipment recently which I plan on using to power the essentials at my current home during outages for now, until I build the retirement home.

Sparkie;

Welcome to the forum!

And welcome to the wonderful world of renewable energy, your next money sink hole! Careful, it is highly addictive. Especially for techy types. 

Tom

HAMs are everywhere on this forum.

[hawk]

I'm Jan, living off grid in WV. I've been lurking and reading for some time, but still have plenty of questions. Figured it was time to register

[Herman]

Hello as you can guess my name is Herman I am a ROM (really old man) just kidding 57 years young my wife and I have just recently purchased a house in New South Wales Australia which is totally off the grid with a small 20kWh lead acid solar system running at 24 volt with 8 photo cells and 2 other cells that where older all this was stored on the veranda next to an open window (great for the hot Ozzie summers (not) so with the help from a solar expert we are in the process of moving everything off the veranda and establishing a second 48 volt system using 240Ah nife cells with  Vulcan 6 kw inverter 8 Showa Shell BX 65 panels hopefully giving me about 30KWH   

[michaeld]

Hello my name is Mike and I'm looking in solar power in an off grid application an I'm hoping to find some opinions from people with some real world experience. I've found many online calculators, watched many many YT videos and I've come to the opinion that I need to pick components that closely match the power in/power out as close as possible so that the storage cells won't deplete more than seventy percent over a twenty four hour period. It's the real world gotcha's I need to get brushed up on and real quick like. So Hello There!

[bafaro]

My name is Bafaro, I live in Mali in West Africa, I started my solar installations there has about 14 years. Today I have a solar field with a 10kw wind turbine 1kw home. I have a great love for the solar system because he is the sun galore here.

[Mtn Don]

I'm a DIY'er. An old fart too. I built the off grid system for our cabin back in early 2009. OB charge controller and inverter, GC2 batteries at 24 volts. 624 watts worth of PV located 325 feet from the cabin and balance of system; the sunny spot at the foor of the 8800 foot high ponderosa pine forested ridge. All worked well until this summer when we had an encounter with a terrific thunderstorm.

We were not there that night and I believe it was a good thing from all the assorted damages; toasted FM60, toasted VFX3524M, Delta lightning arrestors that blew the ends off, scorch marks on one end of the gable roof, toasted TV and assorted other electronics inside, inverter generator control box blown, and more.

Today we have a MN The Kid that works great. The AC side makes use of the backup Samlex SA-1500-24. I have yet to check into what is needed to repair the VFX. Plus we now own several MN-SPD's and a thousand dollars worth of air terminals, heavy duty lightning capable braided wires connected to two arrays of ground rods and plates.

We have a cargo trailer I converted to travel trailer use and am considering a Brat CC for it along with 300 watts or so of roof top panels. We have two GC2 batteries, an Iota charger and a Honda EU generator. LED lights and TV, some small appliances we use from time to time. Some PV would be the finishing touch to the electrical.

[zoneblue]

Woah, that must have been quite some storm.  Pretty much direct hit material.