New member introductions (READ THIS FIRST)

[ajvena]

Hi All!
I am Electrical engineer. I want increase my knowledge so I join here. Hope everybody help me.

[lanceb]

Hello,
another one of those off-gridders. Came here to the "old homestead" in 1979. My 1st solar module was a used/prototype ASI 16 2000 Arco, 32 rated watts $400. We have added to our system when we had the money and coasted when we didn't. More than 7 kW PV now and our major electric use is for irrigating our extensive vegetable garden/Orchard from May till October. The rest of the year we mostly have more electricity than we can use. We have never had a backup generator or any propane appliances, as we have a commitment to renewable energy. Passive solar heating, evacuated tube solar hot water, and several solar cookers round out our solar energy use. I dearly love my Classic charge controllers, and I have had many other ones over the years, but this time it's true love.       Lance

[emusing2]

Hi, I am Don a real old fart, been around solar since "78"had 680 sq ft of thermal solar on a 3400 sqft  house solar mass of 0ver 7 tons with piping in the floor, made my own controller.  If you have ever had a 500 gal tank of boiling water  taking the paint off your downstairs ceiling and walking through down stairs feeling like you are in 3 foot of hot water and your son has all the windows open even  in zero weather. You have to modify fast.  anyway I have been a luriker for years.  Move 5 times since the solar house.   Now live in Western Co.  on a farm putting together a new system 12ea 195w solar( delivered yesterday from sunelec ), 18 thermal solar panels used, 2 old electric generators, 1 propane generator,2 solar disconnect switches, midnight classic 150,XantrexSWplus2524, Xantrex pure sinwave 1k inverter, Xantrex T240,Xantrex C40, Trace DC disconnect, 4 or 5 other solar electric panels, 2 sets of 24 volt used AGM batteries, oh I forgot a 1kw wind turbine.   Not enough hrs in a day, need to first build fence to keep the goats in ---like about 2 miles worth.   This is a great site, keep the good work. 
Don
Ps I hope the fishing off Vancover Island is still great, son and I caught a bunch of Kings one day 35 to 25lbs.

[boB]

Ps I hope the fishing off Vancover Island is still great, son and I caught a bunch of Kings one day 35 to 25lbs.

Still plenty of fish around here !!   Common down !

boB

[mle1948]

Hi all

Mike E here....VN era vet...tinkerer in many trades....retired Postal Electronic Tech.

I started working with solar on a small scale after the 07-08 financial probs because I sensed that it was possible that the US might turn off the lights, and I didnt want to be stuck with a lot of tools and conveniences that wouldnt run anymore.......beginning with basic battery charging at 12 volts...playing with standalone 12v 2500 watt inverters........managing to run a freezer for 2 hours before the battery crapped...heh.

So I have learned a lot of things the hard way...letting the smoke out of lots of Chinese electronics...heh

I am working on a a semi-portable shop, which is a 40 foot shipping container, located in my intended retirement state of Maine....it is to be self powered and able to support a 50 amp, off grid load....sharing power with the farmhouse that it is parked next to. I have about 3kw of panels with 400w set up so far....

Its too bad that I didnt discover Midnite earlier in my trials or I might have saved some smoke.

I am here to learn..lots to read here
Mike Eaton
KD2BRS

[Halfcrazy]

Welcome Mike hopefully you can find some good stuff here.

Ryan
KB1UAS

[Lost_Sailor]

Howdy Y'All,

  Greetings from Columbus GA.

I'm sitting here looking at 10 suntech 190 watt panels, magnum pae e-panel with 4024 inverter, classic 250 charge controller. 2 sundanzer chests fridge/freezer.

Later this month I'll recieve my battery bank from zapp works, 500 amp, edison nickle cores (95% pure NICKLE CORES?...GENERATIONS OF FUN!).

No chance of a wizard opition for NEFI batteries in the works is there?

Novice here....I cant spell soler.

Going to wean myself off of utility power slowly while I learn my system here in Columbus, then moving to the woods in SC, building a cabin next to a creek that I'll be getting about 500 watts an hr. of power from...(homemade system).

Lots to learn, I'll be lurking for awhile.

Mark

Tuned in, turned on, and finally dropping out ater all these years!

[Trickle Charge]

Hi there,

I'm in the process of installing an off-grid solar system.  It's not completed until the second string of panels is installed and the cable gets put in from the Magnum Inverter to the breaker panel, but I can control my Ecogen, charge up the battery bank from nine 235W Day4 panels, and put a 120V load.  I have a new fascination with changing numbers...   
 
We live in the suburbs near Vancouver BC and want to cut the ties to the utility company.  The work is being contracted out but I'm going to have to get up to speed asap on the products and process I'm jumping into.

Cheers
TC

[dgd]

Hi,
David from Auckland New Zealand. Took me 5yrs, much reading of Homepower and several trial runs before going off-grid in Apr 2001.
Heliotrope CC120, 52 Siemens M55 PVs, Trace 3024E, Century Yausa 1025Ah 24V (6 4v cells). Before that wasted lots $ on OZ suncycle 2V  cells that died, 12 R220s  2 years, SEA 2.2 kw ineverter  that melted and  Trace TR2424e whose square wave AC blasted my washer and TV.
Gave up on wind turbines as had little wind here Air303, 403, X, Southwest 500and Soma 1Kw that had neighbours looking for the Huey chopper.
MX60 in 2006, changed panels to Suntech 120w, 1.5kw. Was happy
2 months ago read ad for Midnite and wanted to try wind turbine again. Bought cheap turbine Missouri general  (with plans to get HY2000) and Classic 150. So pleased with it that I plan to  replace MX60 with the 150 and get 200 for wind turbine.
Still using Trace 3024E and Century batteries good after 12 years.
Local supplier sold 150 made 7/11 so old firmware. Pleased that firmware D/L provided but wondered if  hardware has been updated.
Strange that so many ppl here proudly announce 'old fart'  status.  How does one qualify for this?
Still hardly any wind...
cheers.

[niel]

dgd,
i am confused why you would go back to wind power if you haven't any wind? as good as the classic is it does not create power, but only processes power it is given. nothing in equals nothing out. put some more pvs in and i think you'll be happier.

[dgd]

hi Niel,
Gave up on getting any useful power from wind about 2003 after several neighbours' trees matured but recent storm collapsed one on neighbours home. So trees that blocked me removed others severely pruned. Not lot of wind but on recent overcast days with ~ 1kW hr pv input for whole day I got 1.4kW hr for day from turbine. Was happy with that. You correct about pv, that's my real power about 7 to 9 kW hrs per day
dgd

[bbbuddy]

Hi, I'm Maddy, 64 yo granny, off grid with gennie for 8+ years, got 800 watts pv a year and a half ago.

We're in NE Arizona, nearest neighbors 2 miles, nearest pavement 10 miles.

magnum ms2012, soon to be ms4024
FM60
790 amps 12 v Crown batteries, soon to be 395 amps 24 v
8 Dupont 100 watt 75 v panels, plus 2 not yet hooked up
6 Suntech 200 watt panels to be added


Trying right now to decide whether to ditch the FM60 and go with a Classic 150 or just add another FM 60 or 80....

[Westbranch]

compare prices and features, IMHO the answer is clear as to the superior product...  try here http://www.solar-electric.com/

[MikeJ]

Hello all

Another Mike here from South Carolina.  Trying not to burn my house down !!


Just got the classic 150 

[Allen15]

Hello, my name is Allen, and I'm (currently) in west suburbia Chicago, IL (USA).

I have enough space in the back yard with proper sun to do a pretty large PV array on the back side of my proposed greenhouse ( I currently expect to have room for up to 31 of the 250+ watt sized panels), & I'm thinking that it is time I seriously looked at what it would take to go off-grid here.

Since I plan to retire to an off-grid location, this should be good practice for me, too.