The Solar Panels and other Power Stuff Thread

[Ranselknulf]

I've been looking at solar panels lately, and some of the agreements people sign are god awful.

One agreement I was shown is for 25 years, they want you to pay a monthly fee to "lease" the equipment, and then you have to pay them for the electricity you use from the panels. The kicker is they won't let you cancel the contract unless you pay them 4 times what the panels are worth. Ie.. if the panels are 20k, they want $80k to cancel.

Some of these solar companies are straight up con artists. I think I'm gonna buy my own solar system and pay a local contractor to install it.

Any one here have any experience with this type of thing?

[MadPreacher]

I prefer not killing the environment with rare earth metals mined by African children for pennies and death. You'd be lucky to get 15 years out of the panels. Cael on Kotex has dealt with this stuff for decades and he says it's a scam. Check out his posts in Climate Change is Real...

I highly recommend steam power as it's renewable and green. They do make safe steam generator units.

[Ranselknulf]

The environment isn't even a consideration in my analysis.

I just want off grid power.

[MadPreacher]

The environment isn't even a consideration in my analysis.

I just want off grid power.

Steam power offers the best value when it comes to long term. We're not talking decades, but rather centuries. Yes, the first steam engines produced in the 18th and 19th centuries are still being used today. You can burn oil, coal, wood, and gas to heat the boiler that produces the steam.

You'll care about the environment when the heavy metals in the panels leech into your ground water and start killing things in your neck of the woods. Those panels and batteries cannot be recycled. Most are now being secretly dumped into landfills.

[Ranselknulf]

That is a good thought. I wasn't thinking about building a system that can survive for generations. I'm looking out for my immediate needs and maybe up to 50 years viability would be fine.

I'll take a look at steam, but I think the slow deterioration of solar panels will be a small concern after nuclear fallout.

Building a resilient water filtration system can be challenging. Maybe I should focus on a closed loop system of some sort.

[MadPreacher]

Solar panels can barely last 15 years and the batteries are shot in 10. If you want 50 years plus then you'll need something like steam.

Solar panels do not slowly deteriorate. In the case of nuclear fallout, after 10-15 years your solar system is shot.

Here's one example of a steam generator.

There are other designs out there as well where the engine and boiler are all separate ala original style with the engine putting power through an alternator to generate electricity.

[Ranselknulf]

I was hoping to use this thread as a topic for mainstream solar installation and purchasing.

Maybe we should make a prepper thread if you want to discuss more resilient and robust power systems.

I don't intend for solar power to be the "end all be all" of my power generation, but I want feedback on solar power here. I'll make another thread on general prepper stuff if you wish to continue discussing alternatives.

Any good electrical system has multiple power generation options.

[rusty_shackleford]

representative Thomas Massie lives off the grid using a Tesla battery + solar panels, afaik it inspired Musk to look into selling batteries for home usage.
https://www.hackster.io/news/kentucky-c ... 604188c286
https://www.tesla.com/powerwall

There also appears to be a video about Massie, but I've never watched it

[KnightoftheWind]

Reliability is a concern, winter can be a problem and I had an issue last year that forced me to temporarily move to another place. Things can and will go wrong with solar, so you must be prepared. I haven't heard of steam power, but if some no-name chinese supplier is the best one available then it's pretty much off the table.

[rusty_shackleford]

Reliability is a concern, winter can be a problem and I had an issue last year that forced me to temporarily move to another place. Things can and will go wrong with solar, so you must be prepared. I haven't heard of steam power, but if some no-name chinese supplier is the best one available then it's pretty much off the table.

Wood stove generator?

[Acrux]

Yes, my wife's aunt and uncle have used a wood stove generator for a couple of decades and it's very reliable. It's my long-term goal as well.

[Ranselknulf]

A wood stove generator might be a good idea.

Steam Generators seem like a huge hassle to run and maintain from what I've been reading. I like the idea of a set it and forget it system, within reason of course, every power system needs to be maintained. Solar would be good for this, maybe a micro-hydro system.

[Rigwort]

The one problem with wood gasifiers that I've read is that you have to find a way to dispose of the tar. If you have a use for it anyways, it won't be a problem, but you can only build so many cabins and kayaks...

As for electrical systems, I would recommend NOT connecting your solar system to the grid if possible (though it seems that won't be an issue). Make sure your inverter is capable of giving CLEAN power. You don't want a modified square wave going into you electronics or motors. Also, if you live by a stream, might as well harvest that energy as well, eh? Can do pumped storage instead of batteries maybe, I haven't looked to much into it. Though if you don't live by water then this means nothing.

My way of looking at it is maximum redundancy = less chance of power going off. So hey, wind? Solar? Water? If you got it, get it.

Also, I've always wondered about recycling batteries, could it be a (highly dangerous) home operation? Might be interesting to try...

[Ranselknulf]

Some sort of battery system with an inverter is what I'm thinking about. I want full control of any solar panels I buy. Whatever power they make is mine.

I can't believe people actually sign some of these solar contracts I've read. These types of solar loans should be illegal. I mean, is it even a loan, you don't own anything and you are on the hook for a huge bill. You will also never make back the money you spend because of the price escalation clauses in the contracts.

As for a wood gasifier, I want to try it out on a small scale and decide if its worth the effort from there. Tar will always be useful imo. There will always be a need for fence posts and roofing tar imo. So, just stock pile it and use it.

[agentorange]

im so confused. i thought you just buy a solar panel and put it on your house and gives you free energy from the sun? wtf are all these 25 year contracts?

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/ ... lar-panels

[Tweed]

I found the solution! Start an Onlyfans and you can live off the grid!



Looks easy.

[Dead]

Prostitution is hard work.

[Ranselknulf]

Maybe I should just buy a horse.

[KnightoftheWind]

I hear nickel iron batteries are the best you can get when it comes to solar power, they can last for decades and are much more weather resistant compared to lithium ion or any other modern alternative. The downside is they are very expensive, but if you are looking at long-term power generation you can't go wrong with those apparently.

[Mesugaki]

Not much difference between they, same are bad at capacity retention. For performance (AND THE DEFAULT FOR STORAGE) Li-ion batteries it's the way to go. The real advantage of Nickel-Iron batteries it's their resistance to multiple charge cycling, as in the case of off-grid installations.

[Red7]

id like to remind what they did in china last winter, banning coal/wood burners and having military/police teams going door to to door and tearing stoves from buildings

from a survival angle unless u r confident u can go dark and wont be found your priority should be mobility not anckering yourself to overpriced technology that can be utterly obsolete in 1 year.its weird nobody here talks about ambient temp/pressure superconductor that recently was presented that can change energy tech (and make gay frogs levitate, no joke). plus political situtation may be very unstable and force you to move.

unless u got like 20+ mil usd to spend, in which case get well supplied bunkers in multiple locations i wouldnt invest in todays high tech beside bare essential.

as for energy storage, i guess gravity storage (like water tank) dont leaks energy and is, mostly, thermo resistant (btw drastic global climate colling in next years can really reduce feasibility of batteries in some regions). not sure how practical it is on budget, but something to consider if one can afford large 5mln usd bunker with hydroponics etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped-st ... lectricity

my point is, beside basic gear and weaponry most should focus on getting rich on impending banking cartel implosion. get 50 mln of todays usd capital then think about infrastructure with taking into consideration pole shift in less than next 10 years.
during crisis poor die first.
get rich or die trying niggers.

[maidenhaver]

I think I'm gonna buy my own solar system and pay a local contractor to install it.

Did you ever decide which solar system you wanted?

[somerandomdude]

"Green energy" is a scam, news at 11.

The sorts of people they fleece with these 25 year contracts are the trendy, soy consuming metrosexual dweebs who's brains are starved of protein from their vegan diets.

[Ranselknulf]

Not yet, It will probably be next summer before I can afford this shit. Bought house and fixing it up still. And people called me stupid for buying when rates were 5% a few months ago.

My logic was simple, "money printer go brrrr" = 10% or more interest rates soon.

[maidenhaver]

I never met anybody whose solution was buying a solar system. Of course, why couldn't we just buy our own solar systems? Its so ludicrous at first, but so simple. I just don't understand why you need it installed.

[asf]

I bought an entire solar system

[Acrux]

Most people would probably buy Alpha Centauri A, but I think Delta Pavonis has a better system.

[Red7]

Not yet, It will probably be next summer before I can afford this shit. Bought house and fixing it up still. And people called me stupid for buying when rates were 5% a few months ago.

My logic was simple, "money printer go brrrr" = 10% or more interest rates soon.

ive seen lots of ppl with this argument
here is the risk they always seem to forget

they (can and will) change rules. they were planning legislation in canda to revoke property rights (aka u cannot own any property to rest of your life) in order to forgive debt. whats gonna happen if they change rules on your debt and demand instant payment or pump rates to 50%? they can liquidate you at any time (imo) and confiscate your property.
actually i read most bank debts contract comes with obligation they can demand full payment on anytime, but even if dont exist they can add it to "save systemic risk" or some shit.

i guess they can always easily confiscate/tax real estate but going after ppl in debt(hence not fully owning their property) will get less backlash than those without it.

btw they are not rising rates to fight inflation, in fact it will accelerate it (beside some short time shocks). they are rising rates to kill economy and to give illusion of fighting against inflation which they actually want to crush population and businesses.
also if they go above 8% rates system would break uncontrollably from i have read.

[Ranselknulf]

I think the government is too incompetent to enforce any property seizures efforts after the US Dollar / Economy collapses.

The amount of unrest and riots coming when the dollar collapses will be unprecedented. It's difficult to say with exact certainty the number of immigrants (legal or not) that are in the US because the government takes great efforts to not track these statistics, but if I had to make an estimate, I'd say there are probably around 50 to 60 million immigrants in the US right now, with at least half of those being illegal.

These are people who feel they have been treated unjustly (laughs internally) by the US and deserve more. There will be the BLM people looting because nothing is affordable any more. Jogger gibs is already accelerating and you see it with many grocery stores and businesses pulling out of inner cities, and its all caused by racism of course, so things will be burned.

The Antifa fags will "occupy wallstreet" or some shit once the payments from their big donors stop. Why do you think occupy wallstreet disappeared so fast, the organizers got paid to shift focus to other shit, and much of those efforts are under the antifa umbrella now.

There will be fed larpers trying to stir up shit with militias, and who knows what else, maybe chinese space lasers haha.

All in all, I doubt the US governments ability to function once the system collapses because they aren't helpful or effective in times of emergency. Just look at the hawaii situation. FEMA sets up aid camps 10 miles from the burned houses while the locals set up aid directly in the affected area. And of course, the government tries to shut down the aid.

Canadians might meekly go along with communist property seizures, but I think the US will turn into a powder keg if they tried that here. Could always go the south african farmer route and burn down ur property if they try to seize it.

All this to say, its probably not a bad idea to get a few solar panels to recharge ur battery bank. How else are you gonna play vidya during ITZ?

[Ranselknulf]

Guess I can add another technology I've looked at. This is called the Icy Ball, and its what people used in the 1800's and early 1900's before electricity was prolific.

Basically, It's two chambers, a couple valves, ammonia, and some water. Water in one tank, ammonia in the other. When the water absorbs the ammonia, it cools stuff off. I'm sure these could be used for a primitive thermodynamic cycle of some sort, which of course can generate electricity, but at the very least at least ur food would stay cold.

It's a closed system, so when the ammonia is fully absorbed by the water and stops cooling, all you gotta do is start a fire under the water chamber and the ammonia will boil back out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icyball

Modern factories still use ammonia cycles for cooling because its the most energy efficient thing right now. If you look at costco you will see all the ammonia alarms around the building, and its because they have their own ammonia system for cooling their freezers.