An inverter's surge capacity indicates how it handles short-term overload before "tripping". Surge capacity is essential to start up some large loads, especially motors that need 2-3 times their running power to get going. The start period may be very short – a fraction of a second – but it still needs to be considered.
An unsuitable backup power supply is the Achilles' heel of an off-grid energy system. The problem does not lie in the renewable energy equipment's reliability; a well-designed system is often more reliable than the electrical grid.
Problems are more often related to the weather than the equipment. When the winter months are dark without any sun or wind, your system will require more batteries.
Generators or "gensets" come in various fuel choices that include gasoline, propane, natural gas and diesel. Cheaper gensets are built around gasoline engines running at 3600 rpm. Bigger industrial units tend to use natural gas, diesel or propane with a slower and more frugal 1800 rpm engine. Your model choice depends on factors such as unit capital cost, accessibility to fuel source, ease of use and economy.
A genset unit is durable and long-lasting if it is maintained well. A good quality generator has no problem with run times but it should be maintained regularly. For example, a diesel engine may need servicing at various hour intervals, such as 25, 250, 500 and 1,000 hours of operation.
As solar power becomes more familiar, innovations appear and new ideas are applied to existing technology to either improve output or come up with entirely new ways of harnessing the sun's renewable energy for everyday use. Solar chimneys are one of those innovations that could one day produce power on a grand scale.
As you might expect, a drainback installation for space heating is much like a similar solar thermal system for hot water. However, the space heating setup has three main options.
The simple answer to this question is "No", but the reality is a little more complicated. It is actually possible to heat a domestic water supply with an air-based solar thermal system... it's just a very bad idea.
These systems have the following advantages:
It's also important to consider the disadvantages:
Since evacuated tube collectors are, by necessity, a closed system inside their collector box, many of them use a neat technological idea called a heat pipe. Instead of simply passing the gathered heat out along a piece of metal to the manifold (and thence to the storage tank to heat your water), they use a two-stage approach.
These systems have three major advantages:
It's also important to consider the disadvantages:
