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  • #16
    Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

    How about a parabolic solar collector to heat water to steam, drive a turbine to drive your AC generator?

    You would need a lot of land though. One square meter in full sun produces 1kW...max. From memory these are about 20% efficient
    Look for parabolic trough in here;
    http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Concentrating/SOLRCONC.HTM

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

      Get an old diesel car. I got a Golf GLD for $400 once.
      Pull the engine out and hook it up to your AC generator.

      Become friendly with your local fish n chip shop. Collect all the use oil. Make bio diesel from it and feed to your diesel engine.

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      • #18
        Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

        Thanks Bassway

        Yes I already have solar hot water the SS Edwards system fitted about 5 years ago and I have the water filtered at the feed in water line.

        I use bottled gas for both stove & hot plates

        I just placed an order for
        A 1kW roof solar system that produces approximately 5kWh (averaged over 12 months) per day

        With this inverter, they use the German manufactured SMA SB1100 Sunnyboy. It is a transformer type inverter

        KK

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        • #19
          Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

          Good stuff the sunnyboy. I have a 1750w system on the roof for a little over a year now. In that time I generate 7.3kwh per day average. I suggest you move to ACT where the feed in system is not based on excess generation over consumption but on total generation at a premium of 50.05c per KwH (purchase cost 12.1c per KwH) this means that if you generate 25% of your electricity consumption you will get a complete offset of the usage portion of your bill. Feed in on Excess generation is Cr@p. There has been a good take up in Canberra of Grid connect systems with feed in tariff guaranteed for 20 years pay out of the start up cost is in the vicinity of 10 years.

          I also considered the biodiesel (made it for a number of years to power my cruiser and pug 405 diesel) I had a Mazda 929 grey import with a diesel sitting here and seriously considered hooking up the drive shaft to a genset drop her into 4th or 5th and let it idle away. As an aside I was also going to use a heat exchange off the radiator to heat water much like I have on the cruiser for hot showers in the middle of nowhere.

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          • #20
            Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

            Now all I need is some plans to build my own turbine cheaply
            Must have very good build instructions in text photo & video

            I want to build a 5KW power generating turbine (wind or motor driven)

            I have searched some sites but some instructions were hard to follow
            I prefer the popular mechanics style of build instructions with pictures of every step & text description

            Anybody that finds such instructions please forward them to me

            KK

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

              i saw an interesting looking wind turbine on amazon a while back for about 500 USD. May be worth looking for it, to get some ideas

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              • #22
                Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

                Originally posted by 70545D5D5E5E6470544856543B0 link=1240751087/19#19 date=1241233958
                Now all I need is some plans to build my own turbine cheaply
                Must have very good build instructions in text photo & video

                I want to build a 5KW power generating turbine (wind or motor driven)

                I have searched some sites but some instructions were hard to follow
                I prefer the popular mechanics style of build instructions with pictures of every step & text description

                Anybody that finds such instructions please forward them to me

                KK
                Gday KK,

                You need to be careful with the sizing/rating of your generating capacity... Most State Govts. apply an upper limit to which they are prepared to provide credit for the energy fed into the system; QLDs is not very high from memory so any capacity above that upper limit will be wasted as far as capital expenditure is concerned. As a result, there will be no IRR for the portion above the upper limit.

                Just a thought.....

                Mal.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

                  Mal
                  I can claim an $8,000 Government rebate as I got in before the cut off date (This rebate has now reduced to $5,000)
                  The company I ordered my 1kw solar system is doing all the paperwork for it

                  I am not sure if I can claim again for a wind turbine (I am assuming that I cant) thats why I prefer to make a DIY project

                  There is a site in the US that sells plans and claim one can build one for around $200 USD (not sure what size)
                  http://www.earth4energy.com/
                  But I am sure someone has similar if not the same plans out in WWW land for free

                  I can live with making one for up to $1,000 AU

                  RE: your answer to grid feed in limits
                  I probably need to make a smaller capacity generator to satisfy the government regulations for grid feed limits?

                  However I will check into this  thanks

                  KK

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

                    Yes KK,

                    I am referring to the maximum energy limit (into the grid) that the Govt. will be prepared to pay. Even if you build a system that is capable of supplying in excess of this limit and actually feeds more than the limit into the grid, you will only be credited as high as the limit permits. Anything in excess of this KWH limit will not be credited to you so therefore, any capital expenditure towards a generating capacity higher than this can not be recouped by way of payments/credit above the limit. I do know that under the current Solar Bonus Scheme, the Govt. will pay nearly three times the value of the Net energy that you push into the Grid for the next 20 years or so, so it is not necessary to build a system that would make you fully energy independent in order to benefit from the scheme. I am also fairly certain that the scheme, as it stands, will only benefit consumers who build Solar Power Systems, not systems generating power via any other means.

                    You will need to visit the relevant Govt. website that details all of this information or probably just question the people who will be installing your Solar Power System, they will probably know. Anyway, even a system built to remain within the QLD Govt. Renewable Energy Scheme output limits will still be a very worthwhile thing to do and Im sure will result in a credit situation for most households who go to all the trouble and expense of doing this. Somewhere from within the deep, dark recesses of my memory, the maximum daily energy input limit of 10KWH seems to be the magic number so you would be well under that.

                    Im basing most of this on info I obtained quite a while ago so it would be much better for you to contact either the contractor doing your installation or the relevant Govt. Dept. and garner some current factual information. Maybe once you discover a source for it, you could post it up here for anyone else considering the same thing.

                    Cheers mate,
                    Mal.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

                      This is true, in ACT we are allowed upto 10kw systems before the changes to the tariff system take place.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

                        Originally posted by 775A5E525F330 link=1240751087/23#23 date=1241277756
                        Yes KK,
                        I do know that under the current Solar Bonus Scheme, the Govt. will pay nearly three times the value of the Net energy that you push into the Grid for the next 20 years or so, so it is not necessary to build a system that would make you fully energy independent in order to benefit from the scheme. I am also fairly certain that the scheme, as it stands, will only benefit consumers who build Solar Power Systems, not systems generating power via any other means.


                        Cheers mate,
                        Mal.
                        I can only speak for the ACT system again but any renewable energy source can go towards the production of tariff bearing power. In theory it would be possible to hook up a big petrol genset and feed that into the grid however it may well cost you more than the tariff payment to generate the power. Further if you are even slightly Urban bound the neighbours may well complain about the noise. Certainly wind power is Ok to feed in however the inverter is different to the Solar one. SMA make both a Sunny boy designed for Solar and a Windy boy (believe it or not) for wind generated power.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

                          Gday Cruiser...

                          Yeah, I think most states and territories have their own particular schemes and management strategies that all fall broadly under the guidelines laid down by the Federal Govt.. In QLD though, Im pretty sure that they have limited input credits to that generated only by Solar systems under one of two strategies. One is targeted at remote locations where connection to the grid is impossible or impractical, where a percentage of the power generated (by what ever means) results in some costs reimbursed; the other scheme is limited to that only related to input power from Solar Generation that come under the Federal guidelines. Im not absolutely sure of the exact current details with respect to any of this other than what I researched a few years ago when we were considering the installation of a system.

                          Its a very worthwhile thing to do though, for a lot of reasons including economic ones otherwise no-one other than people with significant financial resources would invest in it. We may still go ahead with something but will have to wait now to see whether the revised rebate and bonus schemes will make it affordable for us. As a one time electrical engineer in possession of the knowledge of such systems and the benefits they bring it is very frustrating, to say the least, to not be in a position financially to have taken advantage of the current scheme(s). Over time though, I guess the cost of the hardware for these systems will gradually reduce to a point that economies of scale will put them within the reach of more and more people. Installation costs though will probably become more expensive, so hopefully one will not cancel out the benefits of the other.

                          We live in hope....

                          Mal.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

                            This the best information I can find for the state of QLD
                            http://www.cleanenergy.qld.gov.au/solar_bonus_scheme.cfm

                            Excerpt:-

                            Customers participating in the scheme will be paid 44 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for surplus electricity fed into the grid—around three times the current general domestic use tariff of 16.29c/kWh (inc GST as at 1 July 2008).

                            The average consumer operating a 1 kilowatt (kW) solar system could save up to 25 per cent on their electricity bill by using electricity generated by the PV system and from payments received from the Solar Bonus Scheme.

                            The amount of electricity a customer returns to the grid will depend on how much energy is being consumed while the solar panels are generating power. Customers may be able to maximise their solar bonus by improving the energy efficiency of their home to export more electricity to the grid. This could be achieved by reducing standby power consumption, shifting some tasks to the evening and minimising the use of air-conditioners. Visit the EnergyWise tips section for simple ways to make your home more energy-efficient.

                            Also:-
                            * have solar PV systems with a capacity of up to 10kVA for single phase power and 30kVA for three-phase power

                            Mal
                            No mention of wind power it is all (PV) Poly Voltaic
                            I cant find any wind power or grid feed schemes for QLD at the moment

                            KK

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

                              Originally posted by 486C656566665C486C706E6C030 link=1240751087/27#27 date=1241333432

                              Mal
                              No mention of wind power it is all (PV) Poly Voltaic  
                              I cant find any wind power or grid feed schemes for QLD at the moment

                              KK
                              Photo Voltaic

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Power Generation Grid Feed System

                                Best talk to a few people within the system KK before spending any money though, thats the only point Im trying to get across. When we first looked at doing this, there were limitations to not only the total exported KWH that would be paid but also the type of generation source that would be subsidised under the scheme.

                                Best to be careful and positive that you have ALL of the information before making any decisions...

                                Mal.

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