maaka wrote:I have the same, AGM's on the farm and flooded on the island house. both seem to work ok, but the flooded have been there a trillion times longer..I like the way you can open up the flooded ones and monitor each cell, give it a boot every now and then loosen up the crud off the plates etc..where as the other, all I look at is a digital display..

Yeah I see what you and glalt are happy with and if it is ok then go for it.
I am not promoting anything different and appreciate the different types but flooded batteries seem a but old school and that's seems the way of a farm boy from NZ, don't know glalt's background.

All the rage and specified now on our last few projects are the GEL batteries . Different horses for different courses with any installation and would not advise those for a home unit unless budget allows. They are set and forget with a monitoring system 2nd to none. We at times install huge capacity UPS and battery charging systems as back up in substation and operator control rooms in large projects I work on. An example is 1 of our GEL 2 volt battery weighs 50kg in a large bank. There are smaller ones for smaller capacity systems at 10kgs.

I am following this with interest and trying to absorb for future use all the different posts.
Keep up the good posts. =D>

I am definately old school Cobber..
my tractor is a grey 1950's Fergie 28, my Technics stereo I bought when I was a teenager, and I had a gramaphone.(forgive the spelling, it gets worse the longer I stay here ) I still have the odd jumper my mum knitted me as a youth, and a pocket watch somewhere, and some bell bottoms jeans. My hatchback, or coot, only has one seat so I can get hay bales inside and 2.4m posts..my mower is a 1960's american Gravely. I still play Marty Robbins sometimes, my best motorbike is a 1974 Triumph Trident, and I am looking to buy a Bedford truck and a back hoe..the list is endless..old things were made to last and they work better in most cases..

I too am an old farm boy bred and born in Ohio, USA. It's that old saying. You can take the boy off the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy. That's the reason I live in the boonies of Loei province. I'd rather drive my 4X4 pickup truck than the car. It's my wife's car. I wouldn't ever buy a car for myself.

Maybe those lithium solar batteries are better but they cost five times as much and they need a special charge controller and inverter. (different voltage). At least for now, I'll stay with the old tried and true lead acid batteries.

I admit that I do like the latest gadgets. My little tractor is a four wheel drive diesel. My phone keeps very accurate time so I don't carry a watch. I do have an old pocket watch but it is in a drawer somewhere around here. Being a bit old school backwards isn't bad.

Here's one for you solar guys. I want to run some lighting and a fan in my bed room as our power cuts are not that long normally so what do I need I will make a seperate line for this in the bedroom. Thanks for any assistance we are central Udon

I run flooded batteries in my solar system. They have now expired after 14 months! Partly because my inverters are not made to run with flooded batts! Gel batteries are very sensitive. A sudden drop or glitch in your system can wipe out your whole bank in an instant. Expensive.

I will have a game stab at this one Red..

Firstly there are many ways to go with solar 12v, 24v, or inverter 240v. Each one has a higher price tag accordingly.
Me I like to keep it simple, even make my own powerboard, and install myself, so 12volt is the way I go. Cant get to much of a shock if you touch something untoward with 12v ..

The way I learnt about solar was look at the labels or back of the applicance / things you want to run, add up the wattage, and that will give you an idea of how big a system you will need. i.e. panels and batteries and controller.. a controller is different than an inverter..it just regulates the flow of power to a constant 12v, if you like, though it does provide more power automaticallly to the batteries when they are low..a boost if you like..

the panels charge the batteries and the sytem runs off the batteries, not the panels..abit like a car.. engine, generator, battery. The longer you use the power at night time the more the battery goes down.same as a car headlight with the engine off...daytime the panels keep pace..so if you have a piddly arse battery it wont last long, afew hours, during main power outage or night time...so all this comes to size

me I have gone for 5x 8w cabin boat LED lights, with a switch on them.. abit like a reading light, or spotlight, but 4" tall..photo here somewhere..the bulbs are cheap as chips and last, and easy to replace..you can swivel the lights around or focus in one general spot..they dont eat much juice..a thing to remember when plays with solar, every watt saved counts to a longer battery...I run a 12v tv, car stereo, water pump, as well, so I would imagine they equal one fan..

I have 2 x 120w solar panels and 3 batteries ( more batteries, more power at night before go flat..they never go flat cause you got your eye on the digital meter..and when it gets down to 11.75v your getting real low so you switch off and go to bed.. I know its 12v, but 13.75v is a full battery.

so depending on the wattage of your fan and how long you want to run it, added with your lights, is your power requirement.. but you want more wriggle room..no good to flatten batteries, as they dont come back from the dead to well, like a car battery..

me, I would guess that 2 x 120w panels, 2 x 105 amp hour AGM batteries, and a 20amp or 30amp controller, some wire, maybe fuse blocks, lights and your away laughing..

Just buy a generator for power cuts , far less hassle.

minimiglia wrote:Just buy a generator for power cuts , far less hassle.

A generator is a great idea. It's like magic. I can get the power to come back on just after I start the generator and get back in the house.

Sorry Mini, I'll keep my solar system.

sorry forgot in my long winded rave, that your fan is 240v, and I was harping on about 12v..unless you get a 12v, then you will need an inverter to bump you up to 240v...can be a 12v inverter to match my system as outlined, and everything else should be ok. so 12v or 240v....

generators are grand, but the ruddy noise of the thing gets on my wick..solar is quiet..

glalt wrote:

minimiglia wrote:Just buy a generator for power cuts , far less hassle.

A generator is a great idea. It's like magic. I can get the power to come back on just after I start the generator and get back in the house.

Sorry Mini, I'll keep my solar system.

So why you have a generator as well then???

I keep the generator just in case the magic of restoring the grid power by starting it doesn't work. TIT

Forget solar panels, solar roof tiles are the go.

https://www.tesla.com/en_AU/solarroof?redirect=no

Unfortunately the tiles are not available in Thailand so that advice is a non starter. At least for now.

JR wrote:Unfortunately the tiles are not available in Thailand so that advice is a non starter. At least for now.

What about importing, they are readily available on Thailand's doorstep in both China and Australia, very simple to do.

The last couple of projects I worked we used products from all over the world, the Aus Embassy in Bkk, all face bricks direct from Australia, Gal steel window frames from China, in Phuket all our slate roof tiles, about 250 pallets came direct from China, limestone out of Portugal, pool and water feature stone Indonesia, kitchens and cabinets Italy and the list goe's on and on, you cannot limit yourself to Global House and Home Pro..

Ordering 250 pallets by a thai firm may not be much of a problem. Have you tried to import something by yourself? I have and am not going through that hassle again.

JR wrote:Ordering 250 pallets by a thai firm may not be much of a problem. Have you tried to import something by yourself? I have and am not going through that hassle again.

All purchasing done by ourselves then using an import company to deal with the customs red tape paperwork, in Phuket we used PUSCO, never a problem, don't see where I said a Thai firm...

One more try ?

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... -september

Believe it when it actually happens

There are four electric meters on the pole outside our house. Only our meter was changed to a new electronic meter. It appears that since they have seen the solar panels on the roof, they suspect that I'm feeding the grid. No one has said anything.

Just had 5 kw grid-tie solar installed atop garage.

320 watt poly panels x 16
Growatt 5000MTL-10 inverter
Various and sundry wiring, mounts, etc.

All installed and documented by a bonafide licensed Thai electrical engineer (not to be confused with the run-of-the-mill rice-paddy "electrician"). The same electrical engineer who correctly connected our whole house to our generator (ATS enabled). This guy literally teaches electrical engineering and would cake walk any USA or EU board exam.

PEA will inspect and change our meter soon. After that, we can legally switch it on. Word is the government will begin paying for excess fed to grid starting this September. That would certainly be nice and welcomed, but not a primary motivation. We simply wanted to just do it so we won't be a burden to our kids in the future.

====Start Tangential Rant ====

In the event of a grid power outage, the solar inverter shuts off. The ATS for the generator (7 kw) turns on the generator. The house is without power for about 10 seconds as that happens.

When grid power returns, the ATS turns off the generator and switches back to grid power (no down time). The solar inverter turns back on and continues its job of supplying power to the grid.

We have a motorized gate, garage door, and some perimeter lights (with day/night sensor switch and remote control dongle). Those are connected to a workstation UPS (had it laying around), which is itself connected to house power. So, even if the generator fails (or we disable it before going out), we can still use remotes to get inside when stormy outside and the perimeter lights stay on at night.

====End Tangential Rant====

Went off on a tangent there, but if anyone has been considering solar, now is the right time IMHO. Prices are reasonable (our 5kw solar system <200k all-in). Electric cars are coming 2020's. Thai grid will be stressed and upgrade projects will be undertaken = per kw prices going up. Solar talent will be short and their prices will go up even as equipment costs go down. Avoid the rush. Start getting net free electrical power courtesy of that nuclear fusion reactor in the sky!

NOTE WELL:

When you spec your system, keep in mind it will be 20-30% inefficient off the bat due to natural (clouds), physical (heat), and mechanical (materials, resistances) issues about which you just have to accept as status quo. So, up your solar panel count accordingly to compensate. If you have a 5000 w inverter, the spec capacity is actually 4800 w. You may want to max your panels per the inverter spec capacity.

4800 w x 1.25 (inefficiency allowance) = 6000 w / 320 w per panel = 18-19 panels.

We chose to go with 16 panels (5120 w) because that is what fits on the garage roof without going over the edges. We chose poly rather than mono panels because the difference in efficiency didn't justify the difference in cost to us (me). If 375 w panels were available at a reasonable cost, then we would have gone with 16 of those instead to get to 6000 w.

We have another project for a building next to the main house planned for later this year. We may put another 10 kw on that (separate meter to keep PEA happy) if they do indeed start paying out for excess fed to grid. Decision delayed until more info received from PEA and our 5 kw performance feedback.