D
Don Y
Guest
On 5/1/2023 9:42 AM, bob prohaska wrote:
Yeah, I\'ve seen a lot of them but don\'t think they are really
suited towards \"emulating the electric utility\" as much as they
are as \"moving amps into two leads\".
Likewise, the gensets designed for jobsite lighting. Big and
portable (on wheels) but if all you have to do is illuminate a
light...
A *big* genset will give me some experience with control of
similar on industrial sites (two of my beta sites would typically
employ units in the 100-200KW ballpark). This would allow me to
demonstrate my load control algorithms on something more than a
\"toy\" scale.
The 25-100KW units tend to be available in enclosures that
aim to reduce noise as well as offer some protection from
the elements (I\'m not keen on building a home for it!) while
the larger units seem to disregard that as a purchase criteria
entirely.
If we could keep some modest amount of fuel on-hand AND have
access to more during an emergency (e.g., the gas station
a mile from here sells diesel), then it wouldn\'t be a
heavy lift to discipline ourselves to acquire additional
supplies at the start of an outage.
Assuming, of course, that the station can pump fuel in
whatever event transpires.
Propane is likely not viable as we don\'t want to store a
large above ground tank on the property.
Natural gas may require a larger supply line (I suspect
they size the lines in residential areas for oven+water
heater sorts of loads).
Gasoline isn\'t an option for bigger units.
I am doing that in the sense of evaluating my controls for
my automation system. If we get some additional benefit
out of it, then that\'s gravy.
I\'m not sure that a small genset struggling to meet ALL of our
needs would be a representative example -- like trying to
control a genset on a campout :<
[You also need finer control over the loads to be representative of
the number and relative size that industrial/commercial deployments
would require]
There\'s not much *more* that can be done, here, without starting over.
Homes are built poorly, here. The emphasis has always been on being able
to use electricity (and water vapor) to make the interior comfortable
instead of trying to build well insulated or take advantage of below
grade construction to maintain indoor temperatures.
It is relatively common for folks to live \"off grid\", here. But,
they are \"away\" from town and power is just one of their many
concerns. (what do you do if you can\'t get *water*?)
The folks with heatpumps tend to complain that they are power hungry
AND leave them cold on those few winter days when temperatures fall
overnight. I think you would have to take that into consideration when
designing the floorplan of a home -- so you aren\'t heating/cooling
spaces when they aren\'t in use. (likewise, recovering as much
grey water for irrigation instead of letting it down the drain)
> Expensive, yes, but no more than the new cars in the neighborhood.
How often do you buy a car just to look at? :>
Yeah, I\'ve seen a lot of them but don\'t think they are really
suited towards \"emulating the electric utility\" as much as they
are as \"moving amps into two leads\".
Likewise, the gensets designed for jobsite lighting. Big and
portable (on wheels) but if all you have to do is illuminate a
light...
A *big* genset will give me some experience with control of
similar on industrial sites (two of my beta sites would typically
employ units in the 100-200KW ballpark). This would allow me to
demonstrate my load control algorithms on something more than a
\"toy\" scale.
The 25-100KW units tend to be available in enclosures that
aim to reduce noise as well as offer some protection from
the elements (I\'m not keen on building a home for it!) while
the larger units seem to disregard that as a purchase criteria
entirely.
If we could keep some modest amount of fuel on-hand AND have
access to more during an emergency (e.g., the gas station
a mile from here sells diesel), then it wouldn\'t be a
heavy lift to discipline ourselves to acquire additional
supplies at the start of an outage.
Assuming, of course, that the station can pump fuel in
whatever event transpires.
Propane is likely not viable as we don\'t want to store a
large above ground tank on the property.
Natural gas may require a larger supply line (I suspect
they size the lines in residential areas for oven+water
heater sorts of loads).
Gasoline isn\'t an option for bigger units.
I am doing that in the sense of evaluating my controls for
my automation system. If we get some additional benefit
out of it, then that\'s gravy.
I\'m not sure that a small genset struggling to meet ALL of our
needs would be a representative example -- like trying to
control a genset on a campout :<
[You also need finer control over the loads to be representative of
the number and relative size that industrial/commercial deployments
would require]
There\'s not much *more* that can be done, here, without starting over.
Homes are built poorly, here. The emphasis has always been on being able
to use electricity (and water vapor) to make the interior comfortable
instead of trying to build well insulated or take advantage of below
grade construction to maintain indoor temperatures.
I\'m in the Sacramento Valley, with a slightly milder climate. I\'ve
fantasized about building a combined micro-CHP system that uses
an absorption chiller driven by a natural gas fired genset. Exhaust
heat would drive the chiller, excess AC power could go to the grid.
On the megawatt scale it might workMore realistically, battery
backed islanding solar systems and heat pumps are available now.
It is relatively common for folks to live \"off grid\", here. But,
they are \"away\" from town and power is just one of their many
concerns. (what do you do if you can\'t get *water*?)
The folks with heatpumps tend to complain that they are power hungry
AND leave them cold on those few winter days when temperatures fall
overnight. I think you would have to take that into consideration when
designing the floorplan of a home -- so you aren\'t heating/cooling
spaces when they aren\'t in use. (likewise, recovering as much
grey water for irrigation instead of letting it down the drain)
> Expensive, yes, but no more than the new cars in the neighborhood.
How often do you buy a car just to look at? :>