This is the original setup, installed during the
summer of 1991. These panels produced a third of the power I needed.
My apartment has been running on electricity produced entirely from solar panels since June, 1999. This is called being 'off grid', the 'grid' being the commercial electricity generation and distribution system. I was the first person living off grid in the city of Chicago. Since then, a few other installations producing enough power to be off grid have been completed. (Home Power article in pdf format)
This is the original setup, installed during the
summer of 1991. These panels produced a third of the power I needed.
In 1999, I completed the system.
Now, during each hour of a sunny day, the 2.2 kilowatts of roof mounted
photo-voltaic panels produces
90+ amps of DC current. This is stored in a 1800 amp-hour (12 volt) set of nickel-iron batteries in the basement. The batteries are arranged
in 6 strings of 10 batteries each. The 6 battery strings are of different amp-hour storage capacities and different ages.
A Trace 2412 inverter turns the 12 volt DC stored power into 120 volts AC to power the apartment. The batteries allow me to go 5-10 days without sun depending on usage. But even on the gloomiest of Chicago winter days I make some small amount of power.
I am still connected to ComEd and use them for backup. If the power in the batteries gets too low, a switch will allow me to use ComEd (the Grid) to charge the batteries and feed grid power to the apartment. I can also use ComEd as a place to sell excess power on sunny summer days. Or I could use that excess power to charge charge my electric truck...
In April, 2003, after a long process, I finished converting a
1981 Toyota pickup truck from gas to 100% electric. I removed the gasoline engine and
all related parts and replaced them with an electric motor, 1500 pounds of batteries (where the bed used to be), and a number of other components. This truck now resides in my garage
and is 'refueled' with solar produced electricity when the house batteries are full. I do not drive in the winter because of the salt used on Chicago streets
so even though the truck has been running for almost a year, I am just beginning to test range and speed. So far I have made round trips of 35 miles with lots of power left in the batteries.
I have gone up to 40 mph with no problems. Pickup is good. I'm never left in the dust at stop lights.
The best resource for parts, information, and advice for the truck conversion project was Electro-automotive in Santa Cruz, CA. Mike Brown and Sheri Prang were bottomless sources of information and their book, Convert-it was an excellent guide to this conversion. If you intend to do a conversion, get their book and follow their instructions religiously. I did not follow their instructions completly, and, in the end, regretted every single time I did not follow one of their suggestions. Their experience and ability to explain what needs to be done, why, and how is perfect. I cannot recommend their book, parts, and advice too highly.
However!!! My primary mode of transportation over the past 12 years in Chicago, in spite of the public transit system, has been my bicycle. So I find few 'needs' for the truck. Hardware store trips are most common. When I use the truck, I must consider the length of trip I want to make, the speed of the roads (highways or surface streets) I expect to take, the length of time the truck has been charging since the last use and whether I expect the next day to be sunny so I can recharge it when I get home. Lead-acid batteries do not like to be left uncharged for very long. It shortens their life span.
Next on the agenda is a much simpler rain water collection system. It should be in place this spring. After that I will install a water heating system and if roof space permits, a space heating system. What ever roof space is left over and anything that doesn't get direct sun will be converted to a garden.
Some excellent resources for anyone interested in renewable, sustainable power: The bible for the home-based system is Home Power Magazine . Started in 1989 on newsprint, this magazine has progressed to a glossy, professional, full coler publication packed with well-written, easy-to-follow, informative articles for beginners and people already knowledgeable in the renewable energy field. The magazine contains advertisements with 800 numbers and websites for almost any company offering equipment in any renewable energy system. This magazine is a MUST for anyone with any interest in renewable/sustainable energy systems.
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association runs a gigantic renewable energy and sustainable living fair in the US every year on the weekend nearest the summer solstice (June21) in Custer, Wisconsin, 20 miles south east of Stevens Point, a 3 hour drive from Madison. The Midwest Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair. At this three-day fair are hundreds of lectures on every aspect of renewable energy. All sessions are free with the price of admission. People lecturing here are very well informed. In addition, there are hundreds of vendors selling almost anything you might need to install your own electric system, hot water system, rain water collection system, composting or any other renewable/sustainable energy/life related system you might have in mind. The vendors are full of information and are more than willing to talk your ear off and answer any question you can pose.
