A solar powered generator?

[ponytug]

@Larry Caldwell I think any road with an I in it... I-5, I-80... would work.

 

[ponytug]

@etpm You might want to look at lithium cells recycled from old Nisssan leaf battery packs. There is quite the secondary market, both as whole packs and as cells.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Larry Caldwell]

well pump? . most wells need quite a large inrush of power to start up. i occasionally have trouble starting wells on 12KW gas generators.

Starting current on pump duty motors is typically 3x the rated running current. That doesn't mean the generator will start the motor, since the starting power factor is pretty low.

 

[workinonit]

eptm said "Because of the way induction motors work and my well pump is one of those when the well starts it draws considerable current for a short period of time. Since it is a capacitor start well pump it draws less start up current than a typical single phase motor. There are ways to supply this extra motor starting current that are simple and robust."

etpm, you have my attention on this point. Please expand on the ways to supply end rush current that are simple and robust. Also, I'm extremely interested in these "typical single phase motors" that apparently don't use start capacitors. I'm sure this can be done with a soft start or a VFD but I want to know what other conventional methods I'm missing.

 

[Jstpssng]

Sunlight is already energy. At least it was when I was in school. So many things have changed, maybe that is not it anymore.

I think that it's magic again. Too many rainy days in a row and we have to start offering sacrifices again... only this time they are vegan.

 

[JM7500]

well pump? . most wells need quite a large inrush of power to start up. i occasionally have trouble starting wells on 12KW gas generators.

My pump has a soft start.

 

[shooterdon]

I nearly went solar when I bought this place (my last home) 9 years ago. It was going to cost $20k+. I make about 6% on my investments. My yearly cost for electricity has averaged $1200-1300 per year. (average about $.10/kwhr)

I expect after 9 years the solar system would have needed a battery bank replacement. Cost about $10k, At the time, solar panels lost about 1% per year of efficiency IIRC so I would be down about 10%.

So I figure my power has been free for the last 9 years. Sure beats having a solar system in my case.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[etpm]

eptm said "Because of the way induction motors work and my well pump is one of those when the well starts it draws considerable current for a short period of time. Since it is a capacitor start well pump it draws less start up current than a typical single phase motor. There are ways to supply this extra motor starting current that are simple and robust."

etpm, you have my attention on this point. Please expand on the ways to supply end rush current that are simple and robust. Also, I'm extremely interested in these "typical single phase motors" that apparently don't use start capacitors. I'm sure this can be done with a soft start or a VFD but I want to know what other conventional methods I'm missing.

I will gather some info on motor starting systems. As for typical single phase motors that don't use starting caps they are everywhere. Fractional horsepower motors. Like on bench grinders and drill presses and small pumps. If the motor doesn't have a hump on the side and you can hear a clicking sound coming from the motor when it is turned off then it has a starting winding but no capacitor.
Eric

 

[ericm979]

Big bucks. It's almost enough to convince me to fill a tanker and drive south. Where should I park that a "Psst. Hey mister, want some diesel cheap," would get a good response?

California is a single market for gas and diesel due to emissions requirements for each fuel. Kind of like how Texas is a single electricity market because they don't interconnect like the other states do. When you're a single market, the market is much more volatile. While stations can't sell fuel that is not produced to the CA specs, the refineries that make the fuel can use oil from anywhere to make it.

Since there's only a few of them, the bottleneck is in the refineries. All too often a refinery goes down for maintenance at a time that just happens to be ideal to keep prices high. I'm sure it's just a coincidence.