Topics. How to decide which off grid Solar System is for you

Transcription

1 How to decide which off grid Solar System is for you Topics Top threats to US Power Grid summary Different backup power sources discussion On/Off Grid Solar Products Compared to show you what things to look for (detailed version of presentation is available via see our booth)

2 Severe Weather Power Grid Threats Hurricane Katrina 2005 & Sandy 2012 = No power Heat wave Great Northeast Blackout 2003 = 55M people w/o power Snow & Ice yearly = 1M+ people w/o power Heat wave California 2014 = 675K people w/o power

3 Low Cost War Power Grid Threats Energy report leaked if 9 particular substations were damaged out of 55,000 = US blackouts for 18 months Navy Seals say professional hit on San Jose CA substation April Drug cartel black out Mexico s Michoacán state Oct 2013 = 420K people without power Jihadists black out Yemen with rockets Jun 2014 = 24M people & Pakistan Jan 2015 = 140M people

4 15 Critical US Infrastructures All Rely on the 16 th = US Power Grid Water & Wastewater Communication Transportation Food & Agriculture Dams: flood control Emergency Services Financial Services Information Technology Healthcare & Public Health Energy & Distribution Government Facilities Manufacturing Commercial Facilities Defense Industrial Base Nuclear Reactors & Materials Chemical

5 Cyberattack Power Grid Threats 362 US outages (incl. physical attacks) Russian SW bug Dragonfly infected 1000 power plants in US & Europe July 2014 Ted Koppel s 2015 book Lights Out says attack likely Russia s BlackEnergy Malware brings down Ukraine Dec 2015 = ~300K people w/o power Israel paralyzed by largest ever cyberattack Jan 2016

6 Power Grid Threats Geomagnetic Storms (similar to EMP) NASA July 2014 report ~12% chance over 10 years 1x Hydro-Quebec Storm 1989 = 7M people 10x bigger Railroad Storm 1921 = All N. America If today, blackout would last 4-10 years 100x Carrington Event 1859 = Worldwide Penetrated miles into Atlantic ocean to melt telegraph cables Another narrowly missed Earth July 2012

7 Power Grid Threats ElectroMagnetic Pulse (EMP) N. Korea launched KMS-3 satellite with practice trajectory over Washington DC April 2013 N. Korea freighter caught smuggling 2 nuclear capable missiles on their launchers July 2013 N. Korea detonates H-bomb Jan 2016 N. Korea satellite launch attempt Feb 2016 US States EMP protecting portions of Grid (not homes) Maine 2013, Virginia/Arizona 2014, Florida 2015

8 Power Grid Threats ElectroMagnetic Pulse (EMP) N. Korea launched KMS-3 satellite with practice trajectory over Washington DC April 2013 N. Korea freighter caught smuggling 2 nuclear capable missiles on their launchers July 2013 N. Korea detonates H-bomb Jan 2016 N. Korea satellite launch attempt Feb 2016 US States EMP protecting portions of Grid (not homes) Maine 2013, Virginia/Arizona 2014, Florida 2015

9 Grid Solutions: Backup Power Options (detailed version available via )

10 Gas vs. Solar Generator 1 Fridge & Freezer over 10 years 11,000 Gallons Gas Qts Oil ($50,000) = Quiet, automatic Solar Generator ($4500+)

11 Renewable Options: Many to choose from 30% Federal Tax Credit. Some state credits. Cost compare in $/watt produced (not inverter power!) 1 250W panel produces = 1 Batt /day

12 Solar Panel Watts needed = Power OFF GRID for >1 week TV/PC Lights Microwave Fan Freezer Fridge Gas Furnace Window A/C 100W 75W 125W 200W 250W 450W 1500W 2250W Estimated Cost (incl Batt & Install, before 30% tax credit) Cost per Solar Watt Generated Portable Solar Sol-Ark 780W Solar + 4 Batt Sol-Ark Min Config $6,450 $9.8 Sun RNR "Runner" 560W Solar + 2 Batt $5,500 $10.7 Grid Eraser Maximus 450W Solar + 3 Batt $4,400 $10.9 Be Prepared Solar 18KW peak Largest System 1500W Solar + 8 Batt $6,455 $18.5 Solutions from Science Perfect Power 100W + 1 batt $2,500 $29.1

13 Lets see how many Panels & Batteries are needed per appliance:

14 Solar Panel Watts needed = Power OFF GRID for >1 week TV/PC Lights Microwave Fan Freezer Fridge Gas Furnace Window A/C 100W 75W 125W 200W 250W 450W 1500W 2250W Estimated Cost (incl Batt & Install, before 30% tax credit) Cost per Solar Watt Generated Portable Solar Sol-Ark 2340W Solar + 8 Batt Sol-Ark Typical Config $9,275 $4.2 Humless Off-Grid Series 12kWh 2000W Solar + 10 Li-Ion Batt $19,100 $10.6 Total Solar Innovations Solar-Max W Solar + 6 Batt $9,200 $5.5 Total Solar Innovations Solar-Max W Solar + 6 Batt $7,471 $29.0

15 Solar Panel Watts needed = Power OFF GRID for >1 week TV/PC Lights Microwave Fan Freezer Fridge Gas Furnace Window A/C 100W 75W 125W 200W 250W 450W 1500W 2250W Estimated Cost (incl Batt & Install, before 30% tax credit) Cost per Solar Watt Generated Portable Solar Sol-Ark 3900W Solar Panels + 16 Batteries Sol-Ark Max Config $13,125 $3.5 Tesla Powerwall 3750W Solar + 10 Li-Ion Batt $29,125 $8.2

16 Battery Technologies 6.4KWh = $ ? 5KWh = $800 Not huge fan of Lithium because: Cost 4x of good 15 year Lead Acid Low peak power limits usage to 1-2 appliances (off Grid) Internal Electronics not protected against EMP

17 Normal Grid Interactive Operation = 10%. Off Grid = <50% discharge. System shuts down ~80-90% range.

18 Lets see Detailed Examples of Good & Bad Solar Systems:

19 Key Points Don t invest in non-daily systems Battery only systems Systems <500W solar panels Non expandable systems Systems that won t cut your electric bills Always compare $/Solar W Subtract the Inverter Idle power! Budget your Solar Panel Watts & Batteries to what is most important for Grid Down Get a professionally designed system & avoid low power/low quality.

20 Thank You Never be in the Dark with

21 Questions to ask of any Solar Solution

22 Solar FAQ s: Key Items Can you install it yourself? Labor, Permits, and connection fees cost more than the hardware in Professional systems. (Ours plugs into wall and is running in 30min with no fees. Professional installation is available for panel mounting & setup if you prefer.) Is everything included? Solar Kits often need 2-3x more $ + labor to install. Compare $ / Solar Watt. (Ours includes everything but batteries) Does it pay for itself by reducing your electric bills? 99% of DIY emergency backup systems only use panels when grid goes down. (Ours uses Solar power during the day & Grid at night. Paying for itself) Does the system run when the AC Grid goes out? Grid tie systems shut off during a power outage. (Our systems stay on like a UPS)

23 Solar FAQ s: Solar Panels Can you Add Solar Panels? Need ~500W in panels to run a fridge. (Ours max 3900W) Is Panel Mounting Hardware Included? (Our included adjustable angle mounts allow 10-15% more power, several hours more sun, stackable portability, & include wind stakes) Max length of solar wires? Electronics in garage & southern facing panels in backyard need feet to be free from shade trees. (Our max 200ft)

24 Solar FAQ s: Solar Charger, Batts, AC Charger Is Solar Charge Controller Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)? Optimizes power in even in clouds. (Ours is 60A MPPT) Can you Expand Battery Capacity? Most systems have undersized batteries. Minimum 2 batteries for 1 fridge. Most users need 4. (Our max is 16 batteries = 440Ah = 21KWh) Does it have a large (>300W) AC charger? Using the Grid to keep batteries charged will increase their lifespan 400% and makeup for poor solar days. (Our AC chargers extend battery life and can still be used completely off grid)

25 Solar FAQ s: Inverter Is the Inverter Pure Sine-Wave (PSW) or Modified (MSW)? Modified Sine will not run freezers, gas furnace, and some electronics. Pure Sine runs all. Typically <1000W in panels = MSW, >1000W in panels PSW. (We use either, depends on size of system & application) Does AC output auto transfer between Solar & Grid? Allows high power appliances to stay plugged into the system independent of amount of sun (Our Sol-Ark system includes) Inverter Power Output >2000W? Inverters will shut down if they exceed peak OR continuous power. Just 2 appliances or 1 microwave can kill a 2000W inverter. (Ours is 3000W Pure Sine with 6000W peak)