How prepared
are you and your family for the next power failure?
Are
you prepared for outages lasting more than a day, a week or even a few
weeks? From
electric
generation shortages to weather extremes wreaking havoc on our
aging power distribution system,
we've entered an era of great
uncertainty with regards to the reliability of our electricity supply.
Consider recent events in several regions of the country
which caused widespread power outages
lasting from several days to
several weeks! There's really no good way to predict when an outage
will occur or how long it will last. But there are things that you can
do to prepare you and your family
for the uncertain times ahead.
Prudent preparation is always the best insurance against the unknown.
The
best way to ensure reliable and
continuous electric service is with
a Four Winds Back-up Power
System. In the event of a utility blackout
or brownout, a Four Winds Backup Power System provides
power
automatically, instantly and silently from it's storage batteries.
While others remain in the dark,
your electricity-dependant devices
continue to function, shielded from power failure by state-of-the art
power technology.
When a gasoline, diesel, LP or natural gas generator is coupled to the
powerful
battery charger built into the system, the batteries can be
recharged as needed to provide reliable
backup power during extended
power outages.
The
following is a discussion about extending the capabilities of a backup
power system by using
Renewable Energy power sources. This discussion
is
therefore quite relevant for those wishing to
skip the backup power
step
and go straight for energy independence!
Solar
panels, wind generators and
micro-hydroelectric turbines can be
added to these backup power
systems to re-charge the batteries. The
components which make up an inverter/ battery backup system
are the
same as those used in most renewable energy systems. Add a backup
generator as well and
you've created a highly versatile independent
power system which has the potential to eliminate the
need for grid
power altogether! No more power outages OR electric bills!
The batteries in
a properly sized backup system can provide enough emergency power for
several
hours or even days of operation. This is usually quite sufficient for
dealing
with the average power
outage which typically lasts less than a day.
But
what about extended power outages caused by
hurricanes, tornadoes, ice
storms, blizzards, floods or any other major disruption of the power
grid?
This is a relatively easy question to answer because the batteries in a
backup power system can be
re-charged in several ways...
The most popular
option is to use a standby generator to power the inverter's internal
battery
charger. Running the generator for a few hours each day keeps
the
batteries topped off and provides
full time power. This is a great
low-cost
method for extending the basic backup systems' capabilities.
But what happens if the fuel runs out or the generator dies?
Remember,
we're talking about extended
power outages that may last for
days
or even weeks....
Good question? Read on.......
Another option that's
growing in popularity is adding solar power. Solar modules produce
electricity
directly from sunlight and several modules connected together are
called
an array.
Depending on the size of the array (sized to your power
needs),
solar can provide you with some,
most or even all of your electrical
power.
Every place on Earth receives sunlight, some more than
others and
this fact has a direct bearing on how much solar power potential can be
expected in your
neck of the woods... this solar data, called
"insolation",
is essential for accurate array and
battery sizing.
Bottom
line...adding solar power to an
inverter-battery
system will help replace the power drawn
from the batteries and this
helps
minimize or possibly eliminate that generator usage! And with
module
lifespans
of well over 20 years, solar is a good investment for today AND for the
future.
Yet another option
is to add wind power. Wind generators have come a long way in the last
few
years with most types now requiring little more than periodic
inspection
and often with lifespans of
20 years or better. Wind power is very site
specific and not for everyone, especially in urban areas
where zoning
and
picky neighbors usually prohibit it's use! Wind data for NY State
is available at the
Small Wind Explorer. Wind generators have the potential for producing
power
day or night and
have the lowest cost per watt of all the
renewables.
Bottom line...if your site supports it, wind power
is a cost
effective
addition to your backup system and like solar, a good long term
investment.
By adding solar or
wind to your backup power system you've created you're own independent
power system. By the way...you can add more than one type of renewable
energy to your system.
Solar and wind are a great combination and what
we recommend for use in the Northeast where the
summers tend to be
sunny
and not so windy...winters just the opposite. These types of systems
which
utilize more than one power source are called "hybrid" power systems.
Utilizing
a hybrid power
system is a good way to deal with the seasonal highs and
lows of power production of a solar only
or wind only system.
Independent
Energy = Immunity from power outages and electric bills!
The 5 steps of system sizing for
off-grid and backup power:
1) Load
Use
Evaluation: Think of this
as an inventory of your electricity usage. A list is made
of all your
electrical
appliances, their wattage ratings and their hours used each day. The
wattage
ratings are multiplied by the hours used each day to determine the
total
power consumed daily by
each appliance (stated in watt-hours). These
daily
totals added together equal your total daily
electricity usage.
This
total
is one of the most important tools we have for designing a properly sized
system to
meet your power requirements. Everyone uses electric power
differently
...only you can determine
your usage. A load evaluation also helps pinpoint inefficient
appliances and
wasteful usage habits.
2) Energy
Efficiency:
For anyone using or considering the use of a renewable energy power
system,
the importance of energy efficiency can't be stressed enough! Every $1
spent on energy efficiency
saves $3 to $5 on system costs...the lower
your
power
needs, the smaller the system needed to provide
for those needs. The
purchase
and use of high efficiency appliances, compact fluorescent
lighting and
other low-energy or
non-electric
appliances is an extremely important step in this process. Switching to
gas or other alternatives for heating, cooking and clothes drying will
drastically reduce your energy
consumption and therefore system size
and
cost.
3)
Conservation:
Lower usage = smaller more cost-effective power systems. Don't leave
the
coffeemaker on all day or the lights on all night. Does it really make
sense to use a 4000 watt electric
oven for 45 minutes (using 3000
watt-hours)
to heat 2 frozen burritos? An 800 watt microwave can do
it in about 5
minutes
and only use about 67 watt-hours!
What's lurking in that huge chest
freezer or refrigerator?
Do you need one that big? And don't forget
"ghost" loads...TVs, radios,
computers and all those little power adapter cubes plugged in
everywhere
are prime examples of parasitic "ghost" loads. Many of these can be
eliminated
or plugged into
switchable power strips to be turned on only when
needed,
saving hundreds or even thousands of
watt-hours per day!
There really are ways to reduce your
electric usage without having
to live like a refugee- many have
done it! It's well worth the effort
and
you'll be amazed at the savings in system cost.
4)
Site Evaluation:
If you're planning a renewable energy system, your site's energy
potential
should
be evaluated. For wind: historic wind data,
elevation,
potential wind generator locations, nearby
obstructions to wind flow
and
the proximity to buildings, property lines and roads are all considered.
For solar: historic solar data
(insolation), module mounting
locations and potential shading problems
are evaluated. For
hydro:
vertical drop (head) from water source to turbine (10' minimum
required),
gallons per minute available, distance from water source to turbine and
seasonal variations of water
source are some of the things considered.
This information is then used to determine which power
source or
sources
are viable for your location and cost-effective for you.
5)
System Location:
For both renewable and standby installations there are many factors
that
determine the power system location. If the system includes a backup
generator
then we must consider
which fuel type is best, access for fueling and
maintenance,
engine exhaust routing, soundproofing, fuel
storage, and above
all...safety.
If we're using lead-acid batteries, they're typically installed in a
sealed
battery box which must be vented to the outdoors and not located more
than
4-5 feet from the inverter.
The inverter, batteries and control systems
do best in a dry, heated or semi-heated area.
A utility or spare room is ideal, basements are OK if they're dry.
Power sheds are acceptable with
proper insulation and ventilation.
For power system sizing, there's no
substitute for accurate
information....without
it we're only guessing!
Installation:
Our backup power battery/ inverter systems are also the "heart"
of most renewable
energy systems. This means that you can install
the battery/ inverter system and use it as a backup
power system. If
there's
no utility power available, you can also use it as a generator/
inverter
independent power system, using a generator to recharge the batteries.
You can then choose to add
wind, solar and/ or micro hydro power at any
time in the future.
Some folks choose this "modular"
method for budget reasons and
others
to allow themselves more time to become adjusted to a more
energy
efficient
and sustainable lifestyle.
We're
here
to guide you through the entire process, from load evaluation to
installation....there's
no
need to be intimidated by the process!
For a blank load evaluation
form, please visit our Downloads Page.
Four Winds is a full service Renewable Energy dealer. We're here
to provide complete system sizing,
sales and installation services to
all
our customers. We also work closely with our homeowner/ installer
customers
to assist them with their own installations.
"We use this stuff
ourselves...we
know first hand what works and what doesn't. We'll give you honest
answers
to your questions and be here for you long after the sale. Renewable
energy's
not just our business,
it's our lifestyle. Contact us today so we can
get
you started on the road to energy independence."
Roy Butler, Owner of
Four Winds
Thanks
for dropping by!
This
website was created with solar and wind power!
© 2012 By Roy
Butler
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