[mainship]

Originally Posted by Sleestak

You might get more bang for your buck with a solar (thermal) hot water heater. Apparently, they were popular in florida in the 1950's.
Who knows? Maybe they will be again.

Not likely, they actually pulled working units from welfare housing as residents wanted electric water heaters like the rich people.

[tallrick]

Just looked at the weather stats for my area, 85 degrees feels like 96! Huntsville 72 feels like 72, where's the paradise? In a place with low night temps solar air conditioning is a good deal. Here in the boiling water it's not so nice.

[tallrick]

YouTube - Solar Air Conditioning

[Prichard]

That was an interesting video, Tallrick. It has a heck of a foot print, though, and I'd hate to know what the cost of that system is. Also, it appears to use a lot of water, and reprocessing of water looked complex. Still, it's an interesting concept.

Wouldn't it be easier to just hook up all of those solar cells/batteries to a DC motor that could turn a 4 ton compressor?

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by Prichard

That was an interesting video, Tallrick. It has a heck of a foot print, though, and I'd hate to know what the cost of that system is. Also, it appears to use a lot of water, and reprocessing of water looked complex. Still, it's an interesting concept.

Wouldn't it be easier to just hook up all of those solar cells/batteries to a DC motor that could turn a 4 ton compressor?

It would take a lot of wattage, and solar cells can't drive an AC motor without using an inverter. Typical AC compressor consumes up to 15 Amps at 220V, so you will need at least 4KW of solar cells, and probably some more to accumulate reserve for the batteries. Mechanical refrigeration requires too many changes of state for the energy, from sunlight to DC current, then to batteries, DC current to AC current, then to mechanical energy, then to pressure/heat transfer. I shudder to think how inefficient this would be! But in the future semiconductive coolers may be affordable, and they would replace the inefficient compressor.

This technology holds a lot of potential, and it will be explored as soon as the real estate bubble bursts.

[Sleestak]

Tallrick,

I just finished looking at Key Largo's weather stats on wunderground.com. Looks like the dew point is 78 degrees. Must make for some miserable nights if a person doesn't have air conditioning. Wow, and I thought it was bad in Pensacola. I can say that Huntsville is usually less humid than Pensacola, except when a storm rolls through.

[Sleestak]

Originally Posted by mainship

Not likely, they actually pulled working units from welfare housing as residents wanted electric water heaters like the rich people.

Weird. I would think the easiest thing to do would be to install a small electric water heater as backup. Why rip out a perfectly functional solar water heater?

[sunrico90]

See link for incentives for solar/other options to save energy...

DSIRE: Incentives by State: Incentives in Florida

DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.
USA
DSIRE: DSIRE Home

[geos]

Originally Posted by tallrick

Hmm good question, but it seems like the exhaust gasses were less than my neighbor's generator after the hurricane. Photovoltaic cells are basically diodes and only about 15% efficient and very high cost per watthour. They produce DC and you waste energy to convert it to AC. Storage batteries are expensive and a source of toxic metals. The gassifier burns under controlled conditiond, sends hydrogen and carbon monoxide to the engine, turns the electric generator,and waste heat can be used for hot water and air conditioning. Coal can also be burned in the gassifier. I have used waste tires and construction debris as well. Steam is introduced into the unit to increase hydrogen output and reduce tars. The exhaust is low in CO and NOX and comparable to propane combustion. Efficiencies can approach 80%!

I'm very interested in your alternative energy strategies esp. the gassifier. Any resources you can recommend? Here's one for you. Free Solar Panels, Solar Heating System and Solar Water Heating System by Knowledgepublications.com

[manchester]

I remember one northerner who moved to florida, after a year they moaned about the air conditioning costs

it was the pointed out that how much did you pay for your heating up north, ah yes they thought good point

but here's the kicker

why did you chop those trees down when you moved in and put a couple of palm trees in

their answer well to make it tropical looking

ah yes but you took the shade away from your house andnow have thesun hiting your house all day therefore driving up yourair conditioning costs


DOH they thought


not even going to mention how silly they looked when they moaned about taxes going up a bit later down in southern florida along with the cost

well who did you vote for

we voted as we always have ------democrat

o well that's why taxes is becomng expensive like in the place up north you made by voting for them

you have to laugh though at how just clueless they were

God bless em