Friday, July 3, 2009

Need a light?

You will need a generator, their size and fuel vary. The size of your compound will determine the Kw rating of said generator. I will cover the most common fuels. First off gas has a shelf life of a few days to several months, problem being you have to have a lot of it in storage and the other fuel types are more efficient. Use regular unleaded gas with at least 85 octane for your gas powered generator. Turn off the generator engine and allow it to cool about 2 minutes before refueling.
Hydrogen Gas has many marvelous qualities, although it is not above thermodynamics, more energy is used in the process of production than produced. This is true of all systems but it is the most efficient. This HHO gas is 3 xs as powerful regular gasoline and its byproduct is pure water.
Propane two main advantages: The fuel is cleaner and when used in generators, will not produce as much toxic fumes that are harmful to the environment. The other is that has just about an indefinite life shelf life. Propane is virtually odorless except for the added rotten-egg smell used to determine leaks and is also nontoxic.
Diesel has to be over hauled every 15,000 hours. Propane or gasoline generators will need to be overhauled in as little as 1,000.Generally for at least 12 months. Diesel engines are built to last many times longer than a gasoline powered engine. Diesels are far more efficient, as well.
Bio-Diesel has many advantages to Petro-Diesel. The main one being cleaner burning fuel that is more environmentally friendly. The next being the use of organic by products as part of the fuel. Another favorable advantage is bio-diesel's high lubricity and solvent attributes that reduce wear and tear. With lower cold weather gelling points, it could be troublesome in very cold weather. Like petro diesel, it is also accompanied by fumes and possibly a unique, pungent odor as well. One of the main drawbacks of bio-diesel is its production of nitrous oxide. This could be a plus if you happen to be a dentist. I say bio-diesel. Just stay alive and you have fertilizer and power.
50 kVA or about 208 amps that just over the average of electrical service of a house is the size of the generator you will need. You cannot run the generator all day; you will simply run out of fuel. What does this mean? Solar panels, wind turbine, and depending on where you place your fortress water wheel. Solar panels that are 59" X 39" X 1 1/2" (5 foot by 4 foot) can produce about 7 amps. You will need about 26 of them to produce the same 208 amps. You do not necessary need all of them because you will most likely not use that much power all at once. A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the kinetic energy into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used directly by machinery, such as a pump or grinding stones, the machine is usually called a windmill.
The first utility grid-connected wind turbine operated in the UK was built by the John Brown Company in 1954 in the Orkney Islands. It had an 18 meter diameter, three-bladed rotor and a rated output of 100 kW. Turbines used in wind farms for commercial production of electric power are usually three-bladed and pointed into the wind by computer-controlled motors. Water wheel functions on the same principle as the wind turbine. If you are by a river or other body moving water, and decide to use the water wheel you of course not only will you have power but water and a pumping system.

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