Letters HP 7 Readers I take exception to the letter from Mr. W.J. Kaszeta in the No. 6 issue of "Home Power". The implication that Solar Retrofit Consortium's is of some unknown quality that has not yet stood the test of time, is totally misleading! SRC only manufactures two Fluorescent LIGHT FIXTURES, a 20-watt and a 40-watt valance model. (the 40-watt uses a 32-watt tube). The reason being no other size bulbs are readily available in the Third World! We DO NOT MARKET OUR BALLASTS SEPARATELY! The reason we ship the 40-watt fixture with an F 40 SSP30/WW/RS bulb (we know it is not the most efficient!), is because most of our customers prefer it's color temperature. On the second page of our catalogue, there is a full range of designer colors offered, plainly stating the lumens of light when used with SRC's fixture. SRC's light fixture Ballast contains a serial number, and SRC guarantees a free replacement of that Ballast if the Ballast fails within 5 years of the date engraved on the Ballast case IF THE SERIAL NUMBER IS INTACT. No other manufacturer World Wide of 12 VDC Ballasts offers the same warranty!! We have thousands of these Ballasts in use in Central and South America. Some of them are over 12 years old, and have not failed in normal household use. Several Central and South Americans have enacted legislation against U.S. dumping refrigerators and A/C., etc., with an EER rating of next to nothing on them and recently, the Dominican Republic has placed a 300% import duty on 40-watt fluorescent tubes while the 32- watt is duty-free. As to having to pay $6.00 wholesale, my suggestion is "PRI should dump their Purchasing Agent!" because the new 32-watt fluorescent tubes are being sold at 1/3 that price in the Third World! Sincerely Yours, Kirt Ludlow, Solar Retrofit Consortium, Inc., Box 34, 200 East 71st Street, New York City, NY 10021 U.S.A., (212) 517-3580 Editor's Note: We've been using the SRC 40-watt valance model for the last 8 months, we like the warm color; it's very bright and the fixture is efficient. See HP#4, "Things that Work!". And it really doesÉ RP. In light of the political winds concerning alternative tax credits, the new Oregon Alternative Energy Device Tax Credit is a refreshing change of wind direction. The '87 Oregon legislature adopted a unique AE tax credit that is based on the expected performance of the system rather than a percentage of the systems cost, as were previous tax credits. At the time of its implementation last January it was the only performance based AE device tax credit in the nation. The AE device must be installed according to the local building codes, on the primary or secondary residence of the Oregon taxpayer who is applying fir the credit. The AE device must use solar, water, geothermal, wind or be a heat pump water heater and produce at least 10% of the total energy need. The credit is based on the expected first year's energy production or savings. For an AE device on a house connected to the utility grid the credit is $.60 per KWH saved/produced the first year of operation, up to a ceiling of $1500. (or the cost of the system which-ever is lower). Most of the AE applications will be on grid connected homes. Because of the nature of Home Power's readership I won't go into this aspect of the law any further. In homes that are not grid connected and are using the AE device as an electrical generation system the tax credit differs a little. These will be the systems that actually produce electricity (photovoltaic, hydro and wind). By their nature they will tend to be cost effective only in remote home sites. That is, homes that are not connected with the utility company. When the energy they will displace is the fossil fuels used in an engine generator, the efficiency of the generator is taken into account when figuring the tax credits. The ceiling of the credit is still $1500 for the tax years of '88-'90 (dropping to $1000. in '91 and $500. in '92). The AE device must supply 50% of the home's electrical appliance needs (all of the non-thermal energy loads). This is in lieu of the 10% requirement that the grid connected home would use. The systems must be preapproved, the tax credit forms include some worksheets that the homeowner can use to figure their energy "budget". The forms also include a worksheet to estimate the first year's energy production. Instead of the credit based solely on $.60 per KWH produced, the efficiency of the generator is taken into account, since the AE system is replacing fossil fuels. The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) figures the average generator converts about 27% of the fossil fuel's energy into electricity. Therefore an AE system displacing fossil fuels is 3.7 (1.00/.27 = 3.7) times more effective than a system connected to a utility. An AE electrical system tied to an engine generator back-up will get a tax credit of, $.60 x 3.7 = $2.20 per KWH produced the first year (dropping to $1.48 per KWH in '91 and $.74 per KWH in '92). For a PV system in Oregon this works out to $3-$4 per peak watt of PV array depending on location and site conditions. Oregon D.O.E. will require that the homeowner or dealer fill out a tax credit form. Some of the information requested for a PV system is a sunchart, Spec sheet on the PV's, batteries, inverters, controllers etc, itemized cost of produces, sizing worksheets, system schematic and copies of the appropriate licenses and permits. The system must be preapproved before installation. You will note that the credit is based on the energy produced. The ancillary items in a PV system do not count towards the credit. However, the system must be of compatible design. If you do not have a properly designed system you can not receive the tax credit. In other words you can't have a 1000 Peak Watt PV array on a 100 AH battery. Hopefully the Oregon tax credit law can serve as a basis for other AE tax credit laws around the nation. Because the law is performance based it will tend to weed out the AE shysters who sell ineffective or overpriced systems. The homeowner will have an impartial accounting of the expected performance of the system before it is installed If you have questions concerning the tax credit address them to Scott Lawrie c/o Oregon Department of Energy, 625 Marion St. NE, Salem, OR 97310. I can also attempt to answer any questions you might have. Leo Morin, Free Energy Options, POB 430, Veneta, OR 97487 Dear Home Power: Congratulations on Home Power and on what I know is a supreme effort to produce. Keep up the good work! However, I would like to express some concern over your article "The Home Built BTU Boss" in issue No. 4. A better title might be "Beware the BTU Boss"! As Mr. Bauer noted on his own heater, high stack temperatures are not uncommon on most gas fired appliances. And, of course, this represents an inefficiency on the part of the heating system. That's why conventional gas fired equipment rarely achieves a combustion efficiency higher than 80%. However, there are several reasons for maintaining relatively high stack temperatures. These temperatures are necessary to maintain sufficient draft to move products of combustion out of the home and to maintain the flue gas temperatures above the condensing point. Natural gas condenses at 275¡F and leaves behind a highly acidic residue that commonly eats away flue pipes, furnaces and most metals that it contacts. Cold outdoor temperatures further reduce temperatures and increase the possible damage. Therefore, the "incredible 150¡F" stack temperature achieved with the BTU Boss is well below the condensing point for natural gas and presents some serious concerns. What Mr. Bauer has created is a secondary heat exchanger which "works" to remove waste heat from the flue. The new high efficiency furnaces also use a secondary heat exchanger to remove the maximum energy from the unit. The clincher is that most of these use stainless steel components and special strategies to remove the acidic condensate and maintain draft. In addition, by incorporating four 90¡F elbows and an additional flue pipe, the natural draft of the heater can be severely impeded--in many cases flue gases will fail to properly exit the home allowing often dangerous products (potential carbon monoxide) to spill into the home. The construction diagram is also highly deceptive in that it appears that the flue pipes are open into the room (a definite no). There also appears (from the diagram) to be no clear path for the gases to flow outside. While somewhat irrelevant given the earlier comments, if built according to the diagram an even more hazardous situation could result. In any event, the bottom line is that the BTU Boss is a dangerous piece of retrofit equipment and should NOT be added to any heating system. The potential savings would be better spent on less glamorous items like caulk, weatherstripping and insulation. Hopefully, this does not detract from the ingenious nature of Mr. Bauer-- his energy saving spirit is commendable. I trust your future articles will reflect only state of the art equipment, ideas and techniques. Best Wishes: Luke Elliott, Technical Director, The Energy Office, 128 S 5th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501-2602, (303) 241-2871 Editor's Note: Mr Elliot is right about his comments of the BTU Boss. What can I say, every so often one gets by us. Sorry. RP. Dear Home Power Friends, Thank you for putting out a very informative magazine. I somehow missed issues #4 & 5, enclosed is the money for those two issues. We power our home with a Windcharger 200, 5 photovoltaics and a backup generator (Agtronic). We use a SunFrost refrigerator and heat our home with a 500 gallon wood fired boiler. We have used Flojet pumps for years to pump water to our home, which has worked very well. Much of our equipment has been purchased from Backwoods Solar Electric. They have been great about answering questions and have been excellent in getting orders out promptly (and at good prices!). I am in need of help from other readers. Our Dynamote B-12 inverter has stopped working. When an AC load is applied the breakers shut off. Sure would appreciate any advice as to the possible problem. Also haven't noticed any articles on steam (not stream) power. We purchased a 5 hp steam turbine from Steam Power Products about 6 years ago and haven't yet tried it as an energy source to run an alternator. If anyone has had any experience with steam turbines I'd appreciate hearing from you. Any folks out there just getting started and having questions, write, we'd be glad to help if we can. Jerry Grzeblelski, Box 5 Swanson Mill Rd, Tonasket, WA 98855 Thanks for the good work you are doing in Home Power. It is readable information on alternative energy whose time has come. I especially like your "Things that Work!" section, giving a "consumer report like" evaluation of alternative energy items offered on the market. I'd also like to see articles on the politics of alternatives' fight back from the Reagan administration's 80% cuts in R&D funds for alternatives in the last 8 years. Thanks Again, Don Eichelberger, Albalone Alliance, San Francisco, CA Hello Home Power, Your magazine is great, my favorite part being your reader's exchange. We love our PV system, it works wonders here in sunny Arizona. But even we get cloudy days and need back-up for our passive solar (batch) hot- water system. We've been searching for a source of quality Aqua-heaters, an efficient wood burning water heater. Does anyone out there know of a source? We'd love to get one in before winter sets in, so we need to get it soon. We sure appreciate any info or leads AND for your WONDERFUL magazine that brings home folks together! In Peace, Terresa McConville, HC 63 Box 2652, Snowflake, AZ 85937 I am 10 years old and I would like to see some projects that I could do. Thanks, Luke Vegnani, Bridgeville, CA WOW! What a great idea. We've got the crew working on the idea. I only had the chance to read one issue. I am a graduate of the Evergreen State College, and specialized in Alternative Energy. Your publication seems concise, well directed, and appropriately complied of well balanced materials. I personally like to get in depth with the Techy stuff. But it's better for most to keep it laymen oriented. I am signing up Evergreen as well. Thanks, Jan Harris, Olympia, WA We have not found the site we want yet so we don't know what we will have available. We would like information on all options available to help us be 100% independent of commerical power. I really like the simple, clear way rather involved technical subjects were treated in the articles. I got the information I wanted without being burdened with engineering type technical jargon. Keep up the good work. John Davis, Penn Valley, CA An ad in the first issue of your magazine that I saw (#4) enabled me to buy my first solar panels at a decent price. You're doing a great service with your publication. Power to the People! Louis Montano, Winston, OR Two tidbits for the next issue: In HP #5, Frank Hansen asked in "Q & A" if anyone knew of a source of parts for Dunlite wind generators. We make replacement parts for most pre-REA and modern "homeowner-sized" wind systems, including the Dunlite. I am enclosing a copy of our Jacobs parts list and inventory of most of our used wind equipment for your files. Item number two: In HP#3, John Shuttleworth makes a misstatement that has often been repeated, that is, that Marcellus Jacobs "invented the electricity producing wind powered generator". This is not true. The famous Jacobs Wind Electric wind generator was invented by Marcellus' older brother, Joseph. Joseph was first granted a patent on this wind generator in 1931, with subsequent patents on improvements to this wind generator being granted in 1933, 1936, and 1937, and culminating with a patent on the blade-actuated governor granted in 1949. While Marcellus was granted a patent on a very slight improvement (which is no longer used) to the blade-actuated governor in 1950, his first real patent relating to a wind plant was granted to himself and his son Paul in 1975, with several patents following from 1977 thru 1983 for his new wind generator system. All of the patents on the new Jacobs wind generator are shared by Marcellus with his son Paul. The earliest patent that I have been able to dig up on an electricity producing wind powered generator was granted in 1918, and filed for in 1915. As Marcellus was born in 1903, he would have been 12 years old at most when this patent was applied for. Although I have not yet dug that far back, it appears as though there were patents granted for electricity producing wind powered generators before 1915. While it is true that Marcellus holds many patents, most relate to areas not associated with wind power. Many of his patents were co-authored with his brother Joseph. These patents vary to such things as a burglar alarm, a tree felling jack, a portable power saw, emergency signals, an engine starter, adjustable lathe centers, planing floats for boats, a tidal flow system, and canal bank walls. Although he is rarely mentioned, the real brains behind the Jacobs wind generator was Joseph Jacobs, the president of Jacobs Wind Electricity. Marcellus was general manger of the company. Joseph was killed in an automobile accident in the early sixties. Oddly enough, Marcellus died in 1985, also from internal injuries sustained in an automobile accident. If anyone is interested, I can supply a list of Jacobs wind generator patent numbers. They could then request copies of these patents at their local library. They make for very interesting reading. All I request is a self addressed stamped envelope. Mick Sagrillo, Lake Michigan Wind & Sun, E. 3971 Bluebird Rd, Forestville, WI 54213 Dear Folks at Home Power Magazine, I've been going in so many different directions in my life that it took me all six issues of Home Power to be made aware of the existence of your magazine. It's great! You know, somewhere in my boxes of back material I have the 14th and 15th issue of Alternative Sources of Energy, when it was still young and down-home and grass roots like HPM is now. Thanks for being around as a true people's publication, and I hope it takes a long while before you go "country yuppie" like Mother Earth News and "professional" like ASE. Home Power to, and for, the People. Actually, I should talk about country yuppie; I'm sitting here writing this letter way out in the hills of Mendocino County on my Macintosh computer running off of a 300 watt Heart Inverter powered by solar panels! I am friends and ex-work partner of John Takes of Burkhardt Turbines and Ross Burkhardt of Renewable Energy Controls, who provided the hydro system components Harry O. Rakfeldt wrote about in issue 6. It warms my heart to see people creating their own power sources using technology I was involved in helping create. John and Russ and I and two other people were the original founders of Burkhardt Turbines hydroelectric business in Ukiah back in 1982. What eventually got me hooked up with these other people was an experiment I had done a year before with another friend. After spending a year carting a battery up and down hill to my car, I determined to create my own power source. I sent away for a $10 used surplus DC motor and scammed up an old auto heater squirrel cage from the local wrecking yard. I attached a garden nozzle to the end of a hose off my 1800 feet of 1" water line (with 90# static pressure), and got an incredible 1 amp of power going into a car battery. Welcome Home Power! I said goodbye to kerosene lamps and strained reading eyes forever. I later met Ross Burkhardt, who had started the Water Watts microhydro turbine business. As someone who is a master at being able to take an idea, and bring it into practical commercial reality, he had begun to gather a bunch of people together, I joined him, and we started Burkhardt Turbines to manufacture a slightly fancier version of the homegrown power source I had come up with. We used the 5" polyethelene pelton wheel from Paul Cunningham (Energy Systems & Design) in Canada, a car alternator, and a stainless steel salad bowl for a housing. The turbine evolved from there into the cast aluminum housing and silicon brass pelton wheel of the present day, when our business joined with Harris Hydroelectric. But those were exciting days back in the early eighties as we bought electronic components from Radio Shack and explored the application of grassroots electronics to wind and water and solar power, making control and meter circuitry for our hydro plant. During that period I generated about six 3 inch thick binders of photocopied articles from every "popular" electronics publication and book I could find, copying any article that seemed in the least potentially applicable to alternative energy. I started pulling together my ideas with the fantasy of a book called "Working Notes for Electronics and Alternative Energy". The book never happened, but I discovered that I had an ability to express complicated ideas in an understandable manner. What happened then for me was that I took some articles to our local alternative "back to the land" newspaper, and pretty soon I was writing a lot of how-to articles for them. And pretty soon I began to enjoy writing so much that I just moved on from the turbine business and joined the newspaper. And here I am 6 years later having become a political reporter and activist on an alternative newspaper,who occasionally finds time to sit down and design some circuit to make my own or someone else's alternative energy system run a little better. My love and fascination of alternative energy continues, however, and I write articles whenever possible about what local folks are doing with their energy systems. It was in talking with my friend Ross Burkhardt about writing an article on his Universal Voltage Regulator that I first saw your publication. I figure that probably a lot of the stuff I collected together for my "Working Notes" book would still be applicable for folks, and I'm going to dust it off and see what it may have to offer in the way of future articles for you... Thanks for being around. Enclosed find check for $10. Could you send me the back issues so I can get caught up as well as future issues. I would like to review the magazine for my newspaper, as well as share some of my own ideas in future issues, starting probably with an article on Ross' great regulator. Be reading and writing you... Dale Glaser, Ukiah, CA That's a deal we just couldn't refuse. We are publishing an article by Dale in this issue. Thanks Dale! I thought you might be interested in the efficiency analysis calculations I made on the SolarJack deep well system described in Home Power 6. Objective: to find out just how good this system is at using solar electricity to lift water. First, it is necessary to determine just how far the water is actually lifted. It's given that the static water level is 120 feet down, and the main water flow of the well is 9 gallons per minute, approximately 480 feet down. If we assume that during pumping the water level drop (from 120 feet to 480 feet) is proportional to the pumping rate (from zero to 9 gallons per minute) then, knowing the pumping rate, we can calculate the water level. (That is a risky assumption to make but it's the best we can do with the data given, and it should give a reasonably close answer.) The pump's 1 and 7/8 inch piston makes about 30 seven inch strokes per minute; this works out to about 2.5 gallons per minute. We are also told that the system output is 1170 gallons per day. If the pump runs 7.8 hours pumping an average 2.5 gallons per minute it will indeed pump 1170 gallons. This also tells us that the 1170 figure is for days when the sun shines all day. It's not a year-round average. At 2.5 gallons per minute, the "risky assumption" above gives a water depth of 220 feet: (480-120) x 2.5 / 9 + 120 = 220. Since the water has to be pumped an additional 75 vertical feet to the storage tanks, the total lift works out to 220 + 75 = 295 feet. Now for the easy part: 1170 gallons x 8.33 pounds per gallon (at 60¡F) x 295 feet = 2.88 million foot-pounds of energy: the system's daily net output. For the input: 8 Kyocera modules x 48 watts per module x 7 hours equivalent full sun per (cloudless) day = 2688 watt-hours per day. And 2688 watt-hours x 2655.3 foot-pounds per watt-hour = 7.14 million foot- pounds of energy: the daily input from the modules. Finally, efficiency equals output divided by input: 2.88 / 7.14 = 40%. Now that may not look too good, but there are many sources of loss in a system like this, including the LCB, the motor itself, and the pulleys, belts, gearcase, levers, pivots, valves and seals. And the friction of the moving water against hundreds of feet of pipe walls. I wonder how how that 40% efficiency compares to a conventional system with a submersible multi-stage pump? Dave Gusdorf, Gusdorf Electronic Repair, 649 Camino De La Luz, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Editor's Note: Engine/Generators are generally less than 40% efficient, by themselves. If you consider wiring losses, losses in the pump's motor, and other losses in an ac powered submersible pump system, then the PV powered pumping system in HP6 is several times more efficient. RP. Dear Friends at HOME POWER, I've been reading HOME POWER closely and find the material very useful and accurate. You've got so many good ideas and facts that are just not available in any other publication. We have been using solar panels on our recreational vehicle for 10 years - 6 years trailer and 4 years motorhome. It was one of the best investments we ever made. We continue to explore uses for battery power. One of the most practical was getting an inverter that changes 12 VDC to quiet 120 vac. We love our HEART INTERFACE 1200 watt inverter that allows using the microwave oven and all the convenience appliances we haul around. For the 3 or 4 months we travel in the RV, it has been a pleasure "roughing it" with this independent power system. Our recent book RVer's GUIDE TO SOLAR CHARGING and INVERTERS, published by AATEC, is our contribution in sharing our experiences for those seeking electrical independence in their RV. We enjoy talking and writing about this great technology. We realize that publishing HOME POWER free of charge to readers is a similar objective. We wish you well and keep up the good work. Sincerely, Noel & Barbara Kirkby, POB 1562, Cave Creek, AZ 85331, 602- 488-3708. Hello Folks, It is with great pleasure that I express thanks to you all for the much needed and valuable Home Power. It is my desire to attract someone interested in installing a show & sell work shop here in Reliance, TN. I am interested in the presentation & sales of AE equipment. Over 90 acres of setup and display area is available on a very low percentage basis. A large clear flowing creek is available for hydro presentations. There is coming a time when public power will not be able to meet the demands of a growing population, unless more power is derived from natural sources. This is why it is urgent for inventors, engineers,and research scientists to come together in unity for workshops to speed up what is needed by all humanity. I have the time and compassion to work with anyone for a much needed service. Please write for more information. Emmitt S Adams, Box 17A, Reliance, TN 37369 The purpose of this note is two fold, first the ham radio network originally proposed by HOME POWER is alive and well. The usual frequency of the gathering is rapidly becoming 7236 KHz on Sunday afternoons 1630 hours Pacific time either standard or daylight. Some of the consistent check ins are: N6CDD Roger-Oakhurst CA, WB6EER Mike-San Simeon CA, N6FW Frank-Sunnyvale CA, W6HDO Cliff-Morro Bay CA, N6HWY Brian- Hornbrook CA, KG6IW Bill-Escondido CA, K7JK Jonny- Cave Junction OR, NK6P Jim-Monrovia CA. Many other individuals are listening and more check in on an intermittent basis. There are no prerequisites but it certainly is looked upon with favor if the station indicates power is derived by natural means! The second item of note is the listing of a source of DC motors and batteries. The motors can be used as generators and batteries are new and dry, suitable for filling. Best of all these are 220 amp hour NiCd units with the Potassium Hydroxide powder included. Contact: Anker Electronics, 4168 Popular St., Suite B, San Diego, CA 92105-0120, 619- 584-0725. Apparently the DC motors are used on quality tape drives for computers. Both 12 and 28 volt models are available. The 12 Volt unit appears to be that used on Mary Duffield's boat the Aqua Alegre. Mike Mideke, WB6EER and I will report on the 28 volt unit when the San Simeon location gathers enough water for a test on Mike's wheel! On a related subject, is there someone that can help with an optimum wind machine blade design? Is it possible to design backwards? Suppose we have a curve of an existing generator in which torque is plotted on the X axis and amperage output is plotted on the Y axis. Can an optimum blade design be obtained? Sincerely, Cliff Buttschardt, ESTERO SYSTEMS, 950 Pacific St., Morro Bay, CA 93442, 805-772-2132.