Your Questions About Solar Generators Reviews
William asks…
are there solar radios which work?
Even if it is a cloudy day and through window glass? I’d like to get an emergency radio with a solar panel. I know there are models which have solar panels, but I don’t know if they actually provide enough power to run the radio. I tried to read through consumer reviews and for the same product some people say it works, other say it doesn’t work. Now I am confused. Any ideas where to start?
admin answers:
I’m a big fan of solar, but a solar-powered radio doesn’t seem robust enough for emergency use. Even if the solar radio charged internal batteries, what if I forgot to leave it in the sun, or the batteries went bad?
There’s a kind of radio that you wind up, and the spring spins a small generator that powers the radio for about half an hour. That would be my first choice, followed by the kind of radio that you must continuously crank to keep it running.
David asks…
I am considering a solar PV installation and I am a bit confused as to the size of the system I can have insta?
lled. One company has offered a 4 kw system and another company says 3.6 is the largest system I can have. They mention regulationG83 as set out by the DNO and if I had a 4 kw system installed they could insist it were downsized. Please help my aching head!!
admin answers:
This has to do with the Utility you are connecting to and if they have the capability to accept your pushed (unused) electricity generated.
If they are not able to accept it, they may consider modifications to their system to receive it, all at your expense of course. The extra .4 Kw (point 4) generated and the savings you get from it are probably minor compared to the Utility’s construction or modification costs to accept your pushed electricity. You would pay more than you would ever gain making this a poor choice.
So yes, if your solar contractor has calculated 3.6 it is because they based the number on the usage of your home and the connection to the utility grid. You are the “generator” of this electricity…which has to “play nice” with the utility’s existing equipment capabilities. That company used what is called “Best Practice” which they obviously considered when designing a system to meet most all of your needs and still comply with the G83 requirements.
The other company is probably accurate in the amount you consume but didn’t take into consideration all project needs start to finish. You could possibly still install this 4 Kw but remember at the end of the project you might be faced with surprise change order costs to modify for grid connection issues. Make that contractor spell that out for you and who will be responsible for those change order costs.
I found an interesting synopsis and copied this clip from it. Link for credit also included
“It would be a pity to complete an installation at a location which could not accommodate the generator output. It is for this reason that G83/1 and the ESQC Regulations limit the output of generators to 16 Amps per phase …. (You being the generator of that electricity)
and
Generators with an output in excess of 16 Amps per phase can be connected to our network, and part of the G59 procedure is a review of the effect of connecting the generator. In some circumstances we may have to carry out work on our network to accommodate a generator and part of the costs of this work are borne by the customer.”
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