Dining Room Lanterns

Recently we went down to IKEA in Atlanta and bought these cool hanging paper lanterns for our dining room. It really warms up that room quite nicely!

The End of My Solar Dream

Check out my previous attempts at harnessing solar energy.

I came to the sad realization last night that solar energy isn't really going to save us much money. I started crunching the numbers and the best deal on a solar panel (dollars per Watt) would cost me $280 for a 60W panel. That would provide plenty of power to run 4 or 5 fluorescent house lamps for approximately 4 hours each night.

However, since these are already energy efficient, the long-term savings isn't all that much. I estimated that we'd only save $10 - $12 per year by taking those lamps off the grid (based on the current price per kilowatt and the predicted usage each year). That means it would take us nearly 30 years to pay off the $280 solar panel from the benefits we'd be gaining from it... and then it would be time to buy a brand new panel again!!! Not worth it in my estimation (at least according to my math).

I think the larger the solar setup the more practical it is. Getting those bigger energy hogs (AC, stove, water heater, fridge, etc...) off the grid is where you really save big bucks. Simply taking a few low-wattage fluorescent lamps off the grid isn't going to do a whole lot.

However, if we were living out in the jungle, miles away from the nearest power grid, I can imagine that a 60W solar panel would come in VERY handy, and a 400W array might actually be worth the investment.

Anyway, as much as I was looking forward to getting into the world of solar energy, I just can't seem to convince myself (or Jane11) that it's really worth it to pursue the solar energy dream any further. We'll probably save more money each year by simply adjusting the thermostat 1 degree warmer this summer (and cooler next winter).

I still plan to continue to keep my little 1.5W solar panel hooked up to our emergency backup battery to keep it topped off in preparation for the next unexpected blackout...

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WHAT I'D REALLY LOVE TO HAVE...

Having already been somewhat inspired by my parents (who are successfully "off the grid" for about 8 - 10 hours every day with their solar setup) I was emailed today a link to a friend's blog and their superb solar farm! Wow! Their power meter is actually "running backwards".

And then I was checking out the No Impact Man blog (one of my latest favorite blogs), and he's gone solar as well.

Here's another good solar option.
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Mini Solar Farm

For some odd reason I got the urge last week to research solar energy. In the process I stumbled upon an inexpensive solar panel which you can put in your car to keep your car battery charged. I already had a power inverter and so I had this brilliant idea:

All I need to do is get a cheep 12 volt car battery and I'll be set! I'll let the solar panel charge the battery during the day (while we're at work) and then at night I can power small appliances like my laptop, or the living room lamps... maybe even more!

I mentioned my idea to a coworker, and he hooked me up with a used marine deep cycle battery which was essentially new and had only been used briefly by the film crew for the movie Secret of the Cave.

So last Friday the solar panel arrived, I picked up the marine deep cycle battery, I came home and hooked everything up. But it was a cloudy weekend and so it didn't get enough juice to charge the dead battery. However, after charging the battery (with a car battery charger overnight) and letting the solar panel do "it's thing" over the next two days, I now have enough power to run the lights in our living room!

It's nice to know that we'll always have electricity, even if the power goes out. :)

Even as I type, I am basking in the warm glow of free energy! It is dark out at the moment but these two fluorescent lamps have been faithfully burning now for over two & a half hours... I'm curious to see just how long they will last.

Stay tuned for an updated progress report.

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THE NEXT MORNING...

Well, the battery didn't last much longer... The lights ran for about 2.5 hours, however I'm not 100% sure the battery was fully charged to begin with. I need to get (or find) a voltage meter so I can test and monitor the power levels. I'm thinking that I might need an array of 2 or 3 more batteries (and possibly also a couple more solar cells) to make this thing more of a viable solution. But I'll stick with this setup for now.

Although the lights (two 15W fluorescent bulbs) ran for 2+ hours last night they did begin to dim over time and eventually flickered to an abrupt stop. So far, it isn't very practical for everyday use, but it would at least supply us with enough short-term energy in the case of an emergency.

Yesterday I built a protective glass case for the solar panel so I can place it on the roof and it won't get damaged by rain... hopefully it will get better direct sunlight up there. At the moment I just have it propped up in the window which only gets about 3 hours of sunlight in the late afternoon -- I doubt that's enough to fully charge the battery each day.

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METERS & ROOFTOPS...

Today during my lunch hour I broke down and bought a small voltage meter. I think I have (had) one somewhere but haven't seen it in over 2 years. Anyway, when I got home the sky was clear and the sun was still shining bright. I pointed the panel directly at the sun and noted the voltage at 20. The battery was registering a steady 12 volts both with or without the help of the solar panel. I don't think the solar panel was in the sun long enough today to fully charge the battery. I'll run the same two living room lamps tonight and see how long they last.

Also this evening I finished up the protective box for my solar panel and positioned it on the roof. I slightly angled the box with a brick to increase the direct sun rays. I'm hoping it will get a strong blast of sunlight for 5 or 6 straight hours a day. That should be able to top off the battery each day.

I'm not only saving money by not having those lamps "on the grid" each night, but they also provide a constant reminder to me of the other lights or appliances I needlessly leave on, wasting energy and money...

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SUNNY DAY!

Today looks like another beautiful sunny day. I checked the voltage coming from the solar panel this morning at 7:30 and it was already getting 13-15 volts! Once the sun gets above the treetops it should be registering close to 20 volts most of the day. I'm hoping that will do good things for the battery... :)

I'm still a bit of a novice when it comes to electricity... I know the basics (like RED means positive and BLACK means negative), but when it comes to Watts, Amps, Ohms, etc. I get confused fast! So I did a quick internet search and found this website and equation:

I = P/V or P = VI

I represents current (or Amps), P stands for Power (or Watts), and V of course for Volts.
So, by using that equation I can figure out that my two 13 Watt fluorescent lights (a total of 26 Watts) are drawing 2.17 Amps from my 12V battery... (I think that is correct -- someone please correct me if I am wrong). Fully charged my battery says it has 875 "cranking amps", so I'm not exactly sure what that means for my 2.17 Amps... I'm guess that's how many Amps it can hold when fully charged?

I just received this simple explanation from my electronically gifted Dad:

Let's say you want to be able to charge up your battery so it can deliver 24 watts for 4 hours (96 watt-hours). Your 1.5 watt solar panel will have to charge for 64 hours! This is why more panels will really make it more practical. Ideally, you'd like to be able to fully charge during the day and use it at night. If you got 6 hours of direct sunlight, you'd need 16 watts of solar panel output (96/6) or about 10 panels (16/1.5) of the size you currently have.

So it's official. I need to get more solar panels! Ha! :)
Actually, I'm still interested in seeing how well my current setup will work and just how much I can milk out of it when running at peak performance. I need to probably fix my wiring (from panel to the battery) plus any & all loose connections to reduce energy losses where I can.

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Grandma's Growbox Garden

Today we delivered two growboxes and a garden bench to Grandma Pettibone. She helped us plant the various vegetables and flowers that we brought her and seemed quite pleased with the whole setup. Here are a few photos.

1. Low growbox for tall plants
2. High growbox for shorter plants
3. Bench to sit on

Choosing which seeds to plant


Grandma planting Lima beans


Tomatoes, green beans & cucumbers in the lower growbox


A homemade hook for Grandma's new hummingbird feeder


Planting a Lima bean


Planting corn in terracotta pots


Grandma's new patio!


Grandma's patio a week ago...

Exit7 Concert in Collegedale!

Two weekends ago (March 31) we had our first "home concert" at the Collegedale Acacemy Auditorium.
It wasn't a very big turnout, but it was fun nonetheless. We counted about 55 people there (including spouses and those running the sound and slides... We started setting up for the concert at around 1:30 in the afternoon and worked most of the afternoon until the concert which started at 7:00.

Mark Finley Project

Several weeks ago we did a video project with/for Mark Finley. During our first couple creative planning meetings we had to pitch an idea for the set design, and the one that we finally went with was one of my basic ideas (the curved backdrop) and was based off a sketch that I drew. So that was pretty cool to see one of my ideas come together like this!

We then had to go out and purchase all the supplies for building the set.
...and then we had to build it. I only got to help with part of the building process since I was busy editing another project at the time.

But I did get to run a camera once we started the shooting process. We ended up shooting 10 one-hour programs over the course of 3 days. I'll let you know when and where these programs will eventually air so you can watch them.__:)

The Sail Canoe

Well, as you found out in the previous blog, Jane11 has been away on a business retreat for the past 9 days... Last weekend we went down to Cohutta Springs Camp for the weekend. While we were there we took one of the canoes out on the lake. The wind was quite brisk and I couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of making a sail for one of the canoes. The thought kept running through my head throughout the week and so by Thursday I decided to attempt to build a sail.I ran to Lowes and purchased less than $10 worth of plastic pipes, plastic sheets, rope and tape and threw together a quick collapsible sail.

Friday afternoon I drove back down to Cohutta to spend the weekend again with Jane11 (since she was still at the retreat). On Sabbath after lunch we found a canoe and I set out attaching the mast to the boat. It worked perfectly! The sail wasn't quite big enough... and the wind wasn't strong enough. But for brief periods of time we were actually sailing! We sailed from one end of the lake to the other (and then had to paddle back). :)

It was lots of fun though, and I can't wait to finally try out my sailboat (hopefully sometime soon).

While The Wife's Away...

This week Jane11 is out of town again for business, and so I've got lots of free time to work on projects around the house. My 2 goals for this week were to fix the bathroom plumbing and run a cable under the house to the office.

For the past couple months, while the weather has been cold, we've moved my extra computer (and cable modem) from the music room to the office because the music room isn't quite warm enough. However, the office wasn't hooked up for cable so I had run an temporary extension cable from our bedroom down the hall which has been a constant tripping hazard ever since! So on Sunday I drilled holes in the floor, crawled under the house and ran cables & connectors, etc... and voila! We can now navigate the hallway in peace!

But, like most home improvement projects my to-do list quickly started to balloon! While under the house I noticed that some of the insulation under the sunroom had rotted and fell down, plus there were bits of rotting cardboard boxes and pieces of wood on the ground which I cleaned out. After a quick trip to Lowes I was armed with new insulation and rolls of plastic. The final result was new insulation under the floor and a protective layer of 2 mil plastic stapled to the joists.

Monday evening I decided to tackle the dreaded bathroom project... While under the house running cables I had noticed the cast iron pipes sealed with lead and realized that replacing the pipes was definitely NOT a do-it-myself project. So I decided to take a more conventional and obvious approach -- get the plunger out and give the ol' pipes a good plunging! I had already spent $40'some on Draino products which hadn't seemed to work at all. I had also already tried the plunger in the tub, but hadn't yet tried plugging up the overflow drain. After about 15 minutes of plunging I freed the blockage! A little plastic bottle...

I then tried the plunger on the sink (which also had draining difficulties). Soon I started to hear dripping under the sink. The metal pipe had corroded and had pinholes which had until now been sealed up with crud. So, like most home improvement projects, this one also started to grow. After removing the old leaky pipe I made another quick trip to Lowes and bought a replacement plastic pipe (cheep and won't corrode!). Back home again I quickly slapped the new pipe into place and we were back in business again. Perfect drainage!!! Wahooo! :)

Now that I'm all caught up with my scheduled projects, I can start looking for new projects to work on! Hey, maybe I can start working on my sailboat again!