Introducing Freedom Jazz Portable Power Inverters
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GET JAZZED, BABY! Introducing Freedom Jazz portable power inverters. Lots of silent AC power. Portable power. That’s Jazz. Use that hot stereo, your 27” high-res monitor, VCR, computer, fax, or trick DVD player. Models from 50 to 2500 watts. With a Jazz inverter, if you’ve got plugs, you’ve got power. R Heart Interface Corporation 21440 68th Ave. S. Kent, WA 98032 Tel 253-872-7225 Fax 253-872-3412 www.heartinterface.com BP SOLAR USA: American Energy Technologies, Ltd. - Alternative Energy Engineering - Alternative Solar Products - California Florida California Toll Free: 800-229-7652 Toll Free: 800-874-2190 Toll Free: 800-777-6609 Phone: 909-308-2366 Phone: 904-284-0552 Phone: 707-923-2277 E-mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.alternativesolar.com Internet: http://www.alt-energy.com Dankoff Solar Products - New Mexico Talmage Solar Engineering - Maine Toll Free: 888-396-6611 Effective Solar Products - Louisiana Toll Free: 888-967-5945 Phone: 505-473-3800 Toll Free: 888-824-0090 Phone: 207-967-5945 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 504-537-0090 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.talmagesolar.com Internet: http://www.effectivesolar.com A Division of C&D Charter Power Systems, Inc. CANADA: Powersource Energy Systems - Powersource Energy Systems - Solar Solutions - Manitoba British Columbia Alberta Toll Free: 800-285-7652 Toll Free: 888-544-2115 Toll Free: 888-544-2115 Phone: 204-632-5554 Phone: 250-544-2115 Phone: 403-291-9039 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.solarsolutions.ca HOME POWER THE HANDS-ON JOURNAL OF HOME-MADE POWER Issue #69 February / March 1999 Features GoPower 8 PV EV in AK 66 An EV of Your Very Own Ed LaChapelle not only runs Tired of just fantasizing? his electric vehicle on Shari Prange starts a series photovoltaic power, but he on getting an EV to love does it way up north in (and drive) as your very Alaska. Yes there are some own—without rolling up your limitations, but there are sleeves. triumphs too. 84 EV Tech Talk 14 Wind Kid Returns Don’t do it! Mike Brown just says “No!” to EV Wrenches This time, Corey (the Wind who want to use aircraft Kid) Babcock has put up a generators as motors in challenging 1500 watt, grid- electric vehicle projects. intertied, downwind bird on Find out why. an 80 foot tower in spite of the utilities curmudgeonly cooperation. Things that Work! 24 Solar Food Dehydration 60 Statpower PROsine 2.5 Dennis Scanlin and the crew This inverter breaks new at Appalachian State give us ground and sets new the data needed to standards for what an performance-tune their solar inverter should do. Now that food dryer, first profiled in it’s available, we’ll never HP57. Hop yours up before settle for less again. the growing season. 38 Spies at Siemens Solar Homebrew Richard, Karen, and Joe get the nickel tour (and more) at 72 Time-In-Use Meter the Siemens Solar plant in Build this inexpensive Camerrillo, California where project yourself and never silicon ingots are sliced, again wonder about the duty diced, doped and wired into cycle of appliances. Now into sun-sucking PV panels. you can accurately assess how much the fridge runs or 46 Batteries Need Love Too how long that TV is actually Windy Dankoff has some on (careful, the truth hurts). tips and pointers for getting Your load profile will be more the most out of your battery accurate—good for your bank. Performance plus system design piece-of-mind lifespan equals value. and good for your wallet. Cover: Ed LaChapelle’s little PV-powered EV in the USA’s biggest state. More Homebrew 98 The New and Improved... Access and Info The 1999 National Electric Access Data 76 Low Power LED Voltmeter Code is out, and believe it or not, many of the changes Home Power Magazine Build this 12 or 24 volt seem to fall in favor of the PO Box 520 meter. It’s a cheap and easy Ashland, OR 97520 USA renewable energy system way to get an introduction to installer. John Wiles gives us Editorial and Advertising: electronics. Homebrew a Phone: 530-475-3179 the condensed version. useful and versatile piece of Fax: 530-475-0836 system instrumentation. 104 Home & Heart Subscriptions and Back Issues: 800-707-6585 VISA / MC A 5-step process for kicking 530-475-0830 Outside USA the Cassandra Complex? Columns Internet Email: Kathleen says, “Don’t [email protected] worry...Get ready!” World Wide Web: Word Power 82 111 The Wizard http://www.homepower.com Ian is amped-up about this Paper and Ink Data Theory of a non-level field. current issues’ RE Cover paper is 50% recycled terminology discussion. He (10% postconsumer / 40% preconsumer) 121 Ozonal Notes Recovery Gloss from S.D. Warren Paper dispels some misconcep- Home Power switches Company. tions. Get with the flow, this paper. Oregon net metering Interior paper is 50% recycled topic’s importance rates (50% postconsumer) RePrint Web, 60# at the table—some Uts are elemental chlorine free, from Stora Dalum, high. friendly, some Uts are fierce. Odense, Denmark. Printed using low VOC vegetable based 88 Power Politics Also, a Solar Guerrilla “Call inks. California Proposition 9 fails! to Arms.” Printed by Now we get to pay for the St. Croix Press, Inc., New Richmond, Wisconsin utilities’ bad investments in Regulars Legal dirty and dangerous nuclear Home Power (ISSN 1050-2416) is power. When we make bad 6 From Us to You published bi-monthly for $22.50 per year business decisions, we go at PO Box 520, Ashland, OR 97520. International surface subscription for $30 broke. When the utilities 80 HP’s Subscription form U.S. periodicals postage paid at Ashland, make bad decisions, their OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address corrections executives just buy bigger 81 Home Power’s Biz Page to Home Power, PO Box 520, Ashland, boats, and we go broke. OR 97520. Copyright ©1999 Home Power, Inc. Happenings — RE events 92 IPP 108 All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without Don Lowburg question the 112 Letters to Home Power written permission. dearth of rebates for stand- While Home Power Magazine strives for alone RE systems while clarity and accuracy, we assume no 122 Q&A responsibility or liability for the usage of intertied systems get all the this information. cash. Does this reflect why we promote renewables in 125 Micro Ads the first place? How do we really value clean energy? 128 Index to Advertisers Who gets rich? Recycled Paper Recyclable Paper People Joy Anderson Corey Babcock Solar–Solar– Mike Brown Sam Coleman G. Forrest Cook Windy Dankoff David Domermuth Anita Jarmann Kathleen Jarschke-Schultze Stan Krute Don Kulha Ed LaChapelle Don Loweburg Bob “Mac” McIlvaine Heath Moody Karen Perez Richard Perez Shari Prange the growing energy source! Marcus Renner Benjamin Root Dennis Scanlin Above: Home Power’s new PV array of sixteen BP Solar 90 watt modules on a Wattsun tracker, Joy Anderson, Home Power’s new Associate Editor, Joe Schwartz and Elfie, solar-powered puddy. Michael Welch e’ve been a little short on energy here at Home John Wiles Power lately. Every new appliance and every new Dave Wilmeth Wworker requires energy. Even though we already had W Myna Wilson over 1,800 watts of PV, we needed more. With our new tracker, we have over 3,000 watts of solar power! Ian Woofenden Adding this tracker brought home one of PV’s strong points—it can grow with our needs. We started out with a “Think about it…” single module in 1983. Now we have over sixty modules in “The implication is that the sun. All day long, they make quiet and dependable anyone choosing to pay power. Year after year, they just keep on pumping out the for PV electricity is foolish, watts. Some folks might consider this boring—the PVs just while anyone choosing to pay smile at the sun and pump out the power. I find it exciting.... for a Lexus is discerning.” —Dave Lehmicke. Richard Perez, for the Home Power crew. See Letters this issue. 6 Home Power #69 • February / March 1999 plug into FROM THE SUN , WIND & WATER We’re Your Resource for Home Power Equipment. Call us for ONE STOP SHOPPING from our HUGE IN-STOCK INVENTORY. We're the #1 TRACE DISTRIBUTOR in the US with over 20 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS of serving you with GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. Our FREE TECHLINE is staffed by MECHANICAL and ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS. Dealer CALL FOR OUR CATALOG: 1-800-777-6609. Inquiries Welcome. Alternative Energy Engineering, Inc. Solar, Wind & Hydroelectric Power Systems P.O. Box 339 • Redway, CA 95560 • Free Techline: 800-800-0624 • www.alt-energy.com Ed LaChapelle PVPV-Powered-Powered ©1999 Ed LaChapelle Wheels in the Alaskan Bush Above: The little EV in Alaska. The PVs on the cabin roof provide the energy. es, folks, it is possible to enjoy were exactly what we wanted. Then the Bombardier Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) came on the solar-powered transportation in an market. We liked what we saw. But could the NEV, off-grid and off-road system. After designed for charging from 120 volts AC, be converted to work from solar panels? I am happy to report that the several years of studying all the angles, answer is yes. we finally came up with a combination Performance that has survived thorough testing This is a neat little car with plenty of power for real during the summer of 1998.