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The Forum > Article Comments > Think twice before going off-grid > Comments

Think twice before going off-grid : Comments

By Martin Nicholson, published 12/11/2015

While neighbours had candles in their windows at night because of a blackout, we had a fully functioning electricity system.

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I went 4 weeks without power in North Qld once, grid connected, after a cyclone.

I have been off grid now since 2009 herein the Northern Rivers area as well. Finger crossed, no issues yet.

My point ? Stuff breaks down, even on the grid. If you're worried about inverter failure and are completely off grid, have a sparkey wire in a generator so you can run it off that while you sort another one out. My system cost me $45,000

Poor service from your supplier as well by the sounds of it. maybe try the hippies at RPC next time for better service ? When in sh1ts itself, which it will I will, I will replace my batteries and inverter. Has nothing to with "reliability" for me, it's repugnant to use coal fired electricity.

We're 30mins down the road :)
Posted by Valley Guy, Thursday, 12 November 2015 3:06:04 PM
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I would suggest that anyone considering off grid have a good look at
nickle iron batteries (NIFE).

They are VERY long lasting, 40 years being typical I believe.
Have a look at this site, they are Australian made and they can be
abused no end without problems.
They can be left unused for years and they just start up again.

http://www.ironcorepower.com.au/page3.php

Might cost more initially.
As far as the size is concerned if you work out how big a system you
need then, you must guess how many sequential overcast days you might
get in winter when you only have a six hour winter day for charging.
I figure you need
one day/night capacity X nbr sequential overcast days + 1.

I have seen five overcast days, so for that you need a system six
times the size for one day.
You could easily get five overcast days, one sunny day then five
more overcast days.

Coping with that could be very expensive.

Re the invertors, make sure you never have momentary overloads, or
accidental shorts on either input or output sides.
You cannot treat them like you might treat a car battery.
Posted by Bazz, Thursday, 12 November 2015 3:26:09 PM
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My 4.2 Kw system was rated against my average power use for one year, and professionally calculated to ensure I exported more power than I imported. The old meter showed just that, because it spent more time going backward than forward!

The authority reacted after having to pay me a total of $100.00 for the first six months by claiming my old meter was defective and replacing it with an electronic one, which shuttled numbers all over the place and always worked in their favor.

If I were the only one with this particular experience, maybe the authority wouldn't have a case to answer, but it seems the ombudsman's office is overflowing with hundreds of thousands of such complaints, which in any other industry would be regarded as common theft and someone doing some serious jail time; given the sheer numbers seeming to be being rorted.

If 500,000 folk were being rorted by about $300,000.00 each Per quarter, that would be very significant theft? And corruption of the worst order, particularly if state sanctioned or organised?

I believe that batteries that last over 40 years are just around the corner, and costs reduced to less than $5000.00 per wall? Given a scheme that allowed the user to pay them off over say five years.

The payment would roughly equal what I'm overcharged now!? And probably affordable for almost everyone being ripped off now?

If I'm ever offered such a deal, try and hold me back and I dare say hundreds of thousands of others. Hopefully that will force some very unscrupulous folk to face bankruptcy or jail time; or both? The sooner the better!

Incidently my name has been added to a growing list complaining to the ombudsman!
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Thursday, 12 November 2015 6:25:25 PM
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The only rorting is by houses with solar power. It is an expensive, immature tech masquerading as a power supply; in reality costing ordinary workers hundreds of dollars a years to pay for your vanity "project". (excluding the tiny number of remote and other special case examples)

Why should workers be scared to look at their power bill and even wash their kids so you can preen in front of other members of the "Vougue" class?
Posted by McCackie, Monday, 16 November 2015 9:03:47 AM
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The author rightly cautions against houses going off-grid without undertaking an assessment of cost and the risk of being without power. However his experience does seem to be based on somewhat dated (2008) battery technology and inverter reliability.

While others warn of the fire risk associated with Li-ion batteries, Rhrosty notes that technology is making rapid advances, notably with use of graphene. This two-dimensional derivative of graphite is used in electrodes, enabling a ten-fold increase in storage capacity of Li-ion batteries and reducing the risk of fire. Development of supercapacitor-battery technology also increases electricity storage. Both are on the verge of commercialization and are likely to be available within 2-3 years.

In 2008, and at present, most solar cells convert less than 20% of sunlight into electricity. Recently developed cells have an efficiency of 45% but need solar concentration and are therefore more likely to be used by solar power stations. However, use of graphene in solar cells have shown ability to convert 60% of sunlight into electricity.

Within a few years, households will have the opportunity of purchasing compact reliable batteries with much higher capacity to store the energy generated by existing solar panels. They will also be able to purchase solar panels with vastly enhanced ability to convert sunlight to electricity making it certain that houses can and will go off-grid or, if remaining on-grid, will be able to sell much more of their solar electricity to the grid.

These developments will affect the viability of coal-fired power stations which are likely to find their output increasingly replaced by solar power stations – both domestic and commercial. Fossil fuelled power stations are feeling the cold wind of obsolescence.

Even to-day with availability of Tesla’s PowerWall battery pack, it is possible for domestic dwellings to go off-grid with little risk of being stranded and left powerless. Whether it is yet a cost-effective option is questionable. That it soon will be is certain.
Posted by Agnostic of Mittagong, Friday, 20 November 2015 7:19:50 AM
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