Test runs

[contaucreek]

Wound up my SR1 this morning for it's weekly test run. It started on the second go at the hand crank without any preheating in -4c temps. I cycle the air compressor on it a few times for a load to keep the governor moving throughout it's range. How often do you get your generators going ?

[aqmxv]

I am careful to run monthly full-load test runs.  It's about to get a lot easier to justify the cost in the summer months - We're probably going to go to time of use metering on the house and the top tier of pricing this year is 44 cents/KWh.  Rough calculation shows that as close to a breakeven for pump diesel in the home genny.  If I mix some waste oil with it, the number gets better.

I wouldn't bother with the metering except that the off-peak lowest tier rate is 0.4 cents/KWh.  I'm looking into an off peak ice bank like we use at work for peak-load air conditioning...

[Thob]

It seems to me that you could store a lot of that 0.4 cents/KWH energy in a battery, and then sell it back to the electric company during the high rate of 44 cents/KWH.  Or do they have some other formula for "net metering", or whatever it's called, such as when someone connects a grid-tied solar system and sells back excess power.  Even at a low 25% round trip efficiency, it seems you could be money ahead.

If you can't sell it back, it would definitely seem worth storing the cheap electricity in a battery and using it during peak (expensive) times.  I see a big market for a product here...

[LowGear]

Hey Thob,

I see your market closely following the installation of time of use meters with the high low parameters that aqmxv suffers.  I'm thinking the power companies wouldn't frown on their use either.

For people that actually heat their living / work spaces the heat storage projects seen here sure make sense contrasted the ever creeping price of energy.  Making and storing heat just seems easier than cold but as a few of you know I'm just wrong now and then.

I've seen a couple of pro electric car docu-sellings and they show the cars being used in a grid tie configuration.

We have one rate here in Kona.  This last bill calculated out to 43.5 cents a kilowatt.  Getting that generator produced electricity grid tied  is my nemesis.

Casey