Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

BRB - they work quite well!
Apparently using a parabolic cell to heat water to spin a turbine
is a way to make power from excess hot water!

C1, I hope I don't sound stupid but how does the parabolic cell work?

I'm looking for opinions on this wind turbine. I do not have a lot of wind here and this thing doesn't have a tail? But anyone with experience with wind turbines please comment:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0266672353

Well not much wind unless there is a hurricane!!!
But I very much like the price!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrating_solar_power
Sorry BRB took a while but this might help

That is a pretty ingenious use of solar power. Now I can easily see how several hundred degrees of temp can be acheived! Thanks.

I couldn't bring myself to purchase that turbine even though the price was so well. I couldn't get past the numbers. They were complete BS! one column showed 17 mph wind producing 1,418 watts @ 6,750 rpm. Those large fiberclass 3 bladed props won't turn that fast much less in a 17 mph wind. and no tail or speed limiter. But I did get on E-bay and bought a 400 watt low speed PM converted car alternator, a couple of 600 watt grid tie inverters, and a couple of lbs. of solar cells in which to build my own solar panels with. I only spent about $1,500. so far. I plan on purchasing the prop for the low speed alternator but I will probably spend a couple hundred more on construction materials for the panels. The inverters were $500 each including shipping, The alternator was $20. including shipping! I was the only bidder The cells are 75% whole but I got them for cheap, less than $1. per watt. I will put those panels on my back shed roof. Its a little more than 500 watts worth if the sellers are honest. The weight and counts seem to jive with what they claim. Whole used panels seem to be going for between $3. and $4. per watt and new ones up as much as $8 per watt on new panels. I'm going to continue trying to get some 150-200 watt panels for the $3. per watt range. I can't wait to start playing/working on/with those toys!

My typo on the 600 watt grid tie inverters, they are 6000 watt each.

I often thought there must be a way to save money buying the little solar cells and assembling them into a large cell on the back of a glass plate. Its the soldering hundreds of cells together that has detours most from trying, for me its the money.

Ebay seems to be a strange place when buying stuff. Sometimes the bid price is more than some places sell stuff new. Other times I think things go unnoticed and seller forgets to put a reserve and or just poorly listed or described. That is when bargains are found. I purchased some of my cells without bidding at the buy now option just so I can get enough to get started, those were more than a dollar per watt others I bid on and won cheaper. I may not buy any more cells and just try for whole panels from here out. The wait on nano solar, I just think some big corp will scoop them up or their backlog on large corporate orders will not ever let them sell to small individuals. The 6000 watt inverters, the guy took my offer of 2 for 300 each but it cost 200 each to ship from california. I hope to have about 1k watt solar and 1k wind for under $2500. I have plenty of inverter to expand.
Justification is everything! There isn't much for me to do outdoors in the winter months. I get home from work at 4:30 and it gets dark at 5:30. Soldering up those solar cells on the floor in front of the fireplace will help stave off seasonal depression. I'll be hunting on the weekends and solar power and wind power will reduce my fuel costs for the generator and is much quieter. I hope to see enough returns in a couple years to pay for my little investment. I also plan on experimenting with low rpm alternators. These early winter fronts blowing thru get me excited with that prospect! No more dead bass boat batteries! Of course I'll be stealing them from the system when ever I go fishing! Like I said Justification! To compare with my other investments well 50% went to my ex 2 years ago . A hurricane flooded out my two investment properties, and the stock market hit my retirement account for what equals a years pay... yep it looks like some of the best money I spent in a while!

Hmm... bugger Bill, not sounding good is it?
Well never mind, if things do get back to normal,
one day, the 20cent shares will be back to $10
and $10 back to $50......

But I think they should suspend the markets for a month or two.
make the blood suckers feel some pain

It sounds bad when I put it that way ,but life is good. I love just living and doing! When put this way she got half because she deserved it and helped raise my daughters to be more than I could have hoped for, and we had an uncontested devorce and property settlement and the girls chose to stay with dad! (cause I can cook, I'm sure he he!) One of the rental houses is complete and I am going to start showing it to prospective tenents this week, the other house should be complete in about 3 months. And as far as the stock goes I have 10 to 15 years more to work, and stock per share is a real bargain now and is expect to be back to normal by then... much higher. I hope to retire in the countryside somewhere in this world in a farm house with some animals/fish and greenhouse. With hunting and fishing nearby.
At least that is what I'm working towards.

Sounds like a good plan.

Let me know the address old timer... I'll drop by for a visit... and a drink....

Finding deals on ebay may not always be easy but they are there occaisionaly. Here is a low wind genny I missed no one even bid on and the starting bid was $0.01

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0268468468