Sunworshipper wrote:
On Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:55:41 +0100, Ted Frater
wrote:

azotic wrote:
"Stu Fields" wrote in message
.. .

There was no detail only a teaser that DOE was interested in getting
their SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) money out there and
spent before they lose it. I can remember having to come up with
something to spend the SBIR money so that we could get some next
year. GEESH..I sure hope we get more and bigger government to take
care of me...
Request research funds to devise a method to tax the electricity
individuals
make with solar power at home for thier own use. Off grid people are of
course not paying thier fair share of taxes.

Best Regards
Tom.


Off grid people of course dont get the benefits the on grid tax payers get.
So its seems fair to me that we( off grid folk) dont pay the tax to
which you refer. .
Afterall (correct me if im wrong) you dont pay for services you dont
get. Ie you dont pay your plumber or whatever if hes not doing anything
for you.
Off grid electricity cost more per watt than on grid. It does have its
compensations tho.
If anyone is interested , weve been off grid for some 40 yrs, and our
setup uses the following.
Ex British rail standby signalling alkaline batteries, I bought them
at 10 yrs old at £30.00 a ton, had 3 tons. Have a useful life in excess
of 50 yrs.
We used from the 70 crates, there in 316 stainless steel in hard wood
boxes, some 20 at present, powering a 3kw outback system.
We charge them with a 6kva Lister diesel generator controlled by an
Outback mate.
Recently, we came by 1000 galls of diesel fuel at £1.00 a gallon. so
weve plenty put by. The proper pump price of this tax free tractor fuel
here in the UK is £2.50 a gallon.
we plan to cut this generating cost by building a 48v. DC generator
powered by a 650 rpm Lister 6/1 single on waste vegetable oil.Weve 3 of
these engines put by.
Currently we get this WVO from a local hotel for free. So were stock
piling it for future use.
We think that this way of providing electricity is the cheapest way,
much more efficient that solar power. We will add another 3kw outback in
due course to give us a steady 6kw power supply.
Our main power usage is our fridge freezer.
hope this is of interest.
Ted in rural wilderness Dorset
UK.




oooh, that sounds like fun ! That's what I need to find, a Lister. I
found them on the Internet while looking up a cast iron gas tank I
found in the woods for a hit and miss named a Monitor. They don't make
gas tanks like they use to. I need a 220V generator I can run for
long periods just in case the power goes out while its 30 below.
Almost landed a VW diesel pickup for $75 and was about to start
collecting oily stuff cause I can get as many of those fuel oil tanks
that I could possibly need for free. Was not happy, thought the VW was
in the bag after about 1.5 years of negotiating of who really had the
title.

See if you had sun I could show you how to cure that reefer problem.
Solar thermal is my favorite. Run it off the exhaust heat!

What I don't and never have understood is how one controls the timing
when the fuel is ignited by pressure alone. Why won't it light off on
the way up? Maybe it does and won't work till the ratio is just
right... Lots of backfires till ya get it right?

SW
If I read you right, you might need to read up how a diesel engine works.
To put it simply the fuel is sprayed at over 100 bar into the hot
compressed air as a very fine mist just before top dead center on the
compression stroke, whereapon it catches fire by itself.
As to finding a 6/1 lister diesel, theres a few here in the UK at
engine rallies and steam fairs.
We find it easier to heat the house, the water and do the cooking on a
large cast iron cooking stove . A Rayburn no1. Made in the 1950/60's.
As with everything else we have a spare put by.But then we have always
planned on the long term.