Frequently Asked Questions & Information on Solar and Renewable Energy System Components

Things to consider when designing a solar system

Information on low voltage power systems, calculating your power needs, how to lower your energy usage. Advice on, off the grid power system solutions and how to place solar panels.

• 12 or 24 Volt power systems
• Estimating your power demands.
• How to Reduce Generator Fuel Bills
• Remote Area power systems
• AMP and Watt Hour Calculator and Solar Design Tool
• Solar array placement and shading considerations

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Solar Power for Remote Homes

Information on off the grid solar power solutions, examples of Rainbow powercompanies staff's home power systems and a photo gallery of installed solar panel systems.

• Examples of Stand Alone Solar Power Systems.
• RPC Staff Home Power Systems
• Photo Gallery of some of our Installations

Grid Connected Solar Systems

find Information about grid connect solar panel systems here.

• Examples of Grid Feed Solar Systems
• Grid Interactive Systems
• Problems with cheap grid feed solar systems.
  Some things to consider when installing a grid connect system
  

Solar Power for Mobile Homes

• Solar Systems for Mobile Homes
• Mobile Homes Backup Power
• Types of Solar Modules for Mobile Homes
• Selection of Fridges for Mobile Homes
• Installing an Inverter in a Motor Home
  (by Bob and Chrissy Eustace)
• Campervan and Mobile Home Rally (Maryborough 2005)
• Simple Solutions Simply Solved (by Hugh Murtagh)

  Innovations in Solar Power

• Schott Building Glass Material Solar Panels.

Tell me more about Solar Power

Information about Solar power systems, installations, panel placement and solar trackers. Return on solar investment.
• Solar Power - General, Tracking, Self Regulated, etc
• Solar Panel Mounting and Ventilation
  Credit Jonathan Thwaites
• Solar Tracking Pros and Cons for Australia
• Solar radiation pattern in Australia
• About Solar Cells from the Wiki Encyclopedia
• Solar is Booming & Energy Payback Data
• Energy Payback of Roof Mounted Photovoltaic Cells
  (1.86 Meg 6 pages pdf file) by C Bankier & S Gale reprinted from The Environmental Engineer
  
• The BCSE, in conjuction with the ATA and RISE, have written two booklets, one to educate the potential renewable energy power system customer on how to make a rational and accurate purchase decision, and the second to teach the current customer how to maintain and monitor their system to ensure optimum performance.
• Electricity From The Sun - Solar PV Systems Explained
• Solar PV Systems - Users' Maintenance Guide

Everything about Wind Turbines and wind power systems

Here you can find links to pages that tell you everything you need to know about wind generated power.

• Wind Power- Site Evaluation, Turbulance etc
• Wind Energy Systems (the book by Dr Gary Johnson)
• Wind Power Grid Connected (by D Hayes)
• Small Wind Generator Performance and Testing
• Connecting your Wind Generator to the Grid (by Daniel Walsh)
• Blue Knob Wind Data (by P Pedals)

Micro, Pico, Hydro Power systems and components explained

• Measuring Head and Flow for Hydro Site
• Making a filter for your Hydro Water Source
• Hydro Pelton Wheels
• Hydro Turgo Wheels
• Hydro Power for Remote Medical Clinics
• Pico Hydro System DIY Guide by Moreau Laurent
  
• Micro Hydro System Manuals
  Rainbow Micro Hydro Installation Manual (HYD-200 1.5Mb PDF)
  Stream Engine Hydro Manual (HYD-060 1.8 mb PDF)
  Water Baby Micro Hydro Manual (HYD-062 1.3 mb PDF)
• Photo Essay on a Japanese Hydro Installation by 'Greencrafts'. The owner is Mr.Ohmori who is managing sustainable organic farm named 'Earth Farm' (79k PDF file)

information about batteries, isolators and equalisers

• Battery Isolators and Charge Equalisers
• Deep Cycle Batteries
• Battery Boxes (enclosures)
• Caring for Deep Cycle Batteries
• Car and Deep Cycle Batteries FAQ
  (by Bill Darden )
• Maintaining Electrolyte Levels
  ( in Batteries with a Battery Filler)

Everything about battery chargers for home and mobile homes

• Battery Charger Selection
• Battery Chargers for Motor Homes
• Battery Charger and portable gensets. (Pdf file)

Inverters FAQ

How to choose and install an inverter for your AC or DC appliances

• Installation Tips Radio Frequency Interference
• Choosing an Inverter

Power Consumption of Appliances in regards to renewable energy systems

• Cooking Appliances - Bread Ovens, Hot Plates, Jugs , Solar
• Computers, Printers, Fax Machines, Modems
• Home Entertainment - TV, VCR, DVD, Austar, CD Player
• Miscellaneous: Fans, Pressure Pumps, Fluoros,CPAP
• Washing Machines, Dishwashers
• Power Usage of the evacuated tube hot water system
• Refrigeration for Solar Systems

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Low voltage lighting

information on energy efficient lighting for solar panel generated power and other renewable energy solutions.

• LED Lighting
• Lighting
• Light Colour Temperature Chart
• High Efficiency Lighting (German translation)
• Cold Cathode Lighting
• Lighting terminology
• Lighting efficiency chart (1 page 42k pdf

Home power management and using how to use energy meters

• Using an Energy Monitor and Home Power Management
• How to use a Multimeter
• Monitor SOC with a PL regulator
• Reading Your Country Energy Meter on a Grid Feed Solar System
• Accuracy of Wireless Power Metering (by Dave Keenan)

renewable energy miscellaneous

• Some uses for Motion Detectors
• Some uses for Timers
• Solar Powered Boat
• Solar Power for Fire Brigades
• Lessons in Electric Circuits
  Copyright (C) 2000-2004 Tony R. Kuphaldt
• Using an Energy Monitor and Home Power Management
• How to use a Multimeter
• Monitor SOC with a PL regulator
• Report of ATRAA confrence 2005.
• Composting Toilets FAQ
• Running CPAP Machines
  

Renewable energy solutions for developing countries

• Solar Lighting Kits
• Case Studies
• General Article

Renewable or Alternative Energy Systems

• Renewable versus Alternative power
• Renewable energy in Australia
• Solar Photovoltaic power advantages
• What about a Green future, not nuclear
  (by Warren Lake)
• Can Nuclear Energy Reduce CO2 Emissions ?
  by Dr Mark Diesendor

Information on installing a solar system

Installing your own solar system find your information on wiring, cables etc. here.

• Basic Wiring layout for homes
• Fuse Information
• Cable Sizing and Voltage Drop (46k pdf file)
• Cable AWG to Metric conversion table
• Circuit Breakers and Fuses
• Installing your own Solar System
• Protection Against the Effects of Lighting on
  Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Systems
  (Report by the International Energy Agency IEA
• Study Guide for Photovoltaic System Installers
  (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners NABCEP link to pdf)

• 12 Volt Emergency Pumping
• Pumping & Pipe Friction Losses
• Grundfos Pumping Systems
• Home Pressure pump systems
• Pumping Efficiences
• Solar Irrigation Pumps
• Solar Powered Electric Fences
• Incubators

• Government Fiddles while Coal Burns
• Do We Have to Live Like Hermits Without Nuclear Power
• Howards's renewable energy policy (by S Cripps Clark)
• A Clean Energy Future for Australia, pdf summary.
  (16 pages, 1.5 Megabytes)
• A Clean Energy Future for Australia, report.
  (177 pages, 1.3 Megabytes)
  A study prepared for the Clean Energy Future Group.
  March 2004 ©WWF Australia 2004.
• Canberra's Renewable Energy Policy.
  Credits: Alan Johnson and Manufacturers Monthly
• Is Man making the Earth Hotter
• Let's Solar Power the World.
• Emissions will drop when we end the reliance on coal
  by Kenneth Davidson (Link to article in the Age April 17, 2008)
• Federal Government winds back solar photovoltaic rebate program
  (Brad Shone ATA Energy Policy Manager)
• Changes to the Solar Rebate. Letter to K Rudd from Self Sufficiency Supplies
  (Brian England Self Sufficiency Supplies)
• Labor's leaders have eclipsed our solar power hopes.
  The removal of solar rooftop rebates is a step away from Kyoto.
  by Alan Gray (Link to article in the Age May 20, 2008)
  

  Feed in Tariffs for Solar Grid Connections

• ACT Greens Deb Foskey on Feed-In Tarriffs (1 page 24k .pdf)
• Alternative Technology Association: The design of a feed-in tariff for Victoria
• Alternative Technology Association: The case for a feed-in tariff for solar micro-generation
• Discussion Paper on South Australia’s Feed-in Mechanism for
  Residential Small-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Installations
  February 2007 (15 pages pdf 445k)
• Proposed Guidelines and Agreements for Small
  Grid-Connected Renewable Energy Systems (106 pages 642k .pdf)
• The Queensland FiT Lobby Group Representations to Qld Govt.(6 page pdf)
  The Queensland FiT Lobby Group is a newly formed group of PV owners and installers who are committed to achieving the establishment of an effective Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) for Queensland. (Credits: Stephen Bower Trevor Berrill David Keenan)

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Tax Office and CES Rulings re Solar Rebates & Feed in Tarriff Revenue:

• CES:  Are credits or payments you receive for power generated by solar panels assessable against pensions?
• ATO:  Is a solar Feed in Tariff revenue taxable income?
• ATO: Is a Solar Photovoltaic Rebate taxable income?
• ATO: Is a  photovoltaic solar system a Depreciating asset?
• ATO: Is a  photovoltaic solar system 'plant' within the meaning of the Tax Act

• Bioenergy Australia is an alliance of organisations
  fostering biomass for energy and products
  Newsletter February 2008 (pdf 352k 26 pages).
  Editor: Dr. Stephen Schuck, Bioenergy Australia Manager