331 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
331 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
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(word processor parameters LM=8, RM=75, TM=2, BM=2)
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Taken from KeelyNet BBS (214) 324-3501
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Sponsored by Vangard Sciences
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PO BOX 1031
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Mesquite, TX 75150
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@ There are ABSOLUTELY NO RESTRICTIONS
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on duplicating, publishing or distributing the
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files on KeelyNet!
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June 23, 1991
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SOLPRIME.ASC
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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This file courtesy of Ron Barker.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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(this text file comes from Cindex Tech BBS)
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CINDEX TECH SUPPORT HELP BBS
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Serving the computer industry since 1976
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maintenance programs * on-site service plan
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expert service on industrial N/C equipment!
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Voice: (314) 837-1132 Date: (314) 837-5422
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Hone of the Online Practice testing grounds for
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Amateur Radio and Electronic Enthusiast'
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-------------------------------------------------------------------
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A Solar Energy Primer
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Solar Energy can be converted for use on earth in several ways. The
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Sun is of course our closest star, upon which we are dependent for
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life. The sun is estimated to be at least 4.5 billion years old and
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it has an average distance from earth of about 92,000,000 miles.
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Its core temperature is 15,000,000 degrees centigrade. Its total
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energy output is 3.83 x 10^23 KW. It is the source of energy for
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oil, natural gas, coal, hydro, wind and an argument could be made
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that even nuclear fission owes its existence to the sun.
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Sunlight is a form of Radiant Energy that is manifests as heat in
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any object that is exposed to it. Heat is the result of excited
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molecules in the object, not the sunlight itself. This is analogous
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to when you get sunburned on a relatively cool day and don't realize
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it, which is a result of too many ultraviolet rays.
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The technology involved in capturing this solar energy for man's use
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goes back thousands of years. There are several methods of
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utilizing Solar Energy.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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PASSIVE SOLAR is the design of structures to efficiently use solar
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energy without mechanical devices. A building can be so designed as
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to become a solar collector. This is done by having large window
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areas placed on the south side of the home which capture solar
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energy in tile floors that absorb, store and re-radiate the heat.
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Overhangs can also be provided in the design to block the sun in
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summer months.
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Page 1
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Passive Solar Design usually requires that these concepts are
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incorporated into the structure when it is built since a retrofit is
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difficult, but not impossible.
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Obviously a design that is appropriate in Montana is inappropriate
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in Mississippi, where for a good portion of the year, solar heat
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gain is not advantageous.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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ACTIVE SOLAR is the process of using mechanical devices to capture
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and store solar energy. Most people are familiar with the flat
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plate solar collector, they were becoming popular during the late
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1970's and early 1980's.
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The flat plate collector consists of a box typically 8" high by 5'
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wide by 10' long that had a copper absorber plate and tubing. A
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glass cover is placed over the box and the greenhouse effect creates
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temperatures up to 200 degrees F inside the collector.
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A pump circulates a heat transfer fluid through the collector, then
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through a heat exchanger. A separate pump circulates water from a
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hot water tank through the heat exchanger transferring heat from the
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collector to the storage tank.
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A properly designed solar thermal system provides 70% or better of a
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family's hot water in a climate like Mississippi.
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A variation of the flat plate system that is very popular in
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Australia and Israel is the thermosyphon system that does not use
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pumps or controls.
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The storage tank is placed above the collector and as the water is
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heated in the collector, it rises to the storage tank and cooler
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water enters the collector. Thermosyphon systems are extremely
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efficient for domestic hot water uses and have been used in
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Australia for 40 years.
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The design life of a properly designed active solar thermal system
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is at least 20 years. Thermal systems can also be used to heat
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homes using heat exchangers such as baseboard heaters. Usually
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there is a backup source such as gas or electric to provide for
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extensive over-cast periods.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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Solar air collectors do not use water but rather air as the heat
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transfer medium. This system uses blowers to circulate air through
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the collectors and directly heat a home. Heat can be stored in rock
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bins or transferred using water as the heat carrier medium.
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One of the interesting uses for solar air systems is drying grains
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such as wheat, rice etc.
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FOCUSING CONCENTRATOR COLLECTORS are very high temperature and
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pressure systems that are applicable to industrial and large scale
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power generation. They work in a similar fashion to a magnifying
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glass in the sunlight. Solar Energy is concentrated using lenses or
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mirrors onto a central "receiver".
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Fluid is circulated through the receiver where temperatures of 7,000
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degrees have been generated. The heat converts water to steam which
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then drives a steam turbine. The largest system currently on line
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Page 2
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is in the Mohave Desert of California, and is generating
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approximately 300 megawatts of electricity.
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The largest single unit is SEGS 8, rated at 13.8 KV 5000 Amps or 80
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Megawatts. Each system is (1) Square Mile in Area with linear
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"trough" collectors that track the sun. Currently there are four
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additional units under construction rated at 80 Megawatts each.
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Concentrating collectors operate more efficiently in a desert
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environment, as intermittent cloud cover can produce temperature
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differentials in the array. This in turn produces physical stress
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from expansion and contraction of the material. Concentrators
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are not efficient at converting diffuse solar energy, an advantage
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that flat plate collectors have over the concentrating.
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In other words on a partly cloudy day the concentrator would be
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practically useless, where a flat plate system generates heat even
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on overcast days due to the greater surface area.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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PHOTOVOLTAICS is the direct conversion of sunlight to electricity.
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This is achieved by layering a semiconducting material, usually
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silicon, into at least two layers consisting of a P and N layer
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separated by a Boron barrier layer.
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To make a very long story extremely short, sunlight "knocks"
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electrons from the silicon that then follows the path of least
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resistance onto "grids" that have been mounted onto the surface and
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back of the solar cell.
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These "cells" are then connected in a manner similar to flashlight
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batteries, that is, positive to negative, and are configured to
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provide the appropriate power desired. The cells are mounted in an
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aluminum frame with a glass cover.
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The first use of solar cells for power, was space satellites.
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Another common use is for "solar" calculators which have become
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popular during the last few years. There are larger applications
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for "terrestrial" use that are coming into use.
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It is already economically competitive to use PV (Photovoltaic) if a
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home is to be powered at a distance of 1/2 mile from the closest
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utility service.
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The choice becomes one of paying a utility company to construct a
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line to the home and then paying a monthly bill or constructing a PV
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System and being self sufficient.
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Other practical applications include small panels for keeping the
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batteries charged on tractors, bull dozers, etc. that spend hours
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outside and are used intermittently. Recreational Vehicles are an
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additional use that is becoming increasingly popular. The PV RV
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works very well due to the 12 Volt System for which the RV is wired.
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The Photovoltaics can provide a means of reducing the use of the
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Generator, extending its life and reducing the associated noise.
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PV's have also become practical for pumping water in remote
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locations using submersible pumps. Also PV powered pump jacks are
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available that can pump up to 5000 gallons a day with out using gas
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or utility connections.
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Page 3
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Telecommunications is also a practical application of PV and there
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are many Microwave repeaters powered by sunlight. In fact wherever
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a remote location needs electricity, PV is the hands down winner for
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providing it.
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A diesel or gas generator needs constant fuel and attention, where
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PVs operate without fuel and the only maintenance is occasional
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checking of batteries.
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Photovoltaics for residential use can be achieved in two ways.
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First is the utility inter-tie in which excess electricity is sold
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to the utility. The homeowner pays the difference in what is
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consumed and produced.
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The utility however is only obligated to pay the "avoided" cost for
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the electricity which is usually considered to be about 60 cents on
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the dollar on what the utility charges.
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Other drawbacks are that when the utility goes offline, the PV
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system must also go offline to prevent shock to line workers. The
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utility inter-tie would not require battery storage however, which
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is a significant cost of PV Systems.
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The second type of system could be considered a Solar Powered
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Uninterruptable Power Supply for the home. A battery bank provides
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power for the home which is charged by PV when solar is available,
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when solar is not available the batteries are charged by the
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utility. This system offers several advantages including backup
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power for utility loss and substantial savings on electrical bills.
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Should these savings be reinvested into the system, eventual
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disconnect from the utility would be possible. As utilities
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increase rates, the construction of these systems will be
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inevitable. An additional benefit to the United States would be the
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decentralization of the electrical supply.
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Currently a concerted terrorist attack could bring down the entire
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electrical network, with the attack of a relatively few power
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transformers and transmission lines. PV would be a way of not
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having all of our eggs in one basket.
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If you have questions concerning Photovoltaics or Solar Thermal,
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please feel free to contact me on The Continental Divide or at
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the following address:
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Southern Solar Electric
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c/o Charlie Brister
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514 Plainview Circle
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Richland, MS 39218
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(601) 939-5976
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Compuserve 72527,1677
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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Vangard note....
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An average modern home uses up to 10,000 Watts of power while
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an apartment will use up to about 8,000. Of course, this
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varies depending on the size of the dwelling, whether or not a
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climate controlled system is used to maintain a stable
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temperature and how many appliances are used.
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Page 4
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Many people are not aware that most modern equipment is
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partially ON all the time. The practice of designing this
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feature into modern equipment began because older Television
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sets required a warmup time before the picture would come on.
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When the newer circuitry was first introduced, it was
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advertised as "instant-on" to lure the buyer into selecting the
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new models since they would not have to wait until the picture
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tube heated up.
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A modern dwelling therefore usually has at least one TV, at
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least one VCR, one or more refrigerators and a host of
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electronic appliances which require some form of idling power.
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So it is very easy to total up the watts necessary.
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Inductive devices are not generally on all the time, but they
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are the ones which use the greatest amount of energy, usually
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because they drive heavy loads, such as refrigeration units,
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air conditioners, washer/dryers, generally speaking, most
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motors.
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An interesting observation in relation to the so-called free
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energy devices is that they will ONLY power RESISTIVE devices
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and NOT INDUCTIVE devices. One of the reasons cited for this
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is that the free energy usually depends on a tuned circuit
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which can be considerably loaded by any inductive components.
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It would make an interesting study to see just how much energy
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was used when all the devices which use this idling current
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were PHYSICALLY DISCONNECTED from the power lines when not in
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actual use. We would probably be amazed as to how our power
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bill would diminish were we to implement such a simple
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procedure.
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We have a friend who suggested making giant versions of thermo-
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electric converters using P/N junctions. He says he and a
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group of friends made one of these giant thermocouples and
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planted it in the ground where it would experience a
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temperature differential between the coolness of the earth
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(averaging about 68 degrees at 6 feet year round) to that of
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the above ground air.
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Of course, there are also multiple thermodynamic systems which
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use very sensitive refrigerants to successively tap into any
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heat/cool temperature differential.
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It would be nice to have some bucks to investigate the various
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methods and make a kit which anyone could build and use to
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furnish power for their home or transport.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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If you have comments or other information relating to such topics
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as this paper covers, please upload to KeelyNet or send to the
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Vangard Sciences address as listed on the first page.
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Thank you for your consideration, interest and support.
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Jerry W. Decker.........Ron Barker...........Chuck Henderson
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Vangard Sciences/KeelyNet
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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If we can be of service, you may contact
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Jerry at (214) 324-8741 or Ron at (214) 242-9346
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Page 5
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