The Bent Page

We’ve been having fun, traipsing around Aruba, looking at beaches, checking out the sights, dining at all kinds of restaurants. However, having a house here is like having a house most anywhere else in the sense that utilities are a serious issue. The cost of electricity in Aruba is quite high because they burn oil to make it. (I’m not going to get into the politics of this just now. Suffice it to say that I believe in private solutions.)

My original goal for the house was to power the air conditioning system off the grid. Thus, the question, “How much power do I need to produce to get those airco’s off the grid?” The answer follows:

Last year, I installed two brand new split-type air-conditioners. The larger one uses 14.4 amps of power at 220 volts which means approximately 3168 watts. The smaller one uses 12.6 amps at 220 volts, consuming 2772 watts. Add those two together and you end up with at least 5,940 watts. When it comes to power use, I like to round UP. Therefore, at a minimum, I need to produce 6,000 watts of electricity to run both air conditioners at the same time. But wait a minute! When you first turn the airco on, it draws a bit more power to get started. So, let’s set the minimum at 7,000 watts. To correct myself slightly, I need to DELIVER that many watts to keep these unit cranking.

Okay, how am I going to do this? Production will come from a wind turbine and solar panels (photovoltaic). This power will have to be converted from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). How is that going to be done? With an INVERTER. What if the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining? Electricity will be stored in a BATTERY BANK. How is the battery bank going to be charged? Through the inverter and a CHARGE CONTROLLER.

Are you still with me? I hope so. None of this is as complicated as it sounds and there are some details that aren’t discussed here. (Please, if i made any mistakes, let me know so I can correct them.) You can purchase entire systems that are basically “plug and play.” A qualified electrician can have you up and running in no time.

Now, the next post is going to look at ENERGY PRODUCTION for this system. There will be pictures, too. Remember one thing: Once the system is operating, you get a return on your investment and protection against future price increases. Every time the price of energy goes up, it’s as if you’re saving more. And you are because you have a fixed cost for your system and a little extra for the maintenance.

Enough for now. Stay tuned. And don’t forget that you can control your energy consumption AND production. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. You have to be willing to change a little or a lot depending on your goals. However, you do not have to live in a cave, eating berries.