Nasty weather has rolled in, including some of the heaviest and most uniform overcast I’ve ever seen over the desert. Therefore I’m not playing on the ‘pooter. I’d rather have them newfangled eeeelectric lights at night, and this unseemly weather is supposed to hang on for the next couple of days.
Makes me wish I’d done more with that defunct generator when I had the chance…
So even if I’m not around to laugh at the spectacle until the sun shines again, enjoy the meltdown of western civilization (or at least the executive branch of the federal government) for me.
I live off grid in Alaska so we do not get much out of the solar panels from November through February. We do have a generator but do not use it f,or lights. We have propane lights which give as much ilumination as electric. They also put out 1800 btu per mantle. Just a thought.
Howard
Just wondering — do you use 12v lights, such as from an RV, or run them off the inverter? I always hear that the inverter has costs.
Thought of you while I was out sweeping the panels during a brief break in the clouds and snow(which promptly went away). Got all of 7 minutes input. But then the propane guy showed up, unannounced. He took a wild hair to come out and top us off in case the winter gets bad. He only slid into one ditch before stopping to put on his monster looking chains. Bless his heart! Happy generator.
No, I run everything in the cabin off the inverter. There are some parasitic costs but they’re so minor that if they were really a factor I’d have to question the whole system – as I did, with the first one. I have a bunch of kerosene lamps for backup.
I’m off grid in the upper midwest. The solar worked great till now. What with cold batteries and clouds not much gets saved. What does get put into the bank is used by the inverter. Some 700 watt hours worth a day. I do have a propane genset for charging and running everything else. Also propane and kerosene lights. Good luck.