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Partly because of Y2K, mostly because
he had always been fascinated by it, a Georgia homeowner broke ground on a fully
integrated hybrid-power system in April of 1999. |
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| This photovoltaic system has the capacity to produce 19.2 kW
per hour. The system is powered by a 192, 100 watt modules. This impressive system is
backed up a Cummings diesel generator capable of producing 80 kW per hour. |
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The home only needs about 9 kW per hour during peak times, and
any excess electricity produced by the PV array is distributed to the neighbors. The
back-up generator kick in only when the batteries run out of their 3 day stock of
electricity. |
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The array counts 24 pods, each mounted by 8, Shell Solar SR 100
watt modules. To catch the most sunlight, the modules face the sun at an incline of 25º.
The bracket on the full-aluminum frame allows change of angle in under a minute. |
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| The batteries and inverters are stored in a garage-like shed.
The interior of the shed was painted with LO-MIT, a silicone-based, aluminum evaporated
paint that is both a heat barrier and an electromagnetic shield. |
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To cool the battery room even further, a solar fan is
installed on the roof. The marine-grade PV panel on the fan can deliver about 11 watt per
hour, moving 850 cubic feet per minute in peak conditions. |
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The PV-generator hybrid system was tied into the grid by a
local electrician in about two days. Charging the batteries and transforming DC
electricity to synchronize with the AC grid is regulated by Trace Engineering equipment. |
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| The system is projected to produce about 25.8 MWh per year, and
1034 MWh over its 40 year lifetime. At current utility related emissions rates, that
equals 2,058,416 lbs CO2, 10,447 lbs SO2, and 4,956 lbs NOx. |
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In all, system installation took about one month. "The New
Tara" is perhaps the largest residential system in the south. |
picture your dreams ! |
