[TheForge] solar systems

[James Binnion]

I priced out a system to provide 5000 watts of continuous power 
(Solar panels, batteries, inverters etc. ) in the desert southwest 
for a radio system. Just the solar panels were going to cost  a 
quarter of a million dollars!.  5000 watts is  only 22 amps at 220 
volts single phase. Now you would not be likely to draw 22 amps 
continuously like my radio station but you will need to do a lot of 
figuring to determine how much power you will need and it is not 
cheap to do any solar electric project. I am sure it has gotten a 
little cheaper in the past 10 years but not by a huge amount. It is 
possible to do homes that have been optimized to keep power needs low 
but shop facilities are just not realistic unless you have a 
government supported project and sometimes not even then. We 
eventually went with a propane generator system because even Uncle 
Sam was balking at the cost to do an environmentally clean 
installation.
-- 
Jim Binnion

James Binnion Metal Arts
Phone (360) 756-6550
Toll Free (877) 408 7287
Fax (360) 756-2160
http://www.mokume-gane.com
jbin at mokume-gane.com
Member of the Better Business Bureau