[RE-wrenches] Very small PV systems for surveillance or other "micro" loads

[Jason Szumlanski]

That's the answer I thought I'd get from most. It's hard to explain the
"days of autonomy" and extended bad weather to people. Most just say, "why
don't you just make a recommendation." That puts me in a spot where I want
to overbuild, which drives up cost.

The other challenge is getting people to tell you the real story about what
they plan to plug in. They think 100W @ 120V continuous load 24 hours a day
sounds like a very small load. When you hit them with a ~1kW system with a
~10kWh battery (with ample reliability factors considered), they freak out.
Then you find out that the camera they wanted to plug in only draws 18W @
12V (no inverter required). That's a big difference.


Jason


On Mon, Jan 20, 2014 at 3:46 PM, Larry Crutcher, Starlight Solar Power
Systems <larry at starlightsolar.com> wrote:

> Jason,
>
> We get quite a few of these from US Border Patrol, GM Proving Grounds and
> other agencies. I always do custom design since every job has different
> parameters like days of autonomy or remote monitoring/control (SCADA).
>
>
> Larry Crutcher
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 20, 2014, at 1:17 PM, Jason Szumlanski <Jason at fafcosolar.com>
> wrote:
>
> What do you do for very small off-grid systems that people want for
> specific equipment? Do you have a "go-to" configuration, or do you size and
> design everything custom?
>
> For example, I frequently get, "I want to run cameras at a remote site and
> the total requirement is 100W, 24 hours a day."
>
> It's not economical to reinvent the wheel every time.
>
>
> Jason Szumlanski
> Fafco Solar
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