PV system check

zoneblue

Re: PV system check

Well for the latest update i installed the cheap sine wave inverter i bought (rather stupidly), and the third time we used it it went pop and that was the end of that short lesson. For a home environment you want a reliable and safe inverter and that means buying brand name. So now im shopping for an inverter. The one im looking at is a powermaster 3kw http://www.powermaster.com.tw/PM-3000L.htm

People here say they go ok for their price. Low standby draw, decent weight to it etc. 2 year waranty.

Short of spending more will be find a better inverter for NZD$1700?

westbranch

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

Don't know about where your are but these sell for a lot less than that here in Canada.
http://www.cotek.com.tw/product/18.html
http://www.cotek.ca/

hth

zoneblue

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

By 'these' you mean cotek inverters? They appear to be available here in the odd obscurer outlet but i cant find a price on line. There is a used one here http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=563313903
I know nothing about them, how do they compare quality wise?

If i might have some more money next year we could look at whatever midnite comes up with, but mean time i need something cheaper than say outback, but reasonably reliable. Mate, everything here is expensive. Our classic 150 lite was 1150 or so. NZ is a small market a long way from anywhere.

westbranch

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

Looks like the SK 3000 W sells for $ 1370.00 US as far as I know. The one you show has the same blue colour.

Photowhit

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

westbranch wrote: »

Looks like the SK 3000 W sells for $ 1370.00 US as far as I know. The one you show has the same blue colour.

US$ vs NZ $ is 100:84 so pretty close.

Cariboocoot

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

Photowhit wrote: »

US$ vs NZ $ is 100:84 so pretty close.

Exchange rate is not the same thing as available or price. Our CDN$ is often at par or above the US$, yet there are many things you can get there that we can't here and when we can our prices are inevitably higher. Very rarely is it the other way 'round.

Blackcherry04

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

Just for information, the mailing costs to Canada from the US have more than Doubled in the last two weeks. I have a part that use to cost $4.08 to send and it now costs $9.15 to send it.

Cariboocoot

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

Mailing or UPS?
UPS has always been a rip-off to Canada. Mail rates have been more reasonable. We used to send things via Greyhound, but that has gone up in price enormously. They always blame it on fuel costs ($4.49 per US gallon here right now, it has been as high as $5.32).

Blackcherry04

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

Cariboocoot wrote: »

Mailing or UPS?
UPS has always been a rip-off to Canada. Mail rates have been more reasonable. We used to send things via Greyhound, but that has gone up in price enormously. They always blame it on fuel costs ($4.49 per US gallon here right now, it has been as high as $5.32).

It's for the USPS and Canada Post, First Class International. Australia went from $9.75 to $12.25, I could see it going up some, but my Canadian costs going up that much really hurts, I do a lot of business there. I'll probably have to subsidize it some, I always kept the US shipping and Canada the same and let it average out. Shipping is not a profit center for me, try to use the exact cost.

BB.

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

We are not far behind you for gas prices in California. Pretty much all the stations are north of $4.00 per gallon for regulator now. $4.50 per gallon + for diesel.

And "nobody knows why"... (maybe the hit we take every year as the few refineries left switch over to California Summer Blend, etc.).

Gas prices still going up

“It’s the 33rd day in a row that we’ve seen a consecutive increase” in gasoline prices, said Nancy White, a spokeswoman for AAA, who said there are several explanations but that none seem overly convincing.
The rising gasoline prices come even as the United States now produces more than half the oil it consumes. In fact, the nearly 800,000 barrel per day increase in U.S. production output from 2011 to 2012 reflected the largest one-year jump since oil drilling began in 1859.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. oil production will rise from 6.89 million barrels per day in November 2012 to 8.15 million by December 2014. At the same time, the International Energy Agency has lowered its estimates for global demand for oil. Lacking demand, OPEC, the oil-exporters cartel, has reduced production.
It all argues for lower oil prices, or at least less volatility in the price of oil and thus gasoline.

-Bill

Rybren

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

Ours has been going up steadily as well with daily fluctuations of ~ $0.06 per litre.

This morning it was $1.30/L (~$4.88/US Gal) for Regular.

Yesterday it was $1.22/L

sigh...

solar_dave

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

And the taxes are less in AZ but the price of regular is now $3.699 and Diesel is $4.039. Not that I really care to much directly.

I see WTI crude took a hit yesterday as did RBOB gasoline, but that will be short lived and it is headed back up as we get more towards summer.

westbranch

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

Rybren, our/ L price jumped 12 cents yesterday... I yearn for your increase

btw Oil went down $2 / barrel yesterday...

Cariboocoot

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

westbranch wrote: »

Rybren, our/ L price jumped 12 cents yesterday... I yearn for your increase

btw Oil went down $2 / barrel yesterday...

Ah, but we have a carbon tax: saving the ecology six cents at a time!
Introduced at two cents when gasoline was $1.46 per gallon. It's dropped almost 15 cents since then, even though the carbon tax has gone up. So you can see how effective the tax is and reducing fuel consumption and thus pollution.

Oh wait, no it's not; fuel consumption just keeps going up anyway. The only difference is a new nightmare of bureaucracy costing us more money (despite being 'revenue neutral').

My new famous saying:
"Economics is to mathematics as religion is to science."

And yes this is related to the forum as we're all for clean energy here but above all making it practical.

Photowhit

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

Cariboocoot wrote: »

Exchange rate is not the same thing as available or price. Our CDN$ is often at par or above the US$, yet there are many things you can get there that we can't here and when we can our prices are inevitably higher. Very rarely is it the other way 'round.

Hi Coot, I was comparing the known costs of 1370 US$ and 1700 NZ$ which works out to about 100:80.5 or "pretty close"

westbranch

Re: PV system check- UPDATE

their riding high right now. In 2009 they were at $1.00 NZ to $.50 US

OUCH!