The real advantages of alternative power

The Only Sarge
The Only Sarge Solar Expert Posts: 164 ✭✭✭✭✭
I keep reading about all this green energy, emergency back up, off grid (see giggle-weeds living) stuff.
Phooey.

I keep thinking somebody will post about the true (real world) advantages of alternative energy involvement.
You bunch of lazy lounge lizards obviously will not do it so I will.

Here it is in no particular order.
1. You get to employ folks in the internet alt energy business. How? Easy.
You start with 6 Harbor Freight 15W panels and a WalMart Marine Deep Cycle battery to power a little radio.
In 6 months you have 40 kabillion watts of Kyocera panels and 14 Morningstar MPPT Controllers going into 8000 amps of Trojan batteries. You still just power the same lil radio. But you know you could power Sacramento...and that makes you feel good.
2. You get to help folks on the internet. Yes you are an expert now as you have not burnt your house down from your solar projects. So that makes you an expert. Give yourself some kind of royal sounding user name. ExpertdeSolar or SolarGod or something. You get to PM jokes back and forth with other folks who have yet to burn their house down and it is good and grand.
3. You have boxes and boxes of solar stuff. Leftover 15 amp controllers, fuses, etc. This collection comes from the smaller projects that did not satisfy your insatiable appetite to light up Sacramento. You give stuff away to "newbies" for their solar projects and this makes you feel good about your new found solar expert status in the hood.
4. You put up a wind generator. It doesn't turn except in hurricanes. Birds appreciate the thing though. You made enough electricity to light up a p*ss ants flashlight last year. It is good. Maybe you can join a wind gen forum and expert all day and night about your wind gen.
5. Family comes to visit and suddenly you need to clean your panels until they are gone. You appreciate alternative energy even more now.
6. Alt Eng Ugh Oh's and the internet.
"I know I wired that relay right. "
"Whats that smell?"
Do not post about the relay backwards wiring on the internet. It will affect your expert status. If somebody else post about wiring something backwards tell them they are ignorant and should search the forum for your previous post of wisdom.
This is called deflecting the ignorance.
Or Teflon Ignoramus Redirection for you MSEE's out there.
It is a alternative energy user's advantage over those poor souls sucking on city power. They cannot redirect like us alt energy folks can.
7. You have learned to read and speak Chinese.
8. You can butcher Ohms law with the best of them.
9. You have created poems and songs to help you.
Black off firsty I sure am thirsty.
Black on last. I wish Romo could pass.
10. You sold your left over cables for copper scrap and bought a 2012 Dodge Ram truck with the proceeds. Fully loaded . It gets 10 MPG. You carbon footprint is offset by the massive power you make to power your lil bitty radio in the garage. You can utilize solar arithmetic to prove it. Non-Solar people cannot comprehend Solar Arithmetic. Watts / Amps* Volts to the ohms squared=my carbon footprint is smaller than yours.
11. You make a youtube video screaming like a 12 year old girl at a Hannah Montana concert because your wind turbine just moved. You think it did anyway. Doesnt matter. Post up a 55 minute youtube video of your wind turbine just sitting there doing nothing. Now you are an internet sensation. Let's see city power sucking folks do that. They do not get the opportunity to post youtube videos of their stuff doing nothing, making complete fools of themselves in the process. Only us alt eng folks can do that.
12. You use the ~ now and never knew it even existed before alt eng came to be.
13. Arizona Wind and Sun sends you the finest wines and cheeses along with first class tickets to a Caribbean resort. Small token of appreciation for your continued business.


Did I leave anything out?

Comments

  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    Darn it, Sarge; why didn't you tell me that sooner? Like 40 years ago? When I think of all the years I wasted studying electrical stuff when I could have just faked it all .... :grr

    And don't make me break out the solar haikus, okay?

    Now I gotta go buy me a wind turbine! :D
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    so tell me sarge why you are here? is it to call us names or to swear or just tear down the whole industry because you don't see any justification for it? nobody is forcing you to be here or buy anything renewable if you don't believe it will do you any good.

    btw, i am giving you a warning for name calling and swearing. would it make you feel better if you got kicked off for violations because this forum is like a book to you that you just can't stop reading and you have to make it look like it's somebody else's fault if you stop? up to you what you want to do. your opinion is your opinion, but if the industry and us are so bad in your eyes then, again, why are you here?

    amended---warning is now recinded in light of clarification, but do trfrain from the swearing anyway.
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    Hopefully this was a bit of tongue in cheek humor.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    i hope so too dave, but i see nothing to indicate he is joking.
  • MadJack
    MadJack Solar Expert Posts: 47 ✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    You have to admit... it IS a funny post!

    I know that I have personally gained much knowledge from this sight and I appreciate it.

    I do have to say, I am NOT a green weenie or eco-terrorist. My choice for solar [and maybe wind] is simply economics. Power company wants stupid money to put wires up on poles that are already here. Solar is MUCH cheaper, so yes... I AM saving money over running a gen-set to charge batteries.

    By the way, I still don't know what the ( ~ ) stands for, and I don't need to with all the expert advice here.
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power
    solar_dave wrote: »
    Hopefully this was a bit of tongue in cheek humor.

    Agree. Hopefully it was - - - - but at this point in time, we're not quite sure what to make of it - - - - :confused:
  • The Only Sarge
    The Only Sarge Solar Expert Posts: 164 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    Oh my goodness. Your britches are on way too tight niel. I am just kidding. Good God almighty ....
  • ggunn
    ggunn Solar Expert Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power
    Oh my goodness. Your britches are on way too tight niel. I am just kidding. Good God almighty ....
    Well, you know, when you communicate through text rather than face to face, a lot gets lost. I remember reading that something like 75% of face to face communication is non-verbal -- facial expression, tone and inflection, body language, etc. -- stuff that doesn't come across in a text message. If you are talking through your fingers it can be difficult for your readers to discern irony from a-holery if you don't provide cues as to your intent. Just sayin'.
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    Yeah guys; it's humour. Texas style. :D
    A bit self-deprecating too as Sarge not only has solar panels but a wind turbine as well. But I expect he doesn't consider himself an expert in either.
    It's what we'd call "taking the mickey out" in Britain.
    Put it down to cultural differences.
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power
    ggunn wrote: »
    Well, you know, when you communicate through text rather than face to face, a lot gets lost. I remember reading that something like 75% of face to face communication is non-verbal -- facial expression, tone and inflection, body language, etc. -- stuff that doesn't come across in a text message. If you are talking through your fingers it can be difficult for your readers to discern irony from a-holery if you don't provide cues as to your intent. Just sayin'.

    Agree. Without " :D " etc, it can sometimes be very difficult to grasp the full meaning when there is only text - - - And even then, it can still be difficult.
    And strong language? Oops!
  • CDN_VT
    CDN_VT Solar Expert Posts: 492 ✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power
    I keep reading about all this green energy, emergency back up, off grid (see giggle-weeds living) stuff.
    Phooey.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Did I leave anything out?
    You know what MadJack is on about ???
    MadJack wrote: »
    You have to admit... it IS a ~ post!

    By the way, I still don't know what the ( ~ ) stands for, and I don't need to with all the expert advice here.

    I use it as an average in type or around / mean average ,flip-flop or swings both sides , but some here call it alternate coupling ..

    ;)


    Good read , and of course it was read here as a spiff .. The MEDIA Drama all over the TV or boomed at us as the world is unzipping it's self lets us read a breather / funny ..

    Just wish Sarge let the thread fester longer with speculation ..

    There is always a good read on this forum, many helpful folks who try. Great stories of new ideas also..

    TGIF & thanks for the break Sarge.

    Private Ashes
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    i'm relieved to know you are kidding and if anybody can misinterpret where you are coming from then you should give some kind of indicator. a few of these could help, :p, or a disclaimer of some sort. please accept my apology for any misunderstanding or over-reaction, but please try to make yourself clearer from where you are coming from.
  • techntrek
    techntrek Solar Expert Posts: 1,372 ✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    I think half of you are off your rockers. It was obviously humor half-way through the first line. No smileys necessary. ;)
    4.5 kw APC UPS powered by a Prius, 12 kw Generac, Honda EU3000is
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power
    techntrek wrote: »
    I think half of you are off your rockers. It was obviously humor half-way through the first line. No smileys necessary. ;)

    hey, mine broke and all that's left is the rocker part and the one vertical stick.;):p
  • mejustme
    mejustme Registered Users Posts: 17
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    That was too funny.

    The thing that makes it funnier is that for some people it will be close to reality.
  • SolaRevolution
    SolaRevolution Solar Expert Posts: 410 ✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    Well Sarge,;)

    Unlike Texas black-gold cowboys who only invest in alternative energy for the windfall tax credits, we Left-Coasters do it for the spiritual benefits we get when we are elevated to our rightful Bodhisattva status. After all, if California doesn’t lead the way Y’all would be lost. I heard on NPR that environmentalism has been deemed a religion by those who would oppose it. We will not be persecuted by non-believers!

    The real advantage of alternative power is getting closer to the vibrations of the cosmos and being able to tap into the divine universal source. If you would eat the right cactus, go to co-ed hot yoga every weekend and jam on drums around the campfire instead of getting off hip-shots at empty beer bottles, you may get an inkling of what is really beautiful in this world. You might even come to see that there is a higher meaning to being a “good steward” to this planet. Then you might be able to post with confidence, knowing that even if your math was off, you helped some lost soul get a little closer to the right path.

    Yea we got boxes and boxes of perfectly good used gear we can give away. We integrators only bother with the latest technology. We’d be embarrassed to have anything more than 15 years old on the wall in the power room. We pass on our “gently used” equipment to those less fortunate because we believe in “reuse-before-recycle”.

    And as for back up power, that’s pure investment. When the grid finally fails and we are still able to charge our EVs so we can still go down to our local organic bistro restaurants with “100 mile menus”, those who didn’t plan will be wishing they could still get bottled water so they don’t have to drink from what’s left in their swimming pools back behind their ticky-tacky houses with no air conditioning.

    We donate out vast and superior knowledge to help luddites become less dependant on fossil fuels and we learn the ways of E=mc² so we can strive for ∞ and be divided by Ø.

    And best of all! We can swaddle ourselves in the comfort of knowing that if the “s” never does hit the fan it will be because we succeeded in raising awareness enough so changes were made in time to save ourselves and all of the ignorant lost souls too.

    Vive la SolaRevolution!:D
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power
    techntrek wrote: »
    I think half of you are off your rockers. It was obviously humor half-way through the first line. No smileys necessary. ;)

    Problem is, we deal with way too many folks who would be dead serious making such posts, so sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. lol
  • silvertop
    silvertop Solar Expert Posts: 155 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    I love my solar; I make very good power; but the part about the wind turbine made me chuckle. A lot of people thought they would power Sacramento including myself, only to find it is a small supplement to PV. They sure look nice, though! 8)
  • CDN_VT
    CDN_VT Solar Expert Posts: 492 ✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    Vive la SolaRevolution!

    Nice addition & post ;)
    Attachment not found.
  • techntrek
    techntrek Solar Expert Posts: 1,372 ✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    Don't forget you must adjust the PV transmogrifier every 45 days. The torque converter will lag otherwise.
    4.5 kw APC UPS powered by a Prius, 12 kw Generac, Honda EU3000is
  • ggunn
    ggunn Solar Expert Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power
    techntrek wrote: »
    Don't forget you must adjust the PV transmogrifier every 45 days. The torque converter will lag otherwise.
    You gotta keep that flux capacitor calibrated, too. :D
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    Flux and Super Capacitors need to be replaced about every two years :cry:

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • SolaRevolution
    SolaRevolution Solar Expert Posts: 410 ✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power
    BB. wrote: »
    Flux and Super Capacitors need to be replaced about every two years :cry:


    That's only if you run them at 1.21 gigawatts.
  • Jim45D
    Jim45D Solar Expert Posts: 102 ✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    Speaking of customer appreciation. I did get my freebies from NAWS. The only problem was, the cheese was alright, the wine was replaced with Evan Williams Kentucky bourbon, and the round trip tickets for two was to the Bahamas. Have any of you guys got anything yet? I can hardly wait until I place the next order. Surprising as to what I get then.
  • bmet
    bmet Solar Expert Posts: 630 ✭✭
    Re: The real advantages of alternative power

    I chuckled at the reference to the internet experts who create detailed youtube videos. They rarely publish actual measurements, and the few I have messaged only gave generic statements as to how well their rig produces.