{"id":549,"date":"2017-03-01T02:46:02","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T02:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/?p=549"},"modified":"2017-07-14T17:12:28","modified_gmt":"2017-07-14T17:12:28","slug":"solar-powered-rainwater-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/2017\/03\/01\/solar-powered-rainwater-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Powered Rainwater Project"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>If you\u2019ve been following along, you\u2019ve noticed several solar-powered projects here at Roy Creek Ranch. From a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.teardroptrail.com\/solar-power-on-the-teardrop-trail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">simple system<\/a> to \u201ctop-up\u201d the storage\u00a0battery in the Teardrop trailer and upgrading it to make an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.teardroptrail.com\/the-teardrop-gets-a-solar-power-upgrade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">off-grid camper<\/a>, to <a href=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/2015\/12\/08\/solar-power-for-the-amateur-radio-station\/\">powering my amateur radio station<\/a>, I\u2019ve been interested in harnessing the sun for some time. These projects add capabilities to our camping and radio experience. Adding solar panels, a charge\u00a0controller and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.teardroptrail.com\/marine-style-12-volt-outlets-in-our-teardrop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">additional 12 volt outlets<\/a> made it possible for us to camp without requiring \u201cshore power\u201d thus extending our ability to enjoy remote areas. Likewise, solar power makes emergency operation of an amateur radio station possible during severe weather even if the power grid or public service radio systems are down. In short, a little investment in solar power makes an outsized contribution to capabilities and enjoyment relative to the investment.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_543\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Installed-with-my-friends-help.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-543\" data-attachment-id=\"543\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/2015\/12\/08\/solar-power-for-the-amateur-radio-station\/installed-with-my-friends-help\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Installed-with-my-friends-help.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jim Kerkhoff&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Installed with my friend&#039;s help&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1449595442&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Jim Kerkhoff \\u00a9 2017 http:\\\/\\\/creativecommons.org\\\/licenses\\\/by-nc-sa\\\/4.0\\\/&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Installed with my friend&#039;s help&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Installed with my friend&amp;#8217;s help\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Installed with my friend&amp;#8217;s help&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Installed-with-my-friends-help-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Installed-with-my-friends-help-768x1024.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-543\" src=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Installed-with-my-friends-help-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"photo of the panel Installed with my friend's help\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Installed-with-my-friends-help-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Installed-with-my-friends-help-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Installed-with-my-friends-help.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-543\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Installing Solar<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The projects helped me learn about\u00a0design and installation of modest solar systems and it\u2019s time for the next project: powering a rainwater system with solar and making it off-grid capable. The idea developed over the last few months as we gained experience. While designing solar systems can be complex, many projects are within the reach of the average solar enthusiast with the help of a few formulas and basic explanations. I hope to outline this process in the next few posts by taking you along for the ride. By the end of the project, we will have an off-grid system to clean and pressurize water from\u00a0large tanks of rainwater making it available in our house 24\/7, year around, without help from the commercial power grid.There are several goals for the project:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>measure the daily average\u00a0power needed to pump rainwater for household\u00a0use<\/li>\n<li>design a solar power system to provide that power with at least 3 days of extra storage for overcast conditions<\/li>\n<li>allow for the rapid change back\u00a0to commercial power during equipment failures<\/li>\n<li>keep the cost as low as possible<\/li>\n<li>develop additional expertise in the design and installation process<\/li>\n<li>collect data on the operation of the\u00a0such a system<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_558\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Kill-A-Watt-Meter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-558\" data-attachment-id=\"558\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/2017\/03\/01\/solar-powered-rainwater-project\/kill-a-watt-meter\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Kill-A-Watt-Meter.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jim Kerkhoff&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Kill A Watt Meter&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1488315938&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Jim Kerkhoff \\u00a9 2017 http:\\\/\\\/creativecommons.org\\\/licenses\\\/by-nc-sa\\\/4.0\\\/&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.066666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Kill A Watt Meter&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Kill A Watt Meter\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Kill A Watt Meter&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Kill-A-Watt-Meter-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Kill-A-Watt-Meter-768x1024.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-558\" src=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Kill-A-Watt-Meter-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"photo of a Kill A Watt Meter\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Kill-A-Watt-Meter-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Kill-A-Watt-Meter-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Kill-A-Watt-Meter.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-558\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kill A Watt Meter<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As mentioned in the goals, the first step is to understand how much power is needed. Anyone who has paid an electric bill knows a little\u00a0something about this. For your home, the utility company installs a meter that measures the power used during a fixed period, usually a calendar month. That power use is measured in \u201ckilowatt hours\u201d or kWh. For this project, we want to power a specific part of our home, the rainwater system, not the whole house. Fortunately, this is easy to measure with a little tool called the <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2lUs34l\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201ckill-a-watt\u201d meter<\/a> \u2014 available for just a few dollars. There are two 3\/4 horsepower pumps in our rainwater system, one for each set of tanks. They are used one at a time. By plugging one of the pumps into the kill-a-watt meter and then plugging it into a 120 VAC outlet, we can measure the power used for a given period of time. The water pumps require a fair amount of power \u2014 about 1100 watts \u2014 but do so in short bursts of a few minutes per hour. Water pressure is maintained by a pressure tank so the pump doesn\u2019t have to run every time a faucet is opened. Monitoring the meter over a week revealed about 1300 watt-hours of power consumed per day. This is what the solar system will have to supply.So what\u2019s the difference between watts and watt-hours? Watts are a unit of power \u2014 the rate at which power is used. You might think of it as a rate of flow.\u00a0 In the case of the 3\/4 horse pump, power must flow at the rate of\u00a0about 1100 watts in order\u00a0for it to run. Watt-hours adds the time component and are a measure of energy. It represents the amount of work completed. If the pump were to run for one hour, It would have consumed 1100 watt-hours of power. It\u2019s simply the power rate (watts)\u00a0multiplied by the time (hours)\u00a0power is in use. 1100 watts times 1 hour = 1100 watt-hours. Kilowatt-hours (kWh) is obtained by dividing watt-hours by 1000 (kilo-1000, 1300 watt-hours = 1.3 kWh)\u00a0If you wanted to power several devices, you would measure their power use\u00a0independently and add those numbers together. A search of the web finds several charts with average power use for typical appliances. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/cro\/resources\/images\/video\/wattage_calculator\/wattage_calclulator.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This one from ConsumerReports.org<\/a>\u00a0is a good example.\u00a0Now we have a starting point to design our system.<\/p>\n<p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/2017\/03\/21\/solar-powered-rainwater-project-panels-batteries-and-inverters-oh-my\/\">next installment<\/a>, we\u2019ll use this number to determine the panel area and storage battery capacity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve been following along, you\u2019ve noticed several solar-powered projects here at Roy Creek Ranch. From a simple system to \u201ctop-up\u201d the storage\u00a0battery in the Teardrop trailer and upgrading it to make an off-grid camper, to powering my amateur radio <span class=\"excerpt-dots\">&hellip;<\/span> <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/2017\/03\/01\/solar-powered-rainwater-project\/\"><span class=\"more-msg\">Continue reading &rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[44,2,65,5,7,189],"tags":[190,191,192,193,194,23,195,230,243,196,26,24,197,198,211,209,210,208,199,200,207,201,202,100,203,204,19,206,205,212],"class_list":["post-549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-central-texas","category-gardening","category-maker","category-projects","category-rainwater","category-solar","tag-amateur","tag-build","tag-charge","tag-controller","tag-deep-cycle","tag-diy","tag-equipment","tag-grid-assist","tag-grid-tie","tag-ham-radio","tag-how-to","tag-howto","tag-interstate","tag-inverter","tag-kill-a-watt","tag-kilowatt","tag-kilowatt-hours","tag-kwh","tag-marine","tag-mppt","tag-off-grid","tag-panel","tag-pwm","tag-rainwater","tag-renogy","tag-solar","tag-storage","tag-teardrop","tag-trailer","tag-wb0mmc"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Greenhouse-and-Rainwater-System.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":653,"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549\/revisions\/653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}