Regulations make the whole thing of solar power to grid very cumbersome and depending on your governments. Around most of the hot countries it is NOT a viable way to go.
But air conditioning is a very large part of the electric bill in these countries.
Also, the new regulations have a separate line for the air conditioning, and you are not allowed (any more) to connect the air conditioner to the mains through your house wires.
So: Make a solar unit with a small enough battery or some other way of storing the energy from days when it is less needed, and power your air conditioning from the heavy heat and direct solar power on the hottest days.
Add a remote switch that disconnects the solar and connects to the mains, and your good for all times!-- pashute, Jul 01 2015 solar powered AC air conditioner https://www.youtube...watch?v=qTYGloPSGec[5:08] by storing condensed refrigerant instead of batteries. What do you think? [pashute, Jun 23 2016] Or just set up a solar powered absorption chiller. It will be more efficient. With the right fluid, it can produce ice to provide a thermal reservoir.-- MechE, Jul 01 2015 //you are not allowed (any more) to connect the air conditioner to the mains through your house wires.// Seriously? How do people run their aircons at present?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 01 2015 I think he means the A/C has to have its own dedicated panel, like an electric stove or clothes dryer.
Sounds like rolling brownouts are planned or foreseen.-- FlyingToaster, Jul 01 2015 //A/C has to have its own dedicated panel//
Yup. You can't get more than a room's worth of air conditioning on standard US outlet. 1600W-ish max. So there's all kinds of odd 250V circuits to deal with them.-- bs0u0155, Jul 01 2015 The reason, I imagine, would be to make sure the A/C has a robust line in case of a sustained voltage drop (fire hazard).
Or the Minister of Stuff's brother-in-law is in the central-air installation business.-- FlyingToaster, Jul 01 2015 Anyhow, 5 kW for 50% duty cycle for say 12 hours a day. 30 kW hr. Say you get 6 hrs of useful sun, you'll need 5 kW hr supply, that's 25 200W panels with no reserve. The size will be about 37.5 m2, which is in the order of one roof. Now with any commercial HVAC system, you're looking at an AC motor. That means you need a full sine wave inverter. These require batteries, now, a few days of 30 kW hrs is (a few x 30 = 120kWhr) is, co-incidentally, 1 Tesla battery. At the moment, battery storage is at least $150/kWhr
Cost Panels (25*$300 = $7500) Inverter ($2-3000) Batteries $18000 (replace every 5 years, $3600 year) Misc wiring and boards $2000 Total $31,000 turn key Solar AC system.
Makes the bill look quite reasonable really.-- bs0u0155, Jul 01 2015 > ...the Minister of Stuff's brother-in-law is in the central- air installation business...
How did you find out about our politics?
Meanwhile we have a guy who's cousin is running the bio- identification business, and they got the government to force it on us. Another guy is being funded by the Petro- chemical industry and setting the rules for medical treatment. Then there's the natural gas to argue over. I shouldn't talk about it, it gives me a stomach ache.-- pashute, Jul 01 2015 We don't seem to have this problem in Australia, touch wood; solar panels work, a/c works, the grid works and they're all connected together. No half-baking required.
It sounds as though you need to identify which of your legislators is sparking, hissing and smelling bad, and swap out *that* component of the system - or, at least, cut the power to it.-- pertinax, Jul 02 2015 That's easier said than done in many locales. Here in the states most of the political fuses blew long ago but with enough of a wealth of copper pennies fed into the system it all keeps going fine...-- RayfordSteele, Jul 02 2015 What do you say about the linked system (minute 5:08 they get to the point: storing condensed coolant instead of batteries)
Probably a hoax. No? What do we gain? Cost? Size?-- pashute, Jun 23 2016 random, halfbakery