Solar power!

[hamburgesa]

I haven't seen any postings for solar power. Don't you have this technology there? Does anyone have it?

[james]

Soluz Dominicana in Sosua (Los Charamicos) They were noted recently as installing the electric power system for the "Dream Project" school building & teachers training (Cabarete) which runs 100% from Solar power.

[drtampa]

I assume that you have read the 11 pages in the solar search.

[The Virginian]

Send an email to michael.abraham@protec-dominicana.c I consider him the answer man when it comes to solar anything.

[hamburgesa]

For whatever reason i didn't find those pages. I will try again though! Thankyou!

[drtampa]

I emailed Michael Abraham he is most helpful.

[skyblue]

i have a friend in sosua that installed solar panels to run his pool, but they were so expensive and hard to install (lack of reliable installers) that he says it's not worth the trouble or the money. apprently the dominican gov discurages it b/c they want to make money selling expensive unreliable power. not realizing that most steel it anyway (sarcasm - i'm sure they know)

it's a shame b/c it makes more sense to use solar power - no brainer.

[mountainfrog]

Solar energy certainly is a tempting source in a country like this.
Unfortunaltely solar panels are still rather expensive and their output (at best) is just around 60 Watt each.
Yet this energy has to be stored in batteries in order to be available at night or in cloudy conditions.
For driving swimming pool pumps and deep well submergible pumps solar power has its limitations.

I was thinking about using solar power to keep my batteries from discharging too low (before the daily generator run) but have decided against it. The investment would not break even before 12 years against half an hour of Diesel time (which is enough to take my batteries over a slack).
More or less the same goes for wind power. Although much more powerful it's too much maintenance and initial costs.

m'frog

[Ben]

In Cabarete I've seen panels on the roof that produce hot water by sunlight. Not sure this counts as "solar power" since not generating electricity but it must equate to savings on the utility bills. I've also seen at least one windmill electric generator mounted on a roof there.

Ben

[mountainfrog]

Originally Posted by Ben

...it must equate to savings on the utility bills.

Most is saved once people go self-sufficient and no longer depend on EDEsomething.

m'frog