Factor e Farm Power Infrastructure Problem Statement

Introduction

Factor e Farm operates off-grid, with a 1400W peak bank of solar panels and a 20kW battery bank, with 2 3kW inverters. We run Power Cubes and a 20kW ST Generator for welder and plasma cutter power, as well as for powering all hydraulic devices.

Improvements

Several improvements need to be installed for OSE Shop 2011 and the rest of 2011 construction. At the peak of our oily misery - we spent $400 in one month for fuel to power welders and the rest of the grid. We had a population of 10 people at the time.

Thus, conversion to pelletized-biomass fueled modern steam engines is a high priority for stationary and mobile power.

As an example of power grid optimization - a single 1kW charger running 24/7 could power a 200A welder running 3 hours at 100% duty cycle - based on local biomass crop. Production ergonomics involve zero fuel costs in this scenario, discounting labor of producing biomass pellets from local resources.

Immediate Needs for OSE Shop 2011

1. First, a stove needs to be installed for heating. We can accomplish space heating and water heating using Gasifier Burner Stoves; we are currently procuring plans from this source - for a 95% efficient spiral heat exchanger gasifier stove, which features downdraft gasification, updraft combustion, and downdraft heat exchange. Since this won't be built in time for winter, we are considering pulling our former stove out of the old workshop, or having one produced by Sweiger if we have resources to do so.
2. If this stove can run a steam generator, then we could generate electricity at the same time. This is not going to be done prior to the planned Nov. 15 construction end, but may be done soon thereafter.
3. We are considering Nickel Iron lifetime-design batteries - which can also discharge fast, and run welders - so we don't have to run an on-demand generator. Both single- and three-phase scalable inverters are desirable for this to happen.

2012 Needs for Factor e Farm

• Factor e Farm is committing to developing the pelletizer, gasifier burner, steam engine, inverter, induction furnace, and motor/generator in 2012 on site.
• Haying equipment harvests pellet feedstock, which is pelletized in the pelletizer, burned in a gasifier burner, passed through a heat exchanger, and runs a modern steam engine. The latter is coupled to an electrical generator.
• The other route is the Tiny Tech India solar concentrator, for applications with modern steam.

Notes

• Stackable inverter - we need to opensource the equivalent of this - search stackable inverter on Ebay if link is broken
• SolarFire mirror costs in India - $2/sq meter
• TinyTech India reports $140 solar concentrator costs per sq. meter.