sing bravo bravo – you’re a brave brave man

‘cos I’m whaling, manning my harpoon, not where I wanted to be…  By the one and only Dave Dobbyn.  Perhaps one of the greatest song writers ever.  And a good all round guy. 

Now if you don’t know who he is, you’ve got some research to do haven’t you.  I can tell you he was with The Dudes, DD Smash and then went on to a solo career.  Unbelievable lyrics, great music, and ranga hair.  What a combination.

And how does that segue into my latest post?  Well, I went for a surf yesterday despite feeling a little seedy.  And no, it wasn’t a hangover or something I ate.  Just a bug that seems to be going ’round.

Anyway, thought a dip in the ocean would do me some good, and a text from a mate who said there was swell (at last) sealed the deal. Went to put the board in the new (3mths) car and discovered it was an extremely tight fit.  And it also told me that I hadn’t had the board out in at least 3 months.

So I finally got down to the beach, beautiful morning, not a breath of wind, 1 metre swell rolling in and lots of families enjoying the day.  Tide was fairly high, and by the time I got into the water, while there was a swell, the waves just weren’t forming properly.  Paddled here, paddled over there, paddled out further, paddled in, paddled down faces but couldn’t catch a wave.  Didn’t feel too bad, ‘cos my mate who is a hot surfer wasn’t catching anything either.

Anyhow, he ended up jumping off his board and swimming around with his board dragging behind.  Next thing he pops out of the water and yells “Quick, jump in … there’s whales”

So I jumped off my boad, and sure enough, there was whale song, coming thru as clear as anything.  Now we couldn’t see any whales and I know their song can travel a long way, but what an awesome experience to know that there were giants of the deep somewhere out there singing to each other.  One of the wonders of creation.  Makes you stop and think about how valuable and wonderful life is.

And that we should all try and get out there a little more to enjoy the wonders of our marvelous blue planet.  Which I know many of you are doing – and good on you.

Just this morning I met a Kiwi couple who have just picked up a small camper van in Brisbane and are heading over to Magaret River WA.  Funny thing is, I never knew them in NZ, meet them here and we know all the same people – I have worked for her cousin and worked along with her brother on many occasions.  Plus a host of other names that we both know.  6 degrees of separation.  Or as Case likes to sing “It’s a small world after all”.

Anyhow, if you see them, there names are Case and Ingrid Hulsebosch.  They left he sunny coast today and are heading to Orange and then across to WA.  Wish them well in their journey and don’t forget to raise a glass with them.

And to all you others on the road – I’m so jealous.  Which brings me to another song, “Our day will come” by Franki Vallie & the 4 Seasons.

Now just before I sign off, I’m sure there was an early Queen song, probably from “A Day at the Races” or “A Day at the Opera” that opened up with whale song.  I have googled it but can’t find an answer.  Am I right?  Does anybody know the song I’m referring to?  Would love to know.

Ka kite ano…

hello, hello – it’s good to be back…

from a glam rocker who will remain unnamed due to his behaviour of late.

And yes, it has been a long time since my last post.  Not that I was away, but work flow was at the extreme end and by the end of each day, posting to the blog was the last thing on my mind.

So what’s been happening in my absence from cyber space?  An awful lot.  Isn’t that an odd expression.  It makes it sound like a lot of awful things have happened.  Which they haven’t – accept for the rain.

When not raining I’ve been out visiting caravan/RV manufacturers and repairers.  Pressing the flesh as it were.  And it’s been a rather successful exercise if I say so myself.  A lot of interest in our products – everything from solar to DC generators.

As a result, we are working on a smaller 12V DC generator, suitable for RV’s & caravans.  They have several advantages over their AC counterparts, some being ~ the fact that they are diesel powered means they can draw fuel from the vehicle/caravans tank;  DC generators are as much as 15% more efficient at producing power than AC generators;  by eliminating any gas powered appliances from the RV/caravan, you will be able to seal it, lesserning the exposure to dust; the fact that the DC generator automatically senses when your battery bank is low or there is a high demand and turns itself on to charge your batteries; and so on.

So just like our solar hybrid system, keep watching this space.  Talking about the solar hybrid system, our most recent delivery to outback QLD has been a real hit.  The delighted owner’s homestead has an 18km drive.  So you can imagine the cost of connecting to the grid.

For years they have relied on a noisy diesel generator that they had to turn on every morning and switch off at night if they wanted to get to sleep.  So lots of noise and even more diesel fuel to keep the thing going.

They now have a quiet stand alone system, based around 12 135W Kyocera solar panels that gives them more than enough power to run their household.  The high end Sonnenschein batteries store the power produced and the PowerMaker DC generator sits there quietly, just in case.

Which is probably this week.  We had dismal days all weekend, and right now it’s bucketing down.  They say this will hang around for a few days yet.  If they’re getting the same as us, there’s no real cause for concern.  The generator will flick in and do its stuff.  Just a couple of hours running is enough to restore the batteries.  A big difference from a clunky diesel generator that needs to run 24/7 if you want or need power.

Tomorrow, I’m on the road again (Willy Nelson).  Heading north this time – all the way to Hervey Bay.  Stopping at about a dozen manufacturers/repairers on the way so should be an interesting day.  As long as this rain stops.  NZ may be the land of the long white cloud, but it seems south east QLD is the land of the long wet periods.

Apparently, this is the pattern to expect this summer, as el nino become el nina or something like that.  Lots of rain and storms.  At least the dams are full and Brisbane shouldn’t be needing our water anymore…

Well, that’s about all folks.  But it felt good submitting a post again.  So this may be the start of a new love affair.  Perhaps we better wait and see…

Namlala unono

waiting for you to come on home…

and turn me on. ~ The wonderful Norah Jones (daughter of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar).

Well, hopefully you’ve been waiting for me – it’s been a looong time since my last post.  As far as the turning on bit, I promised you in one of my previous posts that I would load images of the finished solar hybrid system once it was delivered and up and running.

And here it is, in all its glory

Commissioning the solar hybrid system

 

The new owners have gone from a noisy 24/7 diesel generator to an environmentally friendly solar/dc generator system that basically looks after itself.  The beauty of the system is that it is ‘plug & play’.

The units are completed and fully tested at our manufacturing facility before loading on to the back of a truck and delivered to site.  Drop it off the truck, connect to your home/workshop/shed/worksite and you have power.  As we Kiwi’s say ‘easy as’.

9.4kWH hybrid up & running ~ Booubyjan QLD

 

If you would like to know a little of the history, to follow is a copy of a recent media release.

Zoi kien

The KISS principle is often bandied about, but very rarely put into practice.  Not so at Watts2C, a Sunshine Coast business that design and manufacture a range of diesel DC generators and Solar Hybrid Systems.

 

Owner and development engineer, Don Pulver, explains that his background has reinforced the need to produce products that are simple for the end user to operate and service.

 

“When designing generators for the Australian Military, it became evident that there were three main criteria to fulfill – durability, reliability & serviceability.  And all of this under the harshest of conditions, whether it be tropical jungles or the barren deserts of Afghanistan.

 

We realised that keeping things simple would best provide the Aussie diggers with a rugged generator that they could rely upon, no matter what the environment and elements threw at them.”

 

The quality and reliability of Don’s design resulted in him receiving recognition from the Australian military for his “most significant contribution to the Army generator projects.”  Nearly fifteen years down the track the gen sets are still in use.

 

Don has maintained the philosophy used in supplying the military with quality products in the design and manufacture of POWERMAKER DC generators and solar hybrid systems. 

 

“When we started developing the POWERMAKER range, it was with the standalone power market

in mind.  Things like motor homes, remote residences that can’t or don’t want to hook up to grid power, the mining industry, telco’s and the like.  We took the experience and principles we gained through designing independent power solutions for military applications and applied them to our new range of generators.”

 

With their robust design, reliability and ease of use, POWERMAKER DC generators quickly developed a loyal following.  As word spread, Don started receiving requests for generators suitable for marine use, which lead to the POWERMAKER Cruise range.  Compact and quiet, they are designed especially for the marine environment.

 

Don had also turned his attention to designing a hybrid power system that was simple and more efficient than others on the market.  Using DC power as the starting point he has developed a range of solar hybrid systems that are lighter, smaller, last longer and capable of supplying clean power for AC & DC power needs.

 

The basic concept revolves around using solar panels to produce the bulk of the energy needs.  The solar panels are backed up by a diesel DC generator which kicks in automatically when the battery bank runs low on power or there is a heavy demand on the batteries.

 

The range of solar hybrid systems start at 4.7kWh and go through to 9.4kWh.  Within each of the models there are a number of configurations – providing a choice of battery bank with life spans ranging from 3.8 to 16 years.  Watts2C will also tailor the systems to meet clients needs.

 

“We have designed and built smaller hybrid systems for communication towers as well as larger systems for industrial type applications” says Don.

 

“At the moment we are selling the standard units complete with the housing cage – delivered to site ready to run.  Pretty much a plug and play system.  However, we are looking at selling individual components so that customers can build their own system based around our technology.  We are happy to meet the market’s requirements, and being both the designers and manufacturers gives us the freedom to do so.”

 

So Why DC?

 

Don has always seen DC as the way of the future.  The reasons include simplicity, longevity and most importantly, efficiency.

 

A solar system produces DC energy.  So it makes sense for the backup to be DC based as well. The bonus is that DC generators are as much as 15% more efficient at producing power than AC generators.  The use of variable speed technology provides up to 40% savings in fuel and extends the engines life.  Coupling the DC system with a pure sine wave inverter provides clean 240V power that is suitable for all modern appliances – from laptops to washing machines.

 

High demand starting (such as an air conditioning unit) is no problem for a DC power system – power is drawn from the battery bank, so no stress is placed on the generator. This means a smaller, quieter generator can be used.

 

Where to from here?

 

Until such time as we start generating nuclear energy in Australia (?), Don believes there are smarter and more efficient ways to produce energy.  While grid energy is still relatively inexpensive, many Australians live in remote areas where grid connection is close to impossible, or exorbitantly priced.  While the Watts2C Solar Hybrid System is one solution, Don hasn’t stopped experimenting yet.

 

“We put a lot of time and effort into R&D.  We know we have a high quality and extremely reliable product.  But things can always be improved.  The whole philosophy behind Watts2C is to develop the most efficient and environmentally friendly products possible – using the latest in technology.”

 

The interest in alternative energy supplies is growing exponentially – pushed in part by the solar rebate schemes.  However, Watts2C are looking at the long term, providing real solutions that are both people and environmentally friendly.

some girls will, some girls won’t…

It seems that if I use the word girl/s in my title, I get a lot more readers.  Funny that!  Hence my post today.  I don’t even know how I’ll seque from Racey’s lyrics, but at least I made you look.

As they say in the song, “So here I am in front of you,  Not really knowing what to do.”  And that’s a little how it is with today’s post.  Nothing overly exciting happened today.  Nothing riveting to write about.  Just a normal day with normal happenings.  Which can make for interesting stories.  Think Seinfeld.  A whole series based on nothing happening.

What I can tell you is that we have a hung parliament.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that the parliamentarians have all gone and done the big sideways.  Just that the country didn’t care too much for either of the major parties – leaving the minor parties in a position of power.  So we sit and wait with bated breath to see which of the two main players will broker a deal with the Green’s & Independents.

Whatever the outcome, things won’t change much.  The sun will come up in the morning, go down at night and life will carry on as normal.  Albeit with lower/higher taxes depending on who gets in.

But life’s too short to get all twisted over politics – as some do.  And I just thought of the segue.  Some girls may get into power and some girls won’t.  Phew!

Talking about girls in power, what’s with all the odd gestures?  Did some expert actually get paid to make her look like she was trying to perform some obscure style of hip hop?  Or was it a form of Budhist martial art?  Beats me. 

Which she did, ‘cos I didn’t stand.

Enough of the blathering…

Pushun b’shena

power to the people ~ right on

As promised, here it is.  The finished hybrid solar system.  All ready to be shipped off to the back of Woop Woop. 

Power to the people right on! (John Lennon).  The system consisits of 12 solar panels, 24 batteries and and a 5.6KW diesel generator – along with battery charger, inverter, solar regulator and quite a few other hoo dackies.

The beauty of the system is that it can be shipped anywhere, put in place and you have power.  No difficult set-ups.  Pretty much a plug and play concept.

So on to the truck tomorrow and then a 2hr haul West.  Don, the design engineer along with Ian, our auto electrician cum general whiz kid, will be following it out to commission it on site.  Pic’s when they get back.

Looks like they’ll have a good day for it after rain yesterday and possibility of showers today.  At least the weekend was a good one and looks like another good one on the way.  Plus a hangi!  Yumm.

If you don’t know what a hangi is, why not Google it.  And then try one in your back yard.  Well worth the effort I can tell you.  Just make sure you get the right type of rocks.  You don’t want exploding missiles to spoil your day.

Better do some work now, so…

Debna yisenbëtu

I’m walking on sunshine, woooah…

You gotta know that one.  One of the big hits of summer.  Even although it’s cheesy.  One of those songs that makes you feel good and want to dance.

As does the weather.  At last the warmth has arrived.  They say it will only last for the day, but it’s giving us a taste of what’s to come.  And I say bring it on!  Beer, BBQ’s, bikinis and beaches.  Summers got the lot.

In the meantime, I’m stuck at work, in front of my computer screen, getting a little hot & sweaty.  And it’s not because of what’s on the screen.  Just that being dressed for work – shirt & tie – isn’t all that comfortable on a day like today.  But you have to pay the bills somehow.

To throw to a totally different subject, the election’s on this weekend.  Whoopdy doo!  It seems not too many are that interested.  If anything, the majority seem more concerned about whether they will still be able to fish, camp and enjoy the great outdoors after Saturday.  We sit and wait with bated breath…

One thing it hasn’t done is affect peoples buying habits.  Yes, it did slow down for a few days and we were a little worried.  However, the last few days have been hectic – hence the lack of a post yesterday.  The desire for energy alternatives seems as strong as ever, and if anything will only grow.

But here’s an interesting issue.  What happens if your house catches on fire – can the brigade put it out if you have solar panels installed on your roof?  Food for thought. http://www.allbusiness.com/safety-accidents-disasters/accidents-fires/14268418-1.html

Not that I want to scare anyone, but it shows that whatever energy system you decide to go for, safety is of the utmost importance.  Electricity is a blessing, but one that needs to be handled with respect.

So the lesson.  Do your homework.  Use known quality brands that have stood the test of time.  Make sure that your system is installed correctly and with your longterm safety in mind.  Get it right at the start and you can look forward to unshackling yourself from the grid.

Fahung baadaluvang

girls on film…

Can you remember the video?  Back in the day it was considered quite risque, but compared to what’s on the evil eye these days it’s fairly mild, almost G rated.  One thing that should have been censored was the bouffant hairstyles.  Pull out your old photo’s and weep in shame.  But then, we all did it didn’t we?

So why the reference to Duran Duran’s biggest ever hit?  Well, it’s ‘cos I’ve been busy with the camera today.  Unfortunately, the subjects have been inanimate solar power accesories rather than super models.  Talking about super models, have you seen Ria Van Dyk’s web page?  She’s one of the finalists in Miss Universe 2010, a Kiwi girl from a small mill town called Kawerau (car-we-row), just 1/2 an hour from where I used to live, Whakatane (fark-a-tarn-eh).  They breed ‘em well there – lots of mixed blood.  Anyway. check out her site – it (shes) is well worth a look. (http://www.riavandyke.net/)

But back to the subject at hand.  Deep Cycle AGM batteries by Fullriver and Latronics Inverters were the models today, and I even got a shot of Ian working on an hybrid solar energy system.  Here he is in all his glory and my 1st attempt at adding an image to my blog - whew, it worked!

The whole idea of a hybrid solar system is that most of your power comes from the sun and is stored in your battery bank.  However, come a cloudy day or days and you could be in strife if solar panels are your sole way of generating energy for the battery bank.  A hybrid system adds a diesel DC generator to the mix.  It sits there quietly, minding its own business until such time that it senses your battery bank is running low on power, and then kicks in automatically to charge your batteries.  The fact that the generator only ever runs when it needs to provides fuel savings, prolongs the life of the engine and is environmentally friendly.

The system Ian’s working on should be complete by late this week and ready to transport to its new home.  I’ll get a photo of the finished product and put it into one of my posts for you to see what it looks like.

We’re also about to deliver a PowerMaker Cruise Marine DC generator to a Kiwi couple who have spent years sailing the oceans of our wonderful planet.  Awesome boat that will soon have an awesome generator.

I have also completed a new FAQ’s page on our website – have a look and let me know what you think – all comments are appreciated.  http://www.watts2c.com.au/index.php/faqs.html

Once I have all of the images sorted, I will be changing the whole website.  Watch this space.  In the mean time ~

Zil b’shlama

you must remember this …

a kiss is just a kiss.  Now that’s one of the timeless classics.  It came from the movie Casa Blanca and it’s called ‘As Time Goes By’.

Which is a great seque into today’s post if I say so myself.  You see, I was thinking that it’s close to a month now that I’ve been running my blog, and as time goes by, it’s getting harder and harder to to keep it up to date.  That might be why so many twitter.  Just a few succinct words.  But I don’t consider myself a twit, so I will continue blogging.

Had a new member join the staff today.  Ian’s his name and he’s the workshop man.  Builds, fixes, wires – all of the stuff that I can’t do.  Or more accurately, am averse to doing.  I say leave expert’s work to the experts, and that’s what Ian is.

It means we’re going to have faster turn-around time on generator build and deliveries and can also grow the hybrid energy side of the business.  Ian’s busy putting a hybrid system – solar, dc generator and battery bank – together right now.

Will take a photo of the finished project and upload it later.

Exciting times as the boating fraternity start to realise the potential of DC  power for their boats/yachts/cruisers.  We had a client in today who has sailed from South America to the Sunny Coast.  His yacht’s hull is being cleaned at the moment, afterwhich we’re fitting a DC generator for them.

DC propulsion is becoming the buzz word at the moment, with brands like torqueedo spearheading the way.  Where we come in is providing an efficient, quiet and small DC power supply – the PowerMaker Cruise.

We also manufacture a DC generator for the RV market – great for mobile home situations where it can be used as your sole source of power or as a backup to solar – which is our recommendation.

If you want to know more, give us a call and ask for Don.  I may be the writer, but he’s the one with the brains.

Well, time is going by.  Winding down for the day.  Clean & tidy the desk.  Last check of the emails and then home for a roast dinner.  Yumm!

Pob hwyl

skippy, skippy, skippy the bush ???

I can never get over what you see living in Australia.  If it’s not a massive Huntsman spider that evades you each time you try to get it out of the house, It’s a bunch of Kangaroos off the side of the road on the way into work.

This morning there was a good dozen enjoying the freshly cut grass in a paddock just outside town.  But I’ve seen them right in the middle of suburbia as well.  Working at Deception Bay one day and a big bouncer shot past us on the middle of the road.  Not a care in the world and oblivious to the rows upon rows of rendered brick, 4 bedroom and ensuite homes.

Which got me thinking about Skippy.  Was he/she really a Kangaroo, or was he/she/it a Wallaby.  Checked on the net and there’s varying opinions.  So no difinitive answer, but I did find some interesting facts on the show, including the below -

“The series was dubbed into Spanish in Mexico, where it is known as Skippy el canguro, and distributed to most Spanish-speaking countries, including Cuba and Spain, countries where the show became very popular.”

Other little known facts include – “Skippy was born to Italian-Australian-Kangaroo immigrants, Giuseppe and Rosa Valzone, who were market gardeners in Griffith, NSW.  Skippy was a troubled child. He was frequently beaten by his drunken father, and had difficulty fitting in with the placental mammals at his school. In 1964 he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. The following year, he severely wounded William “Blinky Bill” O’Rourke, in a knife fight. Due to Blinky’s connections with the O’Rourke crime syndicate, Skippy was obliged to skip leave town, and so went to Sydney. This decision, changed his life.”  (http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Skippy_the_Kangaroo)

Now for all you Aussies, spotting ‘roo’s probably isn’t anything to exciting, but for us foreigners living on your soil it is still a treat.  You have some absurdly wonderful creatures.

And that probably includes some of those travelling this country, whether it be by 4WD, motorhome, towing a caravan.  But isn’t that what makes Australia what it is.  The fact you can sell of the home, ditch the kids and head off into the horizon.

Just make sure that when you leave you have a reliable energy supply.  Yeah – here comes the sell.  Buy quality solar panels, like Kyocera, and back these up with a Morningstar solar regulator.  Make sure your batteries are Deep Cycle AGM – something like Fullriver, and have a pure sine wave inverter so that you can safely run your 240V appliances.  We recommend Latronics.  Does no harm to have a CTEK smart battery charger either.  And if you’ve got room, why not chuck in a Powermaker DC generator.

Do it right, and you’ll make the journey that much more enjoyable.  If you’d like a little advice, give us a call or check out our website www.watts2c.com.au

Qaana gurdu wai

three dog night…

Getting close to spring so should be warming up, but the weather’s turned damn cold.  Definitely going to be a 3 dog night tonight.

The sky may be blue, but there’s a biting wind coming up from the south.  It’s what we Kiwi’s call a snow wind.  You may be 100′s of k’s away from the snow, but you can feel it in the air (hey, there goes another lyric bite).

Well, it’s tomorrow now.  By that I mean I didn’t finish my post – phone started going and before I knew it the day had gone.  Crisp night, but have woken up to a beautiful day.  Clear blue skys again but with no biting wind.  Ahhhh!  Life in paradise.

The late calls were on solar needs for caravans and a couple of stand alone requirements for remote residences.  All part of the learning curve for me but I’m getting there.

One thing I know is that a hybrid system – solar panels + DC generator – is the best option for remote residences.  A large generator would also do the job but would need to run 24/7.  The advantage of a DC system is the ability to store the energy in a battery bank, and then, using an inverter, change it to AC (mains) power as and when necessary.

As far as caravans & RV’s – it always pays to have more than your initial requirements solar panel wise.  We continually have people coming in to add to the solar panel bank on their caravan as their trips get longer and longer.  It’s much easier to do it right at the beginning and you will never regret having extra power.

Better start doing some real work know – proposals to put together and clients to follow up.

Qil xin