Generators/ alternate energy

Hello everyone.

I have a question for all of you who grow indoors but don't tap into their house electricity for whatever reason. Are generators the best way to go as an alternate energy source? IF YES then what kind gas, Diesel, or propane (i'm guessing propane). How efficient are they? How often do you have to fill them? and are they Reliable? Is there a way to store energy (like a large Battery) and only have the generator run when the storage unit needs to be replenished? I think this is a good start as far as my questions go. I hope there is someone on RIU who has the experience and the willingness to answer my questions, Im sure if these questions are answerd this thread will help a lot of RIU members save a little cash and maybe even prevent future busts.

Thank you to who ever participates in this thread!

not to be a dick about it. but there is no way that you can save cash by resorting to alternative energy.

for solar with a battery pack you have to put in a fuckton of money in to get the ball rolling and you'll eventually be saving money maybe 10 years later. it wouldn't be one big battery either, it would probably be a 10-20 deep cycle 70-100 dollar batteries. technology is probably 5 years out until lithium-polymer batteries and higher efficiency solar cells are more affordable.

and anybody can take one look at a generator on fossil fuels and tell you that there is no way thats gonna be cost effective either.

alternative energy is a cool idea, and a generator as a backup energy source (in case of power outages) is sometimes a neccesity; but otherwise, id fogetta bout it

out.
PurfectStorm

I was just thinking about something similar last night. I wish I had a windmill.

LOL Dont we all

Ya alternative energy on this scale is not viable yet. You can come CLOSE with a large propane generator, but there is absolutely no way to break even close to even with drawing power off the grid.

Now if this doesnt mater.... then here ya go.

Gas generator - Readily available, easier to work on, most maintenance
Diesel gen - Slightly harded to obtain because they are more of a commercial application, easy to work on, less maintenance than the gas motor.
propane gen - Becoming readily available, on location fuel "generally", fairly hard to work with due to the high pressure within the engine and lines.

Depending on power requirements expect to spend 5k-20k for this generator. Get one that is rated at TWICE the power you need. The longevity of the generator will be greatly increased by not running it at 90-100% load at all times. 30-50% load is the sweet spot for most generators.

solar power = to expensive and you would need a lot of room for the panels to sustain a good size grow room.

generators = fuel will be a bitch, and having to hear that thing going all the time will suck too

if i were to choose, i would go generator, but if you can afford it, go for it.

I was not referring to Alternate Energy as solar/ water/ windmill... these are probably better known as Renewable energy sources nor was I asking if it was a cheaper solution. I'm sure that if it were a cheaper solution, everyone would be doing it. Maybe i did not word my questions right. I was hopping to get information regarding the use of Generators from people who have or do use them to basically stay under the radar.

Just for Interest sake and conversation, i do know that there are a lot of scientist and Hobbyist who are working on perpetual motion electric generators Which i believe will be more beneficial to us rather then Renewable energy because it will not rely on weather conditions which are still quite unpredictable. This technology however is still FAR FAR from being normal conversation.

I have to disagree with a lot of the comments so far. Going off the grib is a Great option if you have the initial budget, which is huge, but this COULD mean the difference between using a 3rd party power company or cutting that out completely and lowering the risk big time.

First off this is definitely Not an option for the small grower, this is more of something you might see on a farm with a larger scale grow.

The big money items will be the deep cell batteries, and you will need a lot if your planning on storing that much power.

The Best option if your using batteries would be to use a "green" source backed up by a generator, Propane/natural gas generators may be harder to work on, but if you get a newer one you will be laughing because natural gas is damn cheap.

For this "green" source, its really what you can afford, with an unlimited budget, several solar panels and a wind turbine would be ideal, they would be your main source of power to load the batteries, if the batteries lose too much juice (get down to 30-40%) You would then have the generator kick in to top off the batteries.

The fact is you wont be Saving much money, you could spend anywhere from 10-40 Grand on setting up a off grid power source. But if money is not an issue, this would Definitely be the ideal way to grow.