Alternative Energy for Industrial Use?

B0o_1999 · #1 11-05-2009, 12:42 AM

Hello, I work for a manufacturing company. We are currently looking for ways to reduce cost, which has lead me here. Our plants run on 3 phase, 480v 2500amp service (our most due, some on Y-phase). Each plant can have up to 3 - 20hp(3ph) motors, 5 - 5hp motors(3ph), and the list goes on.

I don't think there is a cost effective way of providing alternative energy to the whole plant, but I would like to add parts to alternative energy sources. For starters, this is where I need help. I have a Geo-Thermal Until that is 3phase and requires 100amp service. The unit heats/cools water has needed. Is there a source out there and if so where and how can I find it?

Thanks Everyone

myocardia · #2 11-05-2009, 01:33 AM

Hey Boo, welcome to the forums. Now I'm sure that you realize that producing 1.2 million watts of solar or wind power would be extremely expensive (at least $8 million), and you're actually looking for ways to save money, instead of spending it, right? Well, you my friend are in luck. Heating things is what the sun does best. It does it so well that we have a hard time keeping solar panels from overheating during the summer.

What you will be interested in is called by most people solar water heating.<--that's a link It works very simply: using the sun and the color black, which absorbs the most heat, you pre-heat the water that you were going to heat anyway. So during the summer, instead of your water starting out around 75-80°F, it starts out around 175-180°F. If you were only needing it to be ~180°, then no more heating is needed. If you were needing it to be ~200°, that's okay also, because heating it from 175-180° to 200° isn't hard, and uses hardly any energy, compared to having to heat it 120°.

I can look for some more in-depth articles on the subject, if you're interested. The page that I linked is the best place to start reading about it, in my opinion.

edit: Oh yeah, solar water heating is also both the easiest and the cheapest form of solar power. PVC pipe painted black*, on top of roofs, or sitting anywhere else that the sun can hit it is all that's required. The water just goes there, before it goes to whatever it is that you're using to heat water now.

edit #2: * Black pipe would only be the first stage, before going to a fairly flat, wide holding tank, to absorb even more heat. Of course, just a whole lot of black pipe could be used also, if cost were a big concern.

Go...............green · #3 07-19-2010, 10:46 AM

Hi Boo,

You have a quite big manufacturing unit.You need to really work hard on it.As far as electricity is considered ,all you needs are also huge.You may use alternative energy but in blocks.First of all your location is the most important factor to keep in mind,i.e which kind of alternative energy can be used by you.

Thanks.