On (31 Oct 97) Roy J. Tellason wrote to Ian Woofenden...
 IW> But I'd still recommend running major loads like fridge and
 IW> freezer directly on DC.
 RJ> What voltage dc are you talking about using here?  While I
 RJ> haven't done a whole *lot* of reading on the subject,  one of
 RJ> the objections I saw to running low voltage DC around much
 RJ> (particularly in the context of going from a windmill a fair
 RJ> distance to wherever your loads are) was the losses in the
 RJ> wire,  meaning you either lose way too much of your power or
 RJ> you end up spending way too much on some seriously heavy wire.
Most RE homes these days are 24 volt, and some are 48 volts. Smaller
homes and cabins can be 12 volts. Line losses are a real concern,
for sure. Wire sizing is important.
 RJ> I've been spending some time in a warehouse lately where
 RJ> they've got some *serious* batteries,  for forklifts and other
 RJ> vehicles,  and these all seem to be either 36 or 48 volt.
I'm guessing that your forklift voltages have more to do with the
_speed_ they want for the motors. Not much of a line loss issue
there. Large wires are required, but the distance is short.
                        Ian
... Famous last words: What happens if you touch these two wires tog--        
 
... Not a good one but better than the alternative!
--- PPoint 1.96
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