Repost - Solar Water Heater Offer from DR Power - New update

Solar Water Heater Offer from DR Power

for comments see original post  http://seanownsthemoon.blogspot.com/2010/03/solar-water-heater-offer-from-dr-power.html

I like DR products, made like tanks and made in the USA.

They are partnering with built by a sister company firm that build solar water heaters, selling a DIY kit that includes solar collector, heat exchanger and a water storage tank that connects to your current hot water heater. Plus the solar collector has a small photovoltaic cell that powers the pump, which A: means you don't need to run any new electric for this system and B: the solar water heater only runs when their is sun enough to power the PV cell. So another one on the plus side is that it looks easy to install in that you don't have to re-plumb your house. 

This is all well and good and I have been considering one, especially with the federal and state tax credits knocking about $4K off the price, plus as a previous DR owner, I get a special $450 coupon.

I initially was confused by Sunward's pricing information, but thanks to their help I have seen that it is pretty straight forward and I hope to be able to place an order in 2010.
Heating water in your home and refrigerating food are about 80% of an average homes energy usage. If I can knock a dent in one of those, that's not a bad thing. Running a fridge on alternate power.....now that's for another blog post on anther day.

UPDATE, August 2011: Well, with my change of vocation at the end of 2009 and the ongoing economic troubles making me save every dime I could for a rainy day, I still haven't bought this system.....but I still want to. Anyone out there own one that wants to give a review? DR and Sunward, any chance you'd long term loan me one to try?  ;)

UPDATE, Feb 2013

Their new website does a much better job of marketing the whole kit. I'm seriously considering buying one still, I have about half the $$ saved up, and while I normally don't like debt, I may finance one soon as this would be a good time to become less grid reliant. We've lost our power multiple times this winter and I really enjoy hot showers.

Terrapower has a new design, no funding or land though

So the vaporware is getting pretty thick here, but they have put out a really nice press release. Using Uranium 238, though, would be awesome if they can pull it off.

This may not result in cheaper power or faster built power plants like a Thorium reactor, but it would be safer than current designs b/c it doesn't need electricity to power cooling pumps.

Slick Willy actually has some good ideas

Bill Clinton is actually outlining a dozen or so (ok 14 if you must know) easy steps that will help the economy. He isn't saying these steps will solve all our problems, he just points out most of them are easy and would help. Since the first one is decreased government regulation prior to construction starting and #12 is Cut Corporate Taxes, I'm all for it.
Check out the whole list here, its worth a read.
I like them all  except #3 plus #14 isn't really an idea, its an idea to get together and find other ideas.

China and India are going nuclear, using Thorium, US did this in 1964

Thorium based molten salt nuclear reactors (MSR) have multiple built in safeties against meltdown or explosion and actually can in theory provide more power per ounce of fuel than uranium based reactors. Why isn't the US doing this anymore? B/c the government regulations for nuclear power plants are all based on the Gen II Westinghouse uranium reactor design and its mods, generating electricity from a new style of reactor would almost be impossible in the US b/c of bureaucracy (the H3TR project in Texas is a proposed research reactor using thorium coated beads, but is not an MSR).

Of course, its not a mature technology, but how is it going to become one if no one in the US is funding it?

No emergency cooling system is needed, which is both expensive and adds thermal inefficiency. In the basic design, an MSR generates heat at higher temperatures, continuously, and without refuelling shutdowns, so it can provide hot air to a more efficient (Brayton Cycle) turbine. An MSR run this way is about 30% better in thermal efficiency than common thermal plants, whether combustive or traditional solid-fuelled nuclear.