Really Cool Genset, 12VDC or 24VDC, runs off Propane, Natural Gas, Diesel, or Kerosene - any flammable liquid could be used with only a little adaptation! If you contemplate making a Wood Gas Plant, it could use that, too (Burning WOOD!)

Bad News is that the NZ Quake has destroyed the original Factory...

Possible Good News is that they licensed it to a Plant In Spain, and they are made for Several EU Countries - follow the links....

Expect it to be Very Expensive! It is not especially powerful, But It is very nearly silent!!!

www.whispergen.com

my plan is to match a multi-fuel hercules diesel engine out of a deuce-and-a-half to a 24 KW generator head. the rig will cost around $3000 with shipping but will provide all the power that i can use for pennies a day.

what do you think of the solar generators, we have a lot of sun here, and never had a problem with our solar water heater not charging. They just seem a bit pricey.

Right now, you pay a Price premium for Watts. Solar is Dead Silent, and pretty simple. If you can afford the Huge price for a reasonable system (2KW) then you have to decide when to pull the trigger. Longer you wait, more likely it will get cheaper. (Unless demand by Preppers drives it up) Will go Ten Years with nearly no maintenance, except for batteries!

Simple Contractor Grade, nasty, NOISY!, 4-6KW, Gasoline, Air-Cooled Briggs and Strapiron Genset is the cheapest auxiliary watts that most folks can buy. That is what I have. I guess that my nearly Ten Years Old Genset will not last Two years being used at nearly full load for 8 hours per day....after that, fuel will probably be impossible to find. Your Solar system would still be good (Battery dependent) for years beyond the time Mine has quit.

Are they powerful enough to run an air conditioner? Down here about as necessary as a heater is up north, but sucks a-l-o-t of juice.

Depends on Size of Load. You have to supply that info. Are you asking about for Solar? Or the Sterling Engine Genset the thread was about?

Either way, you have to provide the size of Load, and then just match the Gen Size.....BUT you have to know that a System (Here, an Air Conditioner) load is Not to be matched one-for-one with wattage of Genset, because of Starting loads. So, an AC unit that uses 2KW in steady state running, will require nearly 5KW of Generator.

I was asking about the solar. Sorry I know it is off-thread. I admit my ingnorance on electrical issues, tried to figure out what we need a couple of times but it makes my head spin; not my area of expertise (hubby does the electrical, but it is not his career). Nominal volts 208/230 is that what you need? Sorry for my ignorance.

Still waiting for someone to produce a sterling engine generator.

I doubt that the solar genny will run a whole house a/c. However, it will run a room size unit.

Thanx herbal pagan, I strongly suspected that it wouldn't get the job done unless we totally switched over to solar. Based on the prices I was hoping though.....