Battery Powered Homes in Australia?

[tpowell1830]

I realize hydrogen cells are a bit off topic, but has there been anymore testing and improving these? I know ten years or so ago they were to be the next big thing in power and now, nothing. There were real world tests being done with a few of these powering a large office building. Is this technology (which I don't understand) feasible?

[HackedFridgeMagnet]

Worth noting that it's also technically illegal in Australia to run an extension cord over the fence and buy electricity from your neighbour, should you go off-grid and want to charge your batteries. But it's also illegal to run fixed cat5 or any other signal wire in your house. Some people know about those rules and obey them

If you are going to quote contentious interpretations of rules then you probably need to go and find those rules and give us a link. Sometimes you will find they are not what you think.
Especially since a lot of our rules are state based.

cat5 and signal wire?? better re-read that one too.

[Galenbo]

It's mainly an add-complexity method.
It's more easy to tell them a new lie, instead of make them understand they are fooled.

Every solar/wind study falsified the result by cutting out the merit factor, and now we arrived at the moment that the even masses (with difficulcies to understand the difference between voltage and current) see there is "some problem" it is time to add some of the shelf "solution", full-color catalogues and the tax-and-subsidize game gets prepared.

Small scale solar+battery is fine for isolated operation, exists for decades, for grid connected installations it will always be the system that pollutes most, and delivers least.

The title of this topic is wrong. Nothing is "battery powered" if the battery is not mobile.

[moz]

HackedFridgeMagnet suggests I read the rules: You're right, I should. So now I did, and I'm still confused as to how I could run signal cable round my house legally.

If you look at the mains wiring laws in NSW anything over 50V AC or 120V DC needs a certified electrician. But when you look at the telecommunications laws anything that is or is designed to be, connected to a telecomms network must be certified. The discussion in this whirlpool thread suggests that even my offline DVR is out because it can trivially be connected to the cable modem (which is plugged in to the cable... hence telecom network).

[gildasd]

HackedFridgeMagnet suggests I read the rules: You're right, I should. So now I did, and I'm still confused as to how I could run signal cable round my house legally.

If you look at the mains wiring laws in NSW anything over 50V AC or 120V DC needs a certified electrician. But when you look at the telecommunications laws anything that is or is designed to be, connected to a telecomms network must be certified. The discussion in this whirlpool thread suggests that even my offline DVR is out because it can trivially be connected to the cable modem (which is plugged in to the cable... hence telecom network).

Followed that Whirlpool link.
Bloody hell, talk about a nanny state... Incredible.
I've got a 6KW+ rating for ships electricity, but in Oz, I could not unwind a CAT5 without flouting the law... Ridiculous.
I love OZ, never met an OZzy I did not like, but this is stupid. Bad OZ.

Belgium is not the brightest country in the world, but if you install your electricity to simple rules, using the proper wiring in the proper place and get it inspected/tested when finished, you can do what you want. It's called freedom.
That reminds me, I've got to rewire the household 380V cabinet because I removed the last user (for now)...

[BradC]

HackedFridgeMagnet suggests I read the rules: You're right, I should. So now I did, and I'm still confused as to how I could run signal cable round my house legally.

You can't. So do what the rest of us do. Read up on the regs, ask for clarification if you're not sure and once you've got a handle on it, do it anyway.

[HackedFridgeMagnet]

You're confused, I'm confused and I have the licences.
My main point is that it is hard to know and understand this legislation, so hard to say exactly what things are illegal. Hence if you know what you are doing electrically I wouldn't worry too much.

eg. Any signal cable doesn't necessarily mean "cabling work".

TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT 1997 - SECT 418
Cabling work

                   A reference in this Division to cabling work is a reference to:

                     (a)  the installation of customer cabling for connection to a telecommunications network or to a facility; or

                     (b)  the connection of customer cabling to a telecommunications network or to a facility; or

                     (c)  the maintenance of customer cabling connected to a telecommunications network or to a facility.

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ta1997214/s418.html

[moz]

Hence if you know what you are doing electrically I wouldn't worry too much.

It might be that the law is designed to confuse. Or am I too cynical?

I worry more about the asbestos that whoever built my house was mad keen on. We have asbestos board dividers inside the kitchen cupboards, for example. They used to be unpainted, so I bought a cheap spray-paint gun and painted them. So every single time I drill a hole in anything I have to take at least some precautions. Then again, I paid a certified electrician to install a power point the other day and he just cheerfully banged holes in that stuff with no precautions at all. Not even hearing protection with his hammer drill, let alone a dust mask.

In good news, though, I now have power metering in my solar powered shed. Which is also a pretty decent faraday cage, because it's made from coolstore panels (steel over polystyrene) and is earthed. A couple of cheap "RC power meters" off eBay tell me more about the 12V power system than I probably needed to know. And that is, I think, even legal!

[BradC]

So every single time I drill a hole in anything I have to take at least some precautions.

Worksafe QLD publish some great guidelines for the DIYer on Asbestos work.
http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/asbestos/publications/safe-work-procedures.htm

My place has Asbestos eaves and a few other bits and pieces. Some of the tricks listed on those pages have gone a long way to making minor modifications and repairs a much more pleasant experience.