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Cuckoo Clocks Go Solar
There are two shiny new additions to the German Cuckoo Clock Nest on Gallery Walk.
Seventy solar panels now cover the northern roof of the chalet; while inside the shop, Wolfgang Trenkle's latest cuckoo clock creation has also gone solar.After receiving ever increasing electricity bills, Lothar Schafroth decided it was time to switch to solar and start creating his own electricity rather than pay for it.
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Solar Inside the Cuckoo Clock Shop Too
German Cuckoo Clock designer Wolfgang Trenkle has come up with a brand new premium cuckoo clock with the catchy German name of "Mühlrad mit echtem flie Bendem Wasser".
Quite simply, it's beautifully built solar powered Cuckoo Clock.
It has all the normal Cuckoo Clock features with a solar panel on the roof.
Normal window light or even electric room lighting is collected by the panel and it powers the pump that drives water over the water wheel so that it turns for a few minutes on the hour.
This clock is exclusively handcrafted in the Black Forest of Germany. For further information about this clock visit www.cuckooclocknest.com.au.
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In fact they now generate so much electricity; they can add power to the local electricity grid and charge Energex for it. It costs about 21 cents a kilowatt to buy electricity from Energex, but Lothar gets 40 - 50 cents for every kilowatt of solar power they put back into it.
Lothar calculates that with a capital cost of around $60,000 they get a 20% return on investment - which is good business.
The panels are on the north facing side of the roof and covers the entire surface. They integrate into the roof line so they are hardly noticeable.
The 70 panels are distributed over the entire roof area so the weight of the solar panel creates no structural problems.
"The solar panels are mounted on brackets attached to the roof," said Lothar. "They stand a few centimetres above the existing roof," said Lothar, "So the air gap allows the rain to run down underneath the solar panels. It's collected normally and used for drinking water."
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| Anton Schafroth with the SNA "Sunny Boy" Inverters that convert the solar power into mains electricity |
The Taiwanese made panels generate 15 Kilowatts per hour in full sun. This is 12 volts of direct current - just like the current from your car battery. The low voltage direct current needs to be converted into household 240 volt power for use in the house and shop. Three large "Inverters" are mounted onto the side wall of the chalet. These are German made SNA Sunny Boys capable of converting 5 Kilowatts each. It's all completely automatic. The most difficult thing about the entire project was not the installation said Lothar. "The panels were up in just 4 - 5 days and the wiring and control boxes were standard components. It took about six months to get Energex to do their part. Now it is fine." The system has been working successfully for several months and has proven to be reliable and trouble free. Not only are Lothar and Sigrid Schafroth contributing clean green electricity to the State's power grid, the system makes money for the Cuckoo Clock Nest every time the sun shines.
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A new addition to The German Cuckoo Clock Nest is "Woody" which has been receiving alot of attention.
