Have you seen all the "water cooled CPU manifolds" geeks are using in their PCs these days?

Maybe you could hook a few PCs up as a water heater or at least as the pre-heater?

Hey that's great! It's "free energy" - free in the sense that it's already being paid for, but currently wasted.

 

BTW, I think many visitors to this forum could benefit from seeing your project, limitations and all. Many come here hoping to get far more power from their small PV panel than is realistic. A "real world" example like your's would be a great thing to point them to. Consider posting it in the "Completed Projects" area.

Sure thing! I was planning on putting up pics and a youtube of the pump operation at some point here. Thanks for letting me know about that area.

 

Hey that's great! It's "free energy" - free in the sense that it's already being paid for, but currently wasted.

Haha .. well I did consider a peltier. I think a decent one for me could run at about half an amp and I may be able to connect to a heat pipe or copper rod. Not sure.. so much to research

 

That's almost pure politics (subsidies, tax rebates, etc.). A few folks need off-grid power but that's the exception, not the rule.

Alternative energy is at LEAST an order of magnitude more costly than natural gas, so those panels you see are NOT about economics.

Really? So the gas and oil companies aren't involved in politics and get no subsidies or tax breaks?
What planet are you living on?