Seeking advice re: complex power conditioning

I've had a fair amount of experience with motor generators in research science and computers. As Karls states they can't be beat for high demand current at the top of the ac wave form (especially if the setup has a fly wheel). The practical efficiency will be below 90% because the demand will not be constant unless you run monster class A amps, however 75% plus sounds about right. But there are a few caveats.

Most are VERY noisy and will need special sound muffling installation. Outside, I have a 5 KW motor driving a hydraulic motor for a counter current exercise pool. It’s designed to be quiet, on a separate concrete foundation and it is in a noise reducing enclosure. It is still pretty noisy in operation. It is much noisier than the 1 HP pool filter motor. There is no way you would be able to eliminate the vibrations if the motor generator was installed on the same concrete foundation as your house, so that eliminates the basement and the garage for installation locations.

I would also look at the spec's to make sure that the combo is designed to run electronic/hospital instruments. The industrial phase converters aren't elegant when it comes to not generating some hash (noise). My 5KW motor does.

Since the motor generator will be fairly far away from the listening room you will need to be careful with your cable run so that you don’t pick up noise or cause a current drop.

Then there is that great question of for safety against lightning since the motor generator ground will be some distance from the service ground. If the city requires that the motor generator’s output be tied to ground at the service entrance you are connected back to a noise source.

If you are in a city, the city will probably require a licensed engineer to do the design including redoing the ground for your AC service. If you have a contractor do all this expect around $ 8 - $15 K based on my hydraulic motor experience.

However, done right, nothing can beat a motor generator for clean, efficient, high current power delivery.

Most electrical power sources are designed for efficiency NOT; elegance of wave form, low (let alone no noise), and ability to delivery high current at the top of the cycle with no voltage sag. A motor generator combo that meets these specs can be purchased off the shelf. Any DC source such as fuel cells, solar cells, batteries etc. would need an inverter. Most inverters suffer from the shortcomings listed above.

I was seriously looking at solar cells, batteries and inverters last summer based on the California tax credit and concluded that I couldn’t get really clean AC power from a DC source unless I used a DC motor to drive an AC generator. I’m sure that PS Audio units would be cost effective alternatives to DC sources.

I want to thank Karl for reminding everyone of the Motor-Generator combo. I think I’ll look into it. Karl have you checked out any manufacturers?

I have a call into the local Horlick distributor close by in Silicon Valley. As I have posted on several occasions, I have terrible power quality. I live in the first residential neighborhood to have underground power (1925!) and if there is a power problem that can happen I have it (short of lightening strikes unlike the Midwest where I once lost a Threshold 800A). I use PS Audio units but a motor generator would be just the thing. I’ll post my progress, as even if I decide to take on this project, it may take a while. Thanks again Karl!