The numbers look about right...  I think a 1500W inverter would do
what I want, though...   I see these little  110V driven A/C units for
homes in catalogs these days,  and the last time I calculated, they
were about 1000 Watt units or so (about maybe 2000 BTU?  they did not
give the btu numbers)....  at 1000W, you'd need just under 2HP, with
the friction of the belt, pulleys, losses in the alternator, you'd
probably end up using 4hp of the whopping 48 in the diesel vanagon.
Not good, but acceptable.  I think the dimesions of these things were
such that they could fit in place of the rear overhead cabinet.  Now,
can anyone figure a way to fit a second (say, how would Joel put it?)
big mutha' alternator  in the engine compartment?

Cetin

Harvey Chao writes:
 >                       RE>>PC300 inverter                           9/22/95
 > 
 > It would be kind of nice to have a second 150 Amp
 > alternator put in, though :-) (do they even make these things???)
 > Cetin
 > ================
 > Hola Cetin!
 > 
 > 150 amp alternator x 14 volts = 2100 watts.  There are 749( or so) watts per
 > theoretical hp. => 2.8 hp.  I have a 2000w generator for emergency use ( I
 > live in Earthquake country, just south of San Francisco)  and it has a 5 hp
 > engine. ==>( 2 )150 amp alternators would probably want around 8-10 hp --  on
 > a 48 hp engine driving a van????  Whoooooo nellie!!!
 > 
 > Do they make such things?  I think possibly so.  A good bet for 18 wheeler
 > trucks?   I have a vauge recollection of such animals being advertised in
 > regard for folks that put  multiple mega monster stereo amps in cars.
 > Harvey
 >