Solar installation

[swimmer_spe]

My future house, I want to be off the grid, sort of.

It will be a house on a lake, and I know there is more of a risk of power outage in that location.

So, what I am thinking is a system that has solar panels and wind turbines. This is fed to a battery bank. The house is still connected to the grid, but when the power goes out, the batteries keep me in power. When the batteries are fully charged, the excess power can be sent to the grid.

Does that setup exist?

 

[Wuzzat?]

solar panels
wind turbines
Does that setup exist?

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/18366
Depending on solar insolation at your location, it may take at least 10 sq. meters of panels to give you 1 kw.

IIRC, a 9' diameter wind propeller 100' off the ground can supply an "average house" with 1 kw.

Cold batteries may give you half of the charge back from what you put into them (50% efficient).

Getting facts rather than opinions about these setups may be prove difficult.

 

[swimmer_spe]

IIRC, a 9' diameter wind propeller 100' off the ground can supply an "average house" (which takes 1 kw).

Ideally, I would do that too.

 

[Wuzzat?]

There was a guy who wanted to use a water turbine, but it was so far from his house he lost half the power in the wires, so he needed step-up and step-down transformers.

His 120v would vary by way more than 10%, so he would then need a voltage regulator.

And troubleshooting this setup will probably keep you up at night. I hate troubleshooting under pressure, like when our old furnace stops on a winter night.

Look b4 you leap.

 

[maxdad118]

The cool thing about wind turbines is it works when it’s dark outside...and you have to have wind. I really wish I had the know how and resources and time to do what you are doing, maybe when I retire in like 15 years. There’s a lot on YouTube of diy projects but smaller scales.

 

[Wuzzat?]

Yeah, build a 1/10 scale setup and see how you like it. Power a light bulb for a year and keep records.

I tried to make a boat speedometer out of a small propeller, a dc motor and a milliammeter. Got nothing, never found out why.
Should have tested it under the bathtub faucet first. Let's see, 6 GPM from a 1" nozzle gives me how many MPH?

You could set up a 3' turbine on a pickup truck bed with a frame of 2x3s and see how it does vs. your MPH. Wave to the cops as you go by!
You should have fan shroud in case a blade flies off. . .

 

[Gary]

They have systems that dump the "extra" power back onto the grid rahter than storing it on site? Power going back on the grid is credited to your account reducing your monthly bill. (Net Metering)

https://us.sunpower.com/blog/2015/08/10/how-solar-energy-net-metering-works/

 

[swimmer_spe]

They have systems that dump the "extra" power back onto the grid rahter than storing it on site? Power going back on the grid is credited to your account reducing your monthly bill. (Net Metering)

https://us.sunpower.com/blog/2015/08/10/how-solar-energy-net-metering-works/

I would want some storage so that would allow me to last 72 hours with no gird power.

 

[maxdad118]

Yeah I agree with you! If you’re going to do it, go all in and be self sufficient so you can give the middle finger to the utility company! �� Which I happen to work at lol.

 

[swimmer_spe]

Yeah I agree with you! If you’re going to do it, go all in and be self sufficient so you can give the middle finger to the utility company! �� Which I happen to work at lol.

I am doing it because I will likely be living in a more remote area that if it looses power, it may be off for more than a few hours.

 

[bud16415]

The cool thing about wind turbines is it works when it’s dark outside...and you have to have wind. I really wish I had the know how and resources and time to do what you are doing, maybe when I retire in like 15 years. There’s a lot on YouTube of diy projects but smaller scales.

The time to drill a gas well or build a wind turbine is when you are young. That way you have more years for payback. When I was 22 at my old house I talked to a driller about drilling a gas well. Lots of people were doing it and where I was there was a 99% certainty of a good well. The cost was 10K. I looked at gas prices and figured in prices going up and what I could make on 10K if I left it in the bank if I actually had it and 10K if I borrowed the money if I could how much that would cost me and in 20 years I would have payback. Then tried to figure if I sold the house would it add any value. Plus the cost to maintain it. I also looked at if I took some of that 10K and super insulated my house now what would the payback of not doing it be.

In the end I didn’t do it and I lived there much longer than the 20 years. Now that I have the money and could do stuff like this you start wondering if you will live long enough to outlast the new LED bulbs let alone a gas well.

I will admit having an alternate energy source would be a fun project and if you are planning on living where there is no utilities then there is no question.

 

[Wuzzat?]

to last 72 hours.

So, roughly 72 kwh of energy storage. Nextag says $500 for 3 kwh so that'll be twelve kilobucks.
Will that be cash, check or money order?

How many therms and kwh and gallons of water is your yearly utility total for your family?
Maybe you can get by on consuming 300w vs. a kilowatt.

 

[mattbram]

Haha – this thread needs an update cause solar is a different ball game now

If anyone wants to know what I mean just read this blog! Types of Solar Panels and Their Uses