Thread: Solar and Wind power - Installing a wind generator

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Well, I finally got the wind generator up and working. It is installed on the top of an old windmill tower.
Bit early to say how good it is, but it seems to need a fair bit of wind to work.
John

So you haven't been blown away with it yet?

JDNSW, if your interested I have seen a fairly simple sun tracker designed using a pair of LDR's, comparator and a servo controler and servo motor.

If your interested in the details let me know. My old man does Telsta installations and came up with the design of it, not sure if he has the full plans anymore but what hes done once I'm sure he can do again...

In theory it would be even easier to do with a laptop and a simple 2 input one output data board.

hope all the gear youve got keeps working for ya. I wouldnt mind having a decent look at it as Id like to set up in whoop whoop somewhere and be independant with some of the luxuries.

JDNSW: Mate I'd take that plane back, it hasn't got any wings. LOL

Seriously tho', I'm watching with interest, good on you for you efforts.

I'm on mains and the last quarter was $433, just keeps going up and up, but I'm trying to use less and less electricity. Like one less fridge, the electric coock top has gone etc, diligence on lights off etc.

$30,000 is a lot of money but is, at the ever increasing rates, about ten years supply - for me...interesting food for thought...

Cheers, GQ

I'm considering installing a solar pump on a bore around 150 feet deep, anyone got the ins and outs of what I should be looking for?

Crump: I don't know, but I know someone who has bores, so when I see him in the next few days, I'll ask, i believe his are down about 100 feet...
but cost quite a bit to get done - for a golf course...

GQ

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

JDNSW, if your interested I have seen a fairly simple sun tracker designed using a pair of LDR's, comparator and a servo controler and servo motor.

If your interested in the details let me know. My old man does Telsta installations and came up with the design of it, not sure if he has the full plans anymore but what hes done once I'm sure he can do again...

In theory it would be even easier to do with a laptop and a simple 2 input one output data board.

hope all the gear youve got keeps working for ya. I wouldnt mind having a decent look at it as Id like to set up in whoop whoop somewhere and be independant with some of the luxuries.

I would be interested - I have a pair of trackers - which have died. The manufacturer has been taken over, and the new owner discontinued that design about ten years ago and has no information on it whatever and will not respond to any queries. The circuit boards have had the IC numbers removed, and I have been unsuccessful in finding a circuit. The first one to fail did so by incinerating one of the ICs, haven't found a similar problem with the other one. At the moment I am running them as fixed mounts, and am considering adding additional panels (or possibly wind generators, depending how this one goes) rather than trying to restore the tracking function. The major advantage of trackers, at least at this latitude, is in summer, when you have a much longer charging period anyway. Other options include replacing my fridge with a more power efficient one, and getting an LCD TV - I am just waiting for them to get low enough, they are still decreasing rapidly in price.
John

LCD's have just dropped by 40% as of today, JDNSW, wait a few months for the price adjustment to get here...

We saw it advertised on "A Current Affair" tonight, they did an entire segment on screens:

Were $1600 yesterday, today $999... and the reporter who did at least a few minutes of research had several brands in the zone at major retailers, who are due to, wll pass the savings on to us, to use an advertising euphimism....(well I wrote it many moons ago so i can)....LOL

Seen todays Big W catalogue? DVD player with an 8" HD screen for $198.This time last year the same item 7" screen was $449....

and the new one has plugins...

just gets cheaper every day.....like your generator...get several!

cheers. GQ

Originally Posted by crump

I'm considering installing a solar pump on a bore around 150 feet deep, anyone got the ins and outs of what I should be looking for?

I have a garden water system from a dam that raises the water about that amount (and the pump is designed for a bore). It is currently defunct due to a lack of water in the dam, but I can make some comments.

For specific information, see any rural pump supplier or solar power installer. Preferably at least two of them, as any retailer usually will only sell one brand.

The pump you will be looking at is probably a submersible diaphragm pump, either 12 or 24v depending on the volume you need. Number of panels will also depend on the voltage and volume needed. It may be worth getting a gadget that goes between the pump and the panels which optimises the output by changing the panel voltage to that which will work best with the pump. Some of these also accumulate power in a large capacitor and run the pump in short bursts when the panel output is too low to run the pump continuously.

My experience is that the pump I have is not terribly reliable (poor sealing) and repairs very expensive.
John