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Thread: Solar and Wind power - Installing a wind generator

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    Solar and Wind power - Installing a wind generator

    As my house is some distance from the nearest power lines, when we built here we installed solar power. This has now been operational for eleven years.
    Backup is by a generator (originally petrol, now diesel), which makes up the shortfall due to cloudy days or grandchildren who watch too much television and leave the fridge open. I have considered increasing the capacity of the system, or getting more economical fridge, freezer & TV, but all options are expensive.
    But recently the electronics supply place Jaycar has listed a cheap wind generator. Cheap as in $500 for 200w (c.f. 85w solar panel is over $600 - and solar is good for a maximum of about 12hours a day compared with a maximum of 24hrs for wind). It is made in China, as you may have guessed.

    On my recent trip to Melbourne I bought one (they weigh in at 71kg so was worth saving the freight), and I am currently starting to install it.

    First step is to refurbish an old windmill tower I bought for $90 about ten years ago, and modifying it to accept the generator. Then have to prepare foundations and erect the tower, and fit the generator and wire the whole lot up.

    The generator will require a bit of preparation - the case is plastic, and this will have to be protected from the sun - I will add an aluminium extra cover, and the blades will need to be painted - they are unpainted fibreglass. Probably take me at least another week to do all this, perhaps more, depending on how much I get sidetracked.

    I will assess the performance over the next year or so, and if it performs as I hope, I will get at least one more, possibly another three. Having wind as well as solar is complementary, as often there is wind when there is cloud.

    John
    John

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    John, I'm just about to upgrade the washing machine at home. The washer I've got still works but just drops lint on everything. It's a Fysher and Pykel SmartDrive. The motors on these can be simply rewired to operate as a wind powered generator. Do a google search for the mod and see if you are interested in doing it. Have you seen the Rainbow Power Company website? Very imformative. The only reason I haven't done anything like this yet is simply because we live in suburbia and just rent the place. When we buy land a S.A.P.S will definately be on the cards.

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    Friend who bought a property in bredbo had only solar. The system was on its last legs so he paid the $30,000 to get mains power rather than replace the system. Got to be honest I would have looked into solar and wind if I was him. Good luck JD.

    Also they are putting in one of those wind farm generators 15km from here. Should make enough wind to realy dry the washing .

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    Quote Originally Posted by dobbo
    John, I'm just about to upgrade the washing machine at home. The washer I've got still works but just drops lint on everything. It's a Fysher and Pykel SmartDrive. The motors on these can be simply rewired to operate as a wind powered generator. Do a google search for the mod and see if you are interested in doing it. Have you seen the Rainbow Power Company website? Very imformative. The only reason I haven't done anything like this yet is simply because we live in suburbia and just rent the place. When we buy land a S.A.P.S will definately be on the cards.
    1. I'm aware of the washing machine derived generator, and was sort of on the lookout for one - but this cannot compete with the Chinese one - it would cost close to as much and a lot more work for less power. This was described in 'Silicon Chip' about a year ago. But if you are offering the machine I am interested - where are you?

    2. I have not seen the Rainbow Power Company website, but I have some of their books and have visited them. I was disappointed that they were not interested in tendering for our original installation.
    John

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    John

    JDNSW
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    When I looked into it when we lived down at Young it was going to cost $30,000 for a hybrid system. A back up generator was extra (I consider this a must) then the photovoltaic panels only last 20 - 25 yrs tops, the batteries last 5 - 10 yrs top. The motors, invertors, computers, etc all had a 5 yr warrantee. So worst case scenerio. Every couple of yrs youd be upgrading equip.
    That block was $25,000 to get connected to the grid.

    In that case it simply wasn't viable to do it. Nowadays the government subsidy for a back to grid system has gone as well.

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    www.rpc.com.au
    Rainbow Power company website


    Washer would be a month or two down the track. I'm at Bonnells Bay SW Lake Macquarie (a bit to far for you to drive for a washer I think?) but I'll PM you when it's replaced

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    Quote Originally Posted by dobbo
    When I looked into it when we lived down at Young it was going to cost $30,000 for a hybrid system. A back up generator was extra (I consider this a must) then the photovoltaic panels only last 20 - 25 yrs tops, the batteries last 5 - 10 yrs top. The motors, invertors, computers, etc all had a 5 yr warrantee. So worst case scenerio. Every couple of yrs youd be upgrading equip.
    That block was $25,000 to get connected to the grid.

    In that case it simply wasn't viable to do it. Nowadays the government subsidy for a back to grid system has gone as well.
    When we put the system in it cost around $30,000, the same as getting grid power. In the first year we used one tank of fuel in the generator - it has increased since then, not sure whether less sun, batteries degrading or fridge getting older. Possibly all of the above. Certainly you need a backup generator - our original one was a small second hand petrol one, cost $400, current one is a second hand Lister diesel, cost $800.
    Actual life of the panels is still unknown - mine at twelve years are giving the same output as when new, and I have seen twenty year old ones that are down less than 1%. But both my trackers have quit, and the manufacturer no longer exists and you can't get parts - can't even get a circuit diagram, and the components on the boards have deliberately had the numbers filed off.
    I am replacing cells in the batteries as they fail, and so far have replaced about 25% of them, so ten years tops is a bit pessimistic. Nevertheless, batteries are the major ongoing cost - but overall probably no more, perhaps less, than power bills. Inverters, controllers, chargers only had five year warranty as you point out, but the only failure among them in twelve years was the spectacular failure of one inverter about five hours after initial installation, apparently due to a loose screw floating round in the case.(obviously a warranty job).

    The major negative is you have to be careful about power use, and airconditioning is out, and there is more attention to maintenance needed (it is not a fully automatic system - but this has advantages; I know of one bloke is on his third autostart diesel generator in six years (at about $6000 a shot) - the autostart does not check or change the oil, and by the time the watchdog shuts it off due to low oil pressure, the damage is done.)

    On the plus side - we have no blackouts, which have been widespread in this area after several severe storms - some of my neighbours have been without power for up to a week.
    John
    John

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    John are you designing your own windmill or would you in the future? I found blade calculators on the internet to assist in design. If your interested send me your email via PM and I'll forward them on to you. Also just out of interest how many battery banks are you running? And are the in series?

    Is the power the only green system you have or have you got grey water systems, composite toilets, etc...

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    Quote Originally Posted by dobbo
    John are you designing your own windmill or would you in the future? I found blade calculators on the internet to assist in design. If your interested send me your email via PM and I'll forward them on to you. Also just out of interest how many battery banks are you running? And are the in series?

    Is the power the only green system you have or have you got grey water systems, composite toilets, etc...
    I am not designing my own windmill - as I said the Chinese one is so cheap it is not worth it. What I am doing is improving its UV protection and making up a mount to fit it on the top of the windmill frame i have.

    I am actually running three battery banks, all independent. One is a small (400AH, 12v) system that provides 12v to the house for the UHF plus runs a circuit designed to supply power for small applications that are on all the time - mainly the fax machine and modem from a 250VA inverter It has four forty watt panels. Then there are two identical 24v systems with 700AH batteries and a 2kVA (6kVA for thirty seconds) inverter. Each has a tracker (now dead) with eight 80W panels. At a pinch either can run the house in case of a failure somewhere. The house is wired with three separate power circuits, with power points colour coded, so you can share the load fairly evenly.

    The only other system I have that could be called green is the house itself, which has insulated walls and double glazing, and has heating provided by hot water circulating in the slab from a slow combustion wood stove in the kitchen.

    Hope this answers your questions.
    John
    John

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    1970 2a 109 2.25 petrol

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    Quote Originally Posted by JDNSW
    I am not designing my own windmill - as I said the Chinese one is so cheap it is not worth it. What I am doing is improving its UV protection and making up a mount to fit it on the top of the windmill frame i have.

    I am actually running three battery banks, all independent. One is a small (400AH, 12v) system that provides 12v to the house for the UHF plus runs a circuit designed to supply power for small applications that are on all the time - mainly the fax machine and modem from a 250VA inverter It has four forty watt panels. Then there are two identical 24v systems with 700AH batteries and a 2kVA (6kVA for thirty seconds) inverter. Each has a tracker (now dead) with eight 80W panels. At a pinch either can run the house in case of a failure somewhere. The house is wired with three separate power circuits, with power points colour coded, so you can share the load fairly evenly.

    The only other system I have that could be called green is the house itself, which has insulated walls and double glazing, and has heating provided by hot water circulating in the slab from a slow combustion wood stove in the kitchen.

    Hope this answers your questions.
    John
    From my knowledge of aircraft and model aircraft I would suggest that the further you can get it off the ground, the more wind it will be operating in. Depending on the terrain, windshear can be quite pronounced. (this is the tendency of air to be moving much slower closer to the ground).

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