some advice is poss

slipperyox

I am currently looking at setting up solar panels and a small wind turbine.
All this without grant etc.
My plan is to run 2 (270w) pv panels and a 1kw wind turbine.
The rational behind my choice is summer/winter and power demand accordingly, and I have a lot of wind here.

My aim is to power all lights in the house (led) internet, chargers, tv/computer and fridge, and the odd low wattage appliance. I will do this by dedicated sockets in the house.

My question is, i have just bought 2 panels so far, but now am going around in circles as what configuration to use, what inverter, what charge controller, etc and buy from where? is there any good place has everything reasonably priced.
I have some knowledge in electronics, and want batteries in parallel but not sure if 6v would be best economy??? Any pointers appreciated

unkel

6V???

Your panels are probably 36V. so if you have two panels in series for 72V you could use a solar charge controller to charge up a 24V or 48V battery bank. Or in parallel for a 36V system, with a solar charge controller to charge up a 24V battery bank. Then use either DC appliances (expensive) or use a DC to AC inverter to power your normal appliances. Careful what you buy, a cheaper modified sine wave inverter could damage some equipment like your fridge or chargers

You probably need to do a lot more reading up / watching youtube before buying any more equipment. Have a look at Will Prowse's books and or YT channels

Also, do you live on top of a hill with nothing around you for several hundred meters in a very windy place? If not, forget about wind.

slipperyox

6v batteries are easier to produce large ah banks as cheaper than 12/24v, and I have access via a pals forklift business.

my pv panels are 12v, but I was going to put in series for 24v ( to complement the wind), and alternate the 6v strings for balance.

Yes, I live on top of a hill with no obstructions, and couple hundred metres away there is a derilict windmill of a century ago...

unkel

You have 270W panels that are 12V? That's unusual. Most standard panels are 36V. Hope they didn't cost you a fortune. As for the 6V forklift traction batteries, yes they are an excellent choice for off grid systems, even more so if you can get them free, which is the best price to get any battery at

Your panels limit you to a 24V max system. If you had standard panels you could have gone for a 48V system, which means a lower current through the system and significant savings on cabling. But 24V is fine too

slipperyox

Panels were €130 each. not too bad as far as I could research at the time. And you are correct 24v, got confused somehow...
I was thinking of using 2 charge controllers.. 1 for solar and 1 for wind, so could easily go separate voltages. What are people using here for inverters? I think 3000w constant should be adequate. Are the £180 amazon ones lasting/reliable? thx

unkel

Do you really need 3kW continuous? A decent (pure sine wave) that can do that is going to be very expensive.

And what is the purpose of your setup, to cover yourself for power outages?

slipperyox

Just looking to cover:
all lights 400w max.
tv/internet 200w
fridge 150w
breadmaker 600w
misc 500w
coffee machine 1200w.

Obviously i'd be mindfull of all on at once,
I am going to use dedicated lines/sockets to these appliances.

So are the amazon 3kw inverters junk?

garo

What is your budget? Look at midsummerwholesale.co.uk and ITS technologies and solartricity.ie for inverter/panel combos and also inverters by themselves. Since you have already bought some panels it makes life a bit harder if you want to get more panels. Note that some of the day you will get less than rated power so 2x270 will be giving you around 400W or less in the evening around 6. I assume you have plenty of room and you will install the panels South facing at at a 41 degree tilt which is optimal?

slipperyox

thx garo. I'll check those sites tonight
My budget is 2k for a 1500w setup.
Plenty room, panels will be ground mounted,

garo

I am assuming the wind turbine would be the costliest bit of the equation. I would consider adding two more panels if you can. On a day like today you won’t get much wind energy.

phester28

your fridge would need an inrush current of 1kw or at least 5-6 times its rating.

A low frequency inverter would suit your needs. These are bigger and heaver as they have a transformer inside. They also tend to have a higher idle current.

Unless your buying a very good brand inverter, the chinese cheaper type will most likely just smoke shortly after use for the fridge.

Roadtoad

Surely two wiring circuits (homegrown and imported) will drive you batty, very quickly. Bite the bullet and integrate them, and don't begrudge the occasional spill back into the grid.

slipperyox

i think dedicated sockets are the most practical way.
As I'm in a bungalow, its easy to chase a cable down, or commandeer a socket from above.

zoom_cool

How did you setup go? I am looking to do something similar for a garage/workshop setup?

slipperyox

lol
I sold all my kit, an am going wind, as it will be better return in my area.
(there are historic windmills beside me)

unkel

Good luck with that! What sort of setup are you going with? And you do realise that almost certainly PV is cheaper than wind to setup unless you go big wind (as in 5 figure cost to install and a 5kW or so generator)

slipperyox

My reason is that its the winter time I really need the extra power, and I have no wind here only a few days of the year.
It also means I can have smaller battery bank, and wind is less polluting.

unkel

You really need to sit down and think all of this through again. You don't make a choice against solar PV (or for wind) because it's September. It's a decision about a system that will not pay for itself for another 10-20 years. Like a dog is not just for Christmas

slipperyox

I agree. And maybe I haven't thought it through fully.

But the logic I used was.

I have plenty room for a mast, and plenty wind, something many others don't have.