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Solar Install; the on-going saga

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  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    paddyp wrote: »
    I'd scrap it and put the money towards new one.
    I totally agree, I'm just experimenting really.
    Everybody kills their first batteries not worth getting emotional about it.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Battery #2 Come out of equalisation a little better for wear albeit possibly only in the short term.


    Temperature 21.5°C
    13 hours resting after; full charge and watering followed by 3 hour aggressive charge, 10 hour rest, full charge, 4 hour equalisation charge.

    Battery Voltage 12.8v


    __________Specific Gravity @ 21.5°C_____Voltage

    Cell #1________1.190____________________1.9v
    Cell #2________1.205____________________2.1v
    Cell #3________1.210____________________2.2v
    Cell #4________1.200____________________2.1v
    Cell #5________1.185____________________2.1v
    Cell #6________1.210____________________2.2v



    Average Cell S.G. = 1.2
    30% DOD

    70% of 125Ah = 87.5Ah

    I found the cell voltage by metering protruding 6-inch nails I placed directly onto the plates in adjacent cells (plate and +ive battery post for the first one). This works great.
    Zinc galvanised 6-inch screws however does not :eek: ...hmm...oops!

    I'll make an update in a month or so and let yee know if either of these sick puppies have improved. I haven't decided to parallel them again yet. I'm wary of the detrimental effects the lesser will have on the stronger. Any thoughts?
    I'm running on one this week because I haven't time to be dealing with explosions and such.
    I may continue to do this and just swap them in the down time.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Re-instated and re-wired the bank today. Couldn't be bothered with the hydrometer but I will post comparative results in due time.
    I've noticed definite improvement on the stronger battery (without giving Morningstar too much credit here I'm suspicious I ought to be reprimanding Halfords cheapo charger for an undercharging algorithm). I'd almost go so far as to say one battery on my current set-up is outperforming two at the end of my old (mains and alternator).
    Bank is holding 12.9v after days charge.

    I knocked 100mA off my ghost load by cleaning my battery terminals and terminal clamps. I thought the clamps were supposed to be grey because they were fully oxidised when I bought them. I was going to upgrade them for copper but seeing as it was a Sunday and I wasn't in the mood for a rip-off merchant, I just got the grinder out. Low and behold they're a shiney coppery/brass now and 0Ω.

    I was getting 1Ω resistance across an inch of the clamp, this doesn't sound like a lot until you compare that to 0.3Ω from 20 metres of stranded 1.5mm copper cable. DC electrons travel across the surface area of the conductor so an oxidised surface is really killing it.

    I know these numbers are very small but 100mA * 24 * 30 = dead battery at the end of a month without charge, before temperature induced loss and self-discharge.

    I emailed Elecsol over a week ago requesting their recommended charge set-point voltages for their carbon fiber lead acids. They have not published this information anywhere I can find it. Nor can I find their charger algorithm set-points. No reply yet. :mad:

    Morningstar on the other hand, you can email them a wiring diagram and they will get back to you in a few days with the pros and cons and practicalities.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Just to clarify something that's bothering me (and it's too late to edit my mistakes).
    DOD means depth of discharge. I mistook this to be the inverse of what it is. I've corrected this from post #30 onwards (even though Paddyp has quoted me on the mistake :P).

    This is the measure of percentage loss of a battery's capacity. I initially thought a battery at 80% capacity was 80% DOD. When in fact at 80% capacity it is 20% DOD.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Here's an idea I got indirectly from Morningstar that I have yet to implement, mostly because I thought I was going to soon be buying new batteries and I'm running low on 7mm cable. The Tristar controller has a 45A continuous rating (70A max for edging & spikes IIRC) I'm using ±9.5A from solar generation. If I was to link my alternator battery feed through the solar controller it will regulate the 14.7v (flooded battery set point) from the alternator to 14.4v (sealed battery set-point) for the leisure bank.

    I wouldn't recommend this protocol on an automated relay charge set-up as it will always undercharge the starter. On a selective system this will work quite well.

    [Edit:] Actually, second thought this could work on an automated system as second regulation is happening after the engine battery. This is not something I can speculate without measuring though. I wonder if there'd be back EMF issues? Might email Morningstar another diagram.

    Any suggestions? Not looking in any particular direction Paddyp...{where's that innocent whistling smiley Peasant?...}


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  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Ghost load is still 300mA. :o
    Guess there was some ambient light when I checked 23hr00 - 00hr00.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,213 ✭✭✭Aidan_M_M


    You're just a perfectionist!


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    :D Tehehe..depends on what I'm doing...three years later and still no curtains.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Wasn't relying on the clouds to charge the bank yesterday so I turned off the module and solar controller and stuck my mains charger on it. If I left the solar running it's piffle of amps at 14v it would fool the charger into thinking the batteries were charged, 'nuff said.

    So low and behold my mains charger signs off on a charged bank and has a nice cup of tea. I check the Trimetric and see that it's 92% charged (92% of a 180Ah bank not 250Ah as the combined battery labels might indicate).
    wrote:
    Lead Acid Batteries and Undercharging.

    Undercharging of the battery occurs when 107% to 115% of the removed ampere hours are not provided during the recharge. When not fully recharged, the residual lead sulphate remains on the positive and negative plates and eventually 'hardens'. With successive cycles of undercharging the layer of residual lead sulphate becomes thicker, the electrolyte specific gravity decreases, and the battery cycles down in capacity. In the 'hardened' condition, it may not be possible to convert the residual lead sulphate back into the original lead dioxide, sponge lead and sulphur acid active materials, even with higher voltage charging efforts. In this case the battery will suffer a permanent loss in capacity.

    The Tristar frequently carries on charging a few hours beyond 100% at an increasingly reduced amperage.

    The very fact that Halfords state that a 9Amp charger is suitable for a 200Ah battery (4.5% charge rate) should say it all really. Battery manufacturers recommend a 10%- 13% charge rate of the C20 Ah rating. Reasons like this are why I have such low esteem in battery charger manufacturer claims.
    I will not be buying another mains charger unless it's temperature compensating, and programmable or the algorithm matches the battery manufacturer's guidelines exactly. No fixed algorithm charger (non-programmable) is "suitable for all battery types".

    Have I convinced anyone to get a TriMetric yet? Will this help?


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    My ghost load shot up to 1.1a :mad:
    Much tinkering ensued as them escaping electrons are mighty trixy.
    The problem with parallel battery banks is that one might forget that after disconnecting one negative terminal the bank is still live. :eek:

    So low and behold in my pursuit I started an electrical fire with a spanner (...ah that olde chestnut :o ). So while I rummaged for an insulator to retrieve my spanner which was shorting off the chassis from the positive leisure battery B terminal, it was getting hot and smokey. By the time I retrieved it, the electrons had blown one ground lead off the chassis, melted another ground link cable to the starter battery and snapped a battery clamp.

    Expired clamp.JPG

    So for future endeavors I invented this.

    High tech anti explosion do-fer.jpg

    Hmmm insulation ;)...easier than fusing it too (which was actually my first idea hysteria.gif)


    In any case after a wee bit of ventilation, cable repairage and isolation, I found the trixy electrons escaping from the shunt via the kelvin connections.

    My ghost load is now 0A.extra_happy.gif

    System idle; 200mA
    Tristar solar controller always on; 100mA
    Trimetric battery monitor, mostly always on; 100mA


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  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    I started powering my fridge on photons, alternator and combined on the 12volt element, having never used it on 12v before.
    The problem here is the engine battery isn't connected to the shunt (and that's unlikely to change soon) so the TriMetric tends to get befuddled from alternator charge as the electrons are skipping the turnstile and overestimates the used capacity. hmmm...maybe time to install an ammeter in the dash. In any case it self-resets when it detects a fully charged battery and in the short-term I just watch the volts instead.

    Solar can power the fridge at about a 3A shortfall which works ok every second day to save the gas. How and ever my fridge has a 100watt element;
    100wats /12.4 volts = 8A.

    The TriMetric tells me it's running @ 9.2A @ > 13v.

    Voltage drop methinks...there's 1.2A being used to heat cable back there. That'd be the 1.5mm cores I thought'll be grand a few years back then. So that's getting pulled out for 4mm then (2.5mm would be adequate on a run under 9metres but I'm a pedant when it comes to cable).

    I read a suggestion which I think might be interesting to investigate. Which is that a 3-way absorption fridge works much better set to mains and powered off an inverter (modulated / RMS / pure sine wave...doesn't matter; it's a resistive element) than the 12volt setting as at 230V voltage drop is not an issue and the mains element has a thermostat. ...the thick plottens... once I have it asunder I'll see what the power consumption comparison is (+20% give or take I'm guessing...(inverter conversion loss and a 5watt stronger element) ...although not an issue with a large enough alternator).

    Fridge Vent Fans;
    Wonderful things! Fridge is way more efficient above 20°C with them running, for a humble 300mA (two fans).
    Unfortunately my fans were 12volt. My nominal system voltage is now 13v, and usually 14v+ when I need them.
    They have expired after putting up a good fight. I reckon I burnt the motor coils to bejaysus as at the end of their days I could hear them over-revving. It may just be a fried switch too but I've decided if I'm going in there then I might as well overhaul the lot (back of my fridge has access issues, if i knew when I was installing it what I know now then...ah..well...:rolleyes:).

    I'm not a whole lot of upset about this because they were due and upgrade for brushless versions (quiet).

    I had a notion of dual wiring them as generators (mmm permanent magnet motors:D) off the driving wind-speed with vent scoops but have abandoned the notion as a feeble return on investment and libelous over-engineering.

    That just leaves me with the problem of running 12volt fans with a high voltage tolerance inexpensively on a 14volt variable system. Which I think I can solve simply with a strategic resistor.

    Or running 24volt fans with a low tolerance at a significant reduction of torque.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    There is a third option which is a Master Consumer Voltage Regulator,
    Other versions of same.

    I'm reluctant to fork out for one of these though because a resistor is only €0.50:D and even though that's a quality product it's peak efficiency is 85%. Now after that my laptop charger is 80% efficient and everything else I run is regulated locally or easily replaced I'm disinclined to waste electrons on conformity without another 100Ah in the bank to support it, when I can just keep things exciting and working more "effectively" with a bittov me where-with-alls :rolleyes:.

    Brushless Fans ; "4 of them please", they'll pay for themselves in the gas I save. 2 for the intake vent, 2 for the outlet vent.

    4 fans in parallel = 640mA

    Charging temperature compensation at 10°C = +0.27v
    (fans not needed below 10°C)

    Max System voltage = 14.4v + 0.27v temp. compensated = 14.67v (haha I'll regret this when I get flooded batteries)
    Max Fan input = 13.8v

    Min Fan input = 10.2v
    Min System = 12.0v

    Voltage = Current * Resistance
    V=IR
    V/I = R

    I= 0.64A
    V= 0.87v (required reduction for fan tolerance)

    0.87v/0.64a = 1.36Ω

    1.5Ω Resistor (nearest size available)
    0.64a * 1.5Ω = 0.96V

    System Max - voltage impedance = 14.67v- 0.96v = 13.7v
    System Min - voltage impedance = 12.0v - 0.96v = 11.04v

    -> DC System supply range with resistor = 13.7v -> 11.04v
    -> Fan motor tolerance = 13.8v -> 10.2v



    I²R = (0.64A)²(1.5Ω)= 0.61W


    "an' a 0.6W 1.5Ω resistor. Cheers ;)"

    series resistor before parallel fans, Bob's yer Uncle!...I hope.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭paddyp


    "4 fans in parallel = 640mA"

    What size fans did you get? 40mm? Thats an awful lot of noise and not an awful lof of air moving.

    A 120mm silent design could move 9 time as much air with 4 times less noise at a similar current.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    I reckoned brushless would be silent
    Haven't bought them yet 4 x 120mm I'm thinking (that link just piles them all together, nothing I can do about that).
    I'm comparing this to the former 2 x 80mm on the inlet vent only, giving me the same refrigeration abilities on one flame littler setting.

    You think 4 x 35dB is noisy?

    I'll have another look around and see what I find. It's taken two days so far to figure this much out. I've been looking at all sorts of madness like zener diode regulation, potentiometers (still thinking about that one), stepper motor fans as switchable generators, 24v set-up, etc.

    Simple is often best.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Damn hard find decent fans with wide tolerences 'tis.

    Ah cheap chineese kit :D
    6 for the price of
    ¼ Quality made ones
    tehehe...guess which ones I bought!


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    I'm a pedant when it comes to cable
    ohms-law-illustrated.gif
    :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭paddyp


    The 120mm maplin ones are 380mA, 42dba four of which would be nearly 47dba skip to the end of this to hear what that might sound like unthrottled.#

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5Y7S09sCKU

    To be honest trying to push 4000 + liters per minute through there may cool the hot side or blow out the flame. a single fan with some kind of ducting to direct the flow through the coil may be more effective.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Tehehe wrong page Paddy I took your advice already ;).
    And yup I was looking at the wrong spec myself! whistling.gif

    The cheapy Chinese fans are ~22dBa (according to the manufacturer) and less than half the RPM.

    Calculated load of 4 x Xinruilian fans is 720mA, which is kindov high but will hopefully complement the solar as I need them most when the sun's out so I'm not to worried about meeting the demand. In any case those fans were so cheap if they don't work and I have to get better ones then it's no big deal.

    I'm putting a 50°C thermostatically controlled NC switch on the upper condenser heat sink on the far side from the gas exhaust to automate the fan control.

    I've considered the possibility of inadvertently tampering with the flame and if I can't baffle it I'll just put two fans horizontally between the heat sinks blowing up and two on the outlet blowing out.

    Also I'll be putting a thermostat bypass (off) on the old switch and a potentiometer for motor control (I can hear you tsk tsking already :o). I know it's horribly inefficient but it's a 5Ω 100watt wire wound beast that'll happily take the heat. According to my calculations 5Ω shouldn't be enough to stall the motors because if I (hopefully) can't hear them I won't know if I am burning the rotor coils.


    I spent a day trying to get my head around this;

    automatic_fan_controller.jpg

    Link here post #3


    But given that I also need to regulate the input or it won't work and that I haven't much of a clue about electronics I had to resort to KISS (keep it simple stupid).


    Incidentally I found this if anyone is interested;
    Automatic temperature controlled fan speed regulator with 2 x fans + remote. <- that's either switch mode or PWM so it should be quiet and efficient.
    Thought about buying it myself but the thermostatic switch was only €2 ...hard win 'em all.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭paddyp




  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    hysteria.gif

    oooh, I dunno I think it might lower my street cred.; having something that cool and sophisticated lookin' for the sake of a few grams of propane.
    It's way cheaper than the one's I was looking at before and I love that it has temp. readings.

    Thanks but I think I'll pass, I'm looking for a fire and forget solution for this.

    paddyp wrote: »
    You may need a 5 reg as it runs from standard drive connector.

    :confused: Do you mean a regulated 5VDC line for a Molex connector? (that took some googling...svengo.gif).
    Easy enough to butcher a car USB charger for that.


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  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    My alternator charge to the leisure batteries is feeble. It'll just about run the fridge producing about 10 amps max. with a voltage drop of ~0.4v idle & ~0.8v laden.
    However it's a 65ah alternator.
    I've been tinkering, swapping the regulator gave me an increase in volts but not amps.

    I was having notions of installing a zero centre ammeter in the dash to monitor affairs. Shortfall/generation.
    [EDIT: Shortfall = battery discharge with engine running or starter battery charging with engine off and solar generating while battery link switch is closed]



    img_52_ampere_s_192xx_en,property=original.jpg

    oooh shiney! :)

    The TM tells me when I run the fridge, auto-electrics, wipers, 220watts of dipped lights (yes I could just clean the old lenses but it was easier to install aux. lights) that I'm running at discharge. I believe this to be a shunt bypass related anomaly because my clamp meter says it's all good.

    I've gone off the idea now as if I just remedy the problem then I won't have to monitor and compensate.

    Back when I was initially installing my leisure battery alternator charge do-fer, I hadn't a clue how to wire a relay so I just butchered a few sets of 400 < 200 amp jump leads and wired direct from the starter +ive to dash switch back to leisure battery +ive & common ground.
    This has grown to be a 6 - 8 meter round trip with an assortment of (double fused) cowboy connections.
    Now add another 1.5m to install an internally shunted ammeter and you see where this is going.

    [EDIT: in defense of VDO pictured, that's a proper externally-remote shunted ammeter,...I was looking at cheap and cheerful versions]

    400 amp jump leads are not the same thing at all as 400amp cable. If anything there's a decent amount of copper in them and 400amp insulation for instantaneous loads. The stranded cores themselves are only about 4mm-6mmØ which is actually 70-100amp continuous, and ferociously expensive.

    Bare in mind cable ratings are for max allowable temperature not min. allowable voltage drop.
    Eg. 10 amp cable = 1.5mmØ
    Cable required to carry 10A @ 12VDC 10meters with less than 3% voltage drop = 4mmØ
    This is why electrical wholesalers think I'm mental :D.
    A point worth noting in regard to this is that inline fuses are more often than not on unsuitable cable.


    So I dug out some real 125 amp cable on a 1m run between batterys and load tested the circuit. I decided the alternator was in fine working order and it was time to stop before I melted something with heavy loading at idle at ~+30 amps.

    I couldn't be bothered stripping out most of the old cable so I'm putting a 30A relay in, with the jump leads as the signal live.

    Another problem with my current set up is the classic; solar voltage is confusing main charger chestnut.

    If I run the fridge on 12volt with the alternator, on a cloudy day with the solar on I hit shortfall; batteries are discharging with engine running. Solar isn't giving me any significant amps, just volts which is telling the alternator regulator to reduce electron production. facepalm.gif

    In defense of my soon to be decommissioned alternator charge link, the cable is so long it's acting as a natural resistor preserving my sealed batteries from overcharge, how and ever there are better ways to proceed.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    I've been emailing [EMAIL="support@morningstarcorp.com...love"]support@morningstarcorp.com [/EMAIL] ...love their customer service :)

    I sent them this and some questions.
    TriStar PWM Regulation.jpg

    This is a simplified wiring diagram for clarity. Relay detail and fuses are not indicated.

    What I wanted to know was; can I wire my alternator into the TriStar-45 with a schottky diode (low voltage drop) to protect my starter battery from unregulated solar charge and regulate my alternator output down to 14.4v PWM for the leisure batteries.

    They replied as long as I don't exceed the rated 45amp load tolerance for the TriStar then this will work and is suitable.
    extra_happy.gif
    I can prevent overloading the TriStar by not overloading it and by using a 30amp fuse on the alternator side and a 10 amp MCB on the solar side. Ooh poo, I just realised I may need a new DC circuit breaker for the output, feck, I'm only after putting in an order!

    Having one final regulator will also solve the solar regulator versus alternator regulator voltage crisis.


    eh...might as well maxi-blade fuse the inverter too while I'm at it. :o


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    I've also been belligering Elecsol to publish their charge parameters. No reply.
    The website is down.
    I suspect old Steve may be going down with his ship.
    I found this thread quite amusing regarding Elecsol Corp.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭paddyp


    Most jump leads are a joke, welding cable from the local co-op is a reasonable way to get chunky copper.

    That elecsol thread is great craic, "The latest Annual Accounts submitted to Companies House for the year up to 30/06/2012 reported 'cash at bank' of £100, 'liabilities' worth £0, 'net worth' of £100 and 'assets' worth £100."

    It must be hard to sleep with all that cash under the mattress.

    Elecsol batteries:



  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Welding cable only comes in single core though. Harder to keep neat although highly noteworthy.

    http://www.demesne.ie/cablecablecleats.html
    http://www.jdcables.com/index.php

    For super-serious inexpensive cable Hugh Piggott recommends making it by filling a copper pipe with strands gleaned from cheaper 3 core. I wonder how he insulates it though.

    I bet Steve goes online under pseudonames as the voice in the wilderness declaring he got his warranty honoured.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    I wonder how he insulates it though.

    He doesn't elaborate much more than this.
    DIY armoured cable.jpg


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭paddyp


    He doesn't elaborate much more than this.
    DIY armoured cable.jpg

    He's talking about using copper pipe as butt crimp or sleeve crimp. I've used that myself to make lug terminals and buttjoints for but I'd always fill the joint with solder.

    re; welding cable You generally only need single core in a vehicle though as the chassis is ground. I've used 6mm twin core van damme speaker cable in places as I had a roll of it -189 conductors 3.2 ohms per km. You can hardly cut the insulation with a stanley


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭paddyp


    paddyp wrote: »
    He's talking about using copper pipe as butt crimp or sleeve crimp. I've used that myself to make lug terminals and buttjoints for but I'd always fill the joint with solder.

    re; welding cable You generally only need single core in a vehicle though as the chassis is ground. I've used 6mm twin core van damme speaker cable in places as I had a roll of it -189 conductors 3.2 ohms per km. You can hardly cut the insulation with a stanley

    Are you thinking of doing a piggot turbine? I looked into it before I recon you'd want to be making at least a 2kw version to make it worthwhile as even in windy areas like mine you'll average 1/3 of that , I did find a free souce of neodynium magnes though at the council tip lately - magnetic resitance excercise gear rowers etc have enough for about 1/4 - 1/3 of a rotor, if you live somewhere populous you could probably picke up enough of them for free between gumtree, adverts, munster free ads, buyandsell, donedeal etc.


  • Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    paddyp wrote: »
    re; welding cable You generally only need single core in a vehicle though as the chassis is ground.

    facepalm.gif
    I always amaze myself how I can overlook the obvious. Now that you mention it there's probably close to 100m of superfluous cable in here. AC habits die hard.
    paddyp wrote: »
    Are you thinking of doing a piggot turbine? I looked into it before I recon you'd want to be making at least a 2kw version to make it worthwhile as even in windy areas like mine you'll average 1/3 of that , I did find a free souce of neodynium magnets though at the council tip lately - magnetic resitance excercise gear rowers etc have enough for about 1/4 - 1/3 of a rotor, if you live somewhere populous you could probably pick up enough of them for free between gumtree, adverts, munster free ads, buyandsell, donedeal etc.

    Yeah I reckon at least a 3kw, I've an anemometer up on one site about 6 month's and it's not looking too hopeful. I'm hoping eventually to build an off-grid workshop and expand from there if that's feasible.
    I won't be erecting one unless I can find a site averaging 7m/s @ 9m (You don't need planning permission for a hub <10m once you have no structures within that horizontal radius IIRC).
    I could be anywhere between the midlands, Dublin and the UK these days. It's unlikely I'll have anytime for new projects between here and January though. Old projects are still looking at me all sad eyed and neglected.
    I'm still on the lookout for a smart drive washing machine motor to tinker with.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭paddyp


    facepalm.gif
    I always amaze myself how I can overlook the obvious. Now that you mention it there's probably close to 100m of superfluous cable in here. AC habits die hard.



    Yeah I reckon at least a 3kw, I've an anemometer up on one site about 6 month's and it's not looking too hopeful. I'm hoping eventually to build an off-grid workshop and expand from there if that's feasible.
    I won't be erecting one unless I can find a site averaging 7m/s @ 9m (You don't need planning permission for a hub <10m once you have no structures within that horizontal radius IIRC).
    I could be anywhere between the midlands, Dublin and the UK these days. It's unlikely I'll have anytime for new projects between here and January though. Old projects are still looking at me all sad eyed and neglected.
    I'm still on the lookout for a smart drive washing machine motor to tinker with.

    When you factor in battery banks you'd need at least 3kw alright. Neighbour averages 7.5m/s but its often maxxed out around here so his average power is better than the average windspeed would indicate. He has grid tie so no battery bank shenannigans and wound the meter back a month in the first week, first few thousand units are subsidised too so it takes a bit of the initial pain away.


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