Solar Fields in Place of Cornfields: A Win-Win if There Ever Was One

mAlice

professional daydreamer
We're getting ready to put in solar panels and a wind turbine. We're not going to hook up to the grid, it will be stand alone. We'll run the pool on it, cut our elec bill in half, and we have emergency back up to plug into if everything goes down.
 

Chris0nllyn

Well-Known Member
We're getting ready to put in solar panels and a wind turbine. We're not going to hook up to the grid, it will be stand alone. We'll run the pool on it, cut our elec bill in half, and we have emergency back up to plug into if everything goes down.

Nice. How big of a battery bank?
 

black dog

Free America
We're getting ready to put in solar panels and a wind turbine. We're not going to hook up to the grid, it will be stand alone. We'll run the pool on it, cut our elec bill in half, and we have emergency back up to plug into if everything goes down.

What turbine and at what height did you all go with?
 

Chris0nllyn

Well-Known Member
We haven't bought it. I suspect it will go down in the very near future though. The male unit has decided on https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wind-turbi...321357?hash=item441a32ed8d:g:6cEAAOSwhcJWJlwT battery bank not included. Looks like he's going with Missouri for everything, subject to change, of course. Height, unknown.

I think you have me on ignore, but know that you'd need a ton of these and panels along with a large (read: expensive) battery bank to run your pool pump and potentially house loads.

It's likely cheaper and way less maintenance to simply get a grid-tied PV system and do away with the battery bank.
 

black dog

Free America
I think you have me on ignore, but know that you'd need a ton of these and panels along with a large (read: expensive) battery bank to run your pool pump and potentially house loads.

It's likely cheaper and way less maintenance to simply get a grid-tied PV system and do away with the battery bank.

:yay:. So many don't understand E over I = R

The generator world has the same problem..
 

Merlin99

Visualize whirled peas
PREMO Member
I think you have me on ignore, but know that you'd need a ton of these and panels along with a large (read: expensive) battery bank to run your pool pump and potentially house loads.

It's likely cheaper and way less maintenance to simply get a grid-tied PV system and do away with the battery bank.

If you're a prepper off grid is better.
 

Hijinx

Well-Known Member
If the weather stays as bad as it is this week you will have to import the sun.
Geez, I don't remember a week like this.
 

Chris0nllyn

Well-Known Member
If you're a prepper off grid is better.

No doubt, I just think peopel severely underestimate renewable energy sources and don't understand the fact that the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow at 6+mph. To run a 2.5HP pool pump 8 hours a day, you'd need something like a 1600AH battery bank @ 24Vdc. Now add in house loads, losses, recharge time, 30% max discharge and that dinky 1.7kW, 24V wind turbine won't do much.

Certainly not trying to dissuade mAlice or anyone else from going off grid or even staying on grid, but saving on their electric bills, but I'd hate to see an improperly designing the system.

I just finished a design of a 75kW roof PV system. The entire roof (outside of code clearances) is 82' x 136' and is covered with panels. Based on yearly production calcs, it'll make up about 4% of this facility's annual energy usage. That's it. at the low, low cost of $186,000. :lol:
 
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Bonehead

Well-Known Member
Most of the PV "stuff" that I have looked into would take 20 + years to break even. But the tech is changing every day.
 

Chris0nllyn

Well-Known Member
Most of the PV "stuff" that I have looked into would take 20 + years to break even. But the tech is changing every day.

They are making progress, especially with higher wattage panels and highly efficient inverters, but panel efficiency is still hovering around 20%. Payback on the job above is expected to be a little over 17 years.
 

black dog

Free America
They are making progress, especially with higher wattage panels and highly efficient inverters, but panel efficiency is still hovering around 20%. Payback on the job above is expected to be a little over 17 years.

What's the field failure rate of panels and high end inverters manufactured today?
 

black dog

Free America
depends on who you ask, the sales hype vs. the data to support it, I always chuckle when people say things about how much money they are saving on their electric bill. They always forget to mention how much that solar payment is.
https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2017/06/causes-solar-panel-degradation/

You can usually plow through the sales data and what data they give up will show what you really are buying. You will see something like it needs 50 mph of wind to meet it's full amperage of charging.. they forget to tell you it also will self destruct at that wind speed in short order.
I would find it hard to believe that for under 700 bucks you can get even a vintage 80 amp 12 volt delcotron, with a propeller attached and electronics that will long term handle a 100 percent duty cycle of that 80 amp delcotron. That will hold up to continued service.
 

Hijinx

Well-Known Member
The real question is ,after waiting 20 years for the things to pay for themselves, what life is left in them or are they ready for replacement?
How about the batteries ,if you get 4 years out of one in the car what life expectancy do these have.?
 

black dog

Free America
The real question is ,after waiting 20 years for the things to pay for themselves, what life is left in them or are they ready for replacement?
How about the batteries ,if you get 4 years out of one in the car what life expectancy do these have.?

I believe it depends on the quality of battery that was bought to begin with.
My sailboat bank was replaced every six years + - but I have a few gel 12 volts on the farm that came out of banks of battery's that had a short in some of them from when we installed the elevators at Dunes Manor Hotel in OC 20+ years ago that still hold a charge.
 
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