New around here...

Thank you. Wind was something I had only recently considered but that makes sense....and is one less thing to think about. Definitely doing solar and will be harnessing the water to whatever level is available. I found a video I took last summer on the property and while it's a small stream, it flows good and fast. Flows even better in the winter when the vegetation is dormant.

Exactly 1 1/2 hrs. I'm in Southern WV, and my grandad was originally from Hammond Creek KY, so we made that drive to see the great grandparents a good bit when I was a kid.

 

I am near Richmond, KY, welcome to the neighborhood!

We are off grid, with 2500w of solar panels and 300ah of LifePO4 batteries. I can send you the details of our setup tomorrow. We run our generator about once a week (about 3 hours) to charge the batteries in the winter when the panels can't keep up. We have a wind mill because we are way up on a hill but it doesn't do much 99% of the time.

 

Absolutely. I'd love to look it over.

 

Welcome aboard!

One thing that you don't want to do is buy cheap components. They will fail...and if it's a charge controller you can kiss a set of batteries good bye. Cheap inverter can damage whatever is hooked up to it or cause a fire. Go with wire that can withstand the current at max load. If in doubt, go larger. Don't forget fuses/circuit breakers....and make sure they are the correct rating. AC and DC in many (most?) cases take different breakers.

I agree with the wind being iffy at best...my turbines rarely generate enough to justify the cost.

 

Welcome to the Monkey tree!

 

Welcome to the site. Concider me your digital Librarian. How-to and information PDF's on any subject. (there are many Pdfs on this site all ready) Anything your looking for but don't see here? Ask! If I don't have something? I will find it. Research is something I can still do. And I enjoy it. So no worries about asking too much. Trying to stay active and helpful.....lol

 

Awesome! Thank you. I wouldn't even know where to look for the pdfs...specific subforum?

There's a ton of info out there on solar, so it's not real difficult to piece that together, but it's proving much more difficult to find specific water wheel set ups. Just looking for a traditional water wheel that will turn an alternator or whatever people suggest. I'm starting from scratch so I'm open to ALL suggestions.

 

I ran 2 water lines from my wood stove location to my water heater location. We make hot water with the wood stove in the winter and it saves tons of power. When you do need to make hot water you will want a heat pump water heater. In heat pump mode they only draw 400w vs 4500w for a standard water heater. They also help cool your house in the summer. $1300 at Lowes.

Drying clothes is another big power user, I found a heat pump dryer that only uses 400-500w vs. 4500w for a conventional dryer and does not require a vent. We just installed this set a few months ago and they work great.

SAMSUNG DV22N6800HW 24" COMPACT HEAT PUMP DRYER WITH 4 CU. FT. CAPACITY, SMART CARE $848.75
SAMSUNG WW22K6800AW 24" ENERGY STAR RATED FRONT-LOAD WASHER WITH 2.2 CU. FT. $675.00

This is our solar setup, I just use standard breakers for all my DC current, the square D Q/O series from Lowes are rated for DC current.

Solar Panels 2600W (bought a pallet on eBay)
Schneider Electric Conext XW MPPT 60 Amp Charge Controller (x2)
Schneider Electric Conext SW 4024 3,400 Watts, 24VDC Inverter 120/240 VAC
Schneider Electric Conext XW+/SW System Control Panel (SCP)
LiFePO4 Prismatic Batteries 24V, 300Ah

I always wanted to find a place out in Eastern KY or WV with a coal seam and/or natural gas and build a place but my family is around here.

 

Many outfits that sell solar panels also sell pre-wired controller/inverter packages. Just be sure to get an off-grid version as a lot are intended for grid-tie.

Most of the ones I've seen use pretty good quality components and they're wired to code. Ain't necessarily cheap, but could save you some head scratching and maybe extra work if you're not all that familiar with electrical. Many include tech support.

In most cases, batteries not included. If tech support is available, they can help you size your battery bank.

 

Just start a conversation with me on what your are looking for. I have a PDF library I have been working on for over 20 years. I refer to it as my Genesis 2 Library. For instance: My Energy Production, Storage, and Use directory has 9 sub directories, Of which the Solar Directory has 109 PDF's totaling 456 MB. As to what you mentioned? I will U/L a zip file with 4 books to start you off. HYDRO.ZIP (look in the energy section). And I would like to suggest you also D/L "permanent-magnet-generators-a-construction-guide." from the resource section under energy. Permanent magnet generators will produce more power with less rotational speed then Alternators. That manual will tell you how to build one if you wish. Though they can be bought as well.

 

The more research I do, mainly watching videos and reading up online, I'm really not sure why there's even a question. Lithium is "pound for pound" much more efficient in just about every way and around the same costwise when all factors are taken into consideration. Clearly you need quality components to go with them but that's not a bad idea anyway. I think I'll start out with a 100 AH bank like you did, with a proper sized array, and then expand. We're spending the first year in a tiny cabin while we slowly clear what we want on the land and start milling lumber. Just need a few lights and that's about it. Will do laundry at a family members house once a week.

Still very intrigued by the water wheel generator idea that may help us with charging during those winter months.

 

I keep looking....crunching numbers....looking some more....more numbers.....sigh. I feel like with my lack of knowledge on solar electricity (inverters, charge controllers, batteries, etc....) that it is just as cost effective and likely smarter to just go with a package deal. Wholesale solar seems to be the cream of the crop in that regard but, as always, open to suggestions there. Definitely high quality components and apparently really good customer service and tech support. I'm sure it's not the cheapest but neither is screwing up high dollar equipment due to inexperience...

 

Just step back, take a breath and form a plan...first.

Look at what you want to power and for how long. This step alone will help you avoid the disappointment many beginners face. When you have a good HONEST set of numbers, then you can start with designing your system.

It's just as easy to fail with a "pre-built" system if you don't have realistic numbers to work with.

Seriously, relax...it is not as daunting a task as you may think.

 

Funny thing just got off the phone with the people at wholesale solar. Always nice, always heplfull!
Bought first solar kit in 2000, second setup in 2009, best prices and you get what you need. There are so many variations of solar installations it helps to have someone who has been around it for a good few years.
Know your loads is first step, triple that number and you should be in the running. Working on third install as a backup system so that was why I called the people at Wholesale Solar! Wish I had water running on my land. If full time it takes a much smaller system to meet needs. Consider hydro works 24 hours a day... Consider solar at 6 hours if you are lucky.... Soooooo 24 / 6 = 4 that means 1KW hydro will produce as much a 4KW solar! Both together are a wonder. Luck to you!

 

*(8) 60 w equiv. LED 8.5 wh...2hrs per day....
*DC Fridge 890 Wh 24 hr
*DC Freezer 800 Wh 12 hr
*TV 32 inch LCD 100 Wh 2hr
*Hair dryer 1000 Wh 10 min
*vacuum cleaner 1200 Wh 15 min
*DVD player 15 Wh 2 hrs
*dishwasher 1250 Wh 1 hr (trying to get rid of this idea)
*clothes washer 500 Wh 1 hr

I put my zip code in at Wholesale Solar and the yearly average sunlight is 4.61 hours.

 

What he said! Truth...
Your loads add up to much more than you think...
Time and wattage equals watt/hours... So battery capacity is not only storage but also ability to deliver power.
Voltage matters as 1200 watts at 120 volts is only 10 amp but at 12 volts it's 100 amps.
It's 50 amps at 24 volts and 25 amps at 48 volts. You must size for the current draw and wire for 100 amps of current is expensive! Battery banks (unless litium) don't like a demand much over 10% of amp hour capacity (for longevity of battery). So as an example the hair dryer is typically 1200 watts while in use...
That means if you run 12 battery bank its 100 amp draw... Soooo rule of thumb is you would want a 1000 amp/hour battery bank and heavy wire as well for inverter. Lighting is no problem running small wire as current is low but the big loads will require a little thinking.

Sorry, got verbose...

Lots to think about... You might consider a "starter" system to learn on?
Basic 12 vdc for lighting and small electronics to start...
GC2 golf cart batteries (2) a MPPT charge controller and a couple of 300 watt solar panels.
Add a small sine wave inverter for small AC loads and you can learn quickly how to manage a system plus you have a backup for lighting once you decide on the system you really need.
"One is none and two is one" a common rule of thumb for not being left in the dark.

Really you need to ditch the hair dryer for now.

You are in for an adventure! Enjoy it and bring back the knowledge to the tree!

 

Edited

 

Everyone will have an opinion on everything....
I feel the 48vdc system is the best for off grid usage.
I have had a 48 volt system for 10 years and it worked wonderfully!
Quite the interesting feeling when you get a call from your neighbors asking if the power is out and honestly replying we have no idea. They called because our lights were on and could tell our big screen tv was working. Power was out 36 hours in the winter (snow on the ground) but we sat back watched sat tv in the warmth of wood stove (a little warm at 78deg, dang put too much wood in).... Many were not prepared.

My suggestion of a starter system was to set a learning curve with a smaller penalty for mistakes.
It also would allow for a quite usable backup for lights and small electronics (I have one for my ham station) even while the 48vdc system does the heavy lifting. Our mid scale 6800watt photovoltaic array does a great job power wise, along with propane stove and propane dryer... It's ok to learn small before plunging into a big system. I started with a tiny panel from a Tiros series satellite in 1978 and a gel cell battery to power a couple of lights and a 2mtr hand held... Graduated to a 2800watt grid tie in 2002 and then a home designed system in 2008 of 6800watts. Having moved again I am starting to design my next system... Learning all along the way. 3 plus years in aerospace industry and 37 as a union electrician in heavy industry and hydro power generation has taught me a few things...

If you have a local mentor who can analyze your particular requirements AND explain how it works to your satisfaction then go for it! One thing I have found is that you really don't know something until you can explain it to someone else, and they understand it. Quite the adventure you are embarking on...

I wish you success in your endeavors! Of course YMMV.